V A N T A G E P O I N T
AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2009
8
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PHOTOGRAPHBYCHETSNEDDEN
We’d love to hearwhat you think about our
airline and our employees. Pleasewrite to us
atwww.aa.com/customerrelations.
Gerard J. Arpey
Chairman&CEO
AmericanAirlines
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GivingThanks
WithThanksgivinguponus, Iwould like to
use thismonth’s column toexpressheartfelt
gratitude, both personally and on behalf of
the entire American Airlines team, to the
menandwomenof theUnitedStatesarmed
forces; their courage and sacrifice make it
possible for us todo theworkwe love todo
and to live the liveswewant to live.Thepeo-
pleofAmericanAirlines realize thatweowe
a debt to our country’s active-duty soldiers
andveterans—and to their families— that
cannever reallybe repaid. Butwe feel duty-
bound toprovidewhatever supportwe can.
Our ties to the military go back several
generations. Today, one out of every 10AA
employees and six out of every 10pilots are
either veterans or still in activemilitary ser-
vice. So it’s no surprise that our people leap
at the chance to help those, including those
within our own ranks, who have given so
muchonourbehalf.Werecentlyestablisheda
VeteranMilitaryEmployeeResourceGroup
within our company, which is devoted to
supporting our veteran- and active-military
colleaguesand their families.
Each year, hundreds of AAers volunteer
their time to put on Sky Ball, a fund-raiser
tosupport the familiesofmilitarypersonnel
inNorth Texas. Unfortunately, there is too
often a disconnect between the courageous
serviceofourarmed forcesoverseasand the
level of support they and their families re-
ceive at home. The money we raise at Sky
Ball helps make sure military families in
our community have food on the table, as-
sists withmortgage and car payments, and
supportswelcome-home events for soldiers
returning fromwar, amongother things.
Our people are alsodeeply involvedwith
Snowball Express, a volunteer organization
established to provide a fun, all-expenses-
paidholiday for the childrenand spousesof
fallenmilitary heroes. AA is the official air-
line of Snowball Express, and this year we
will bringmore than 2,000military fami-
lies to the Dallas/Fort Worth area for the
festivities. Hundreds of AA volunteers do-
nate their time tohelpget the families to the
event andmake sure theyhaveagreat time.
We’re proud of the rolewe play in remind-
ing these families that theyareneitheralone
nor forgotten, and I hope you’ll visit www
.snowballexpress.org and consider contrib-
uting to this program, whichbrings a lot of
joy to the families of those who sacrificed
everythingonourbehalf.
ThepeopleofAmericanAirlineshavealso
rallied around Operation Iraqi Children
(OIC), a grassroots initiative founded by
actorGary Sinise and authorLauraHillen-
brand that supports the ongoing efforts of
U.S. troops to provide the children of Iraq
and Afghanistan with the kind of basic
school supplies children inour country take
for granted.Earlier this year,AAvolunteers
executed the biggest one-time shipment of
supplies in theprogram’shistory, delivering
more than20 tonsofbooks,blankets, shoes,
andothernecessities, all ofwhichwere then
distributedbyU.S. troops to the childrenof
Iraq. OICdoes tremendouswork onbehalf
of children who need help, so I hope you
will visit
and learnhow you canhelp.
As you know, we are always on the look-
out for ways to leverage the size and popu-
larity of the AAdvantage program to help
our customers make a positive difference
in theworld.Oneof the causeswe aremost
proud to support is calledOperationHero
Miles. Through a partnership with Fisher
House (learnmoreandget involvedatwww
.fisherhouse.org), our customers are able to
donatemiles thatwillhelpprovideair travel
to family and friends visiting U.S. service
members who are being treated atmilitary
hospitals around theworld.
We are deeply grateful to our men and
women in uniform. But simple gratitude is
not enough. These organizations represent
just a small sample of themany opportuni-
ties we have to make a tangible difference
for those who have risked, and too often
sacrificed, their lives toprotect ours. Thank
you for supporting our troops, and thank
you for flyingwith us. I wish you and your
families thebest thisholiday season.
