Throughout the year, Envoy consistently offers help to various veterans’ and military initiatives. This year, that included chartering Honor Flights and sending volunteers to Washington D.C., donating funds to a Veterans of Foreign War post to help with hurricane relief, chartering Gary Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band to Guantanamo Bay – the list goes on.
Sometimes, when Envoy reports for duty, the call is a somber one.
When a military cargo plane crashed on July 10 in rural Mississippi, 16 service members headed to pre-deployment training were tragically killed. The KC-130T transport plane was flown by members of the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452, based in Newburgh, New York.
Together with our partners at American Airlines, Envoy offered two Embraer 175 aircraft to carry a large group of fellow Marines from nearby Stewart International Airport to attend funerals in Dallas and Seattle. In one week, Envoy and the Marines traveled from White Plains N.Y. to Dallas and Seattle (plus a fuel stop in Fargo, North Dakota) to say goodbye to their fallen brothers-in-arms.
“It’s always an honor to be able to demonstrate our appreciation for these service members,” says Robert Nault, Director of Systems Operations Control. “These trips were especially humbling, and I think I speak for the whole team when I say that it’s a week we won’t soon forget.”
A special visit
Just last week, the marines carried by Envoy to attend the funerals came to visit Envoy headquarters in Irving, Texas to thank Robert and Envoy President & CEO Pedro Fábregas – along with crew members and Envoy leadership – for dedicating their time, aircraft and volunteers. The marines presented Envoy’s leadership with commemorative plaques and aircraft models of the KC-130T.
“When the Marines came to our headquarters to thank us for our help, I was surprised by their sincere generosity,” says Pedro. “Envoy has hundreds of employees who have served in the military, and they are an important part of Envoy’s success. We’ll continue to serve them as they’ve honorably served the citizens of this great country.”
Thank you to the pilots and flight attendants who operated the aircraft and provided excellent service; to the ground crews who made special adjustments to accommodate these flights; to the volunteers who took time to assist in any way they could; and to the veteran-employees who served our country and contribute daily to Envoy’s success!