Commemoration of Pearl Harbor by American and Southwest Airlines

This past December 7th in the United States we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which ultimately led to the US entering WWII. Two national airlines took advantage of this 80th anniversary to commemorate as well. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, both of which are traditionally very committed to our military, had their own events planned for this occasion.

American Airlines in conjunction with The Gary Sinise Foundation, Veterans United Home Loans, Best Defense Foundation and many others, joined forces to give away fully paid vacations to 63 WWII veterans in recognition of their sacrifice and in appreciation of their service to our country.

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The celebration kicked off on December 2 with a special event at the Westin DFW Airport Hotel, which included a red carpet welcome, entertainment by 1940s dancers and musicians, and last but not least, a magnificent feast catered by world-class Chef Robert Irvine.

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The next day, the veterans were escorted to DFW’s Terminal D by local police and Patriot Guard Riders where they were greeted as heroes by 100 members of AA’s staff who volunteered to be part of the celebration. The veterans boarded a Boeing 787 Dreamliner chartered specially for them, bound for Honolulu.

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Nancy Wudtke, who is a First Officer with American Airlines, was part of the crew and she had a very unique privilege. She was able to transport her father, who’s a WWII  Army Air Corps veteran to Hawaii. Wudtke said that she is a pilot because of her father, since she grew up surrounded by planes, adding it’s “an honor” to help transport these heroes to Hawaii. 

This 80th commemoration of the attack comes, as work to identify 394 Sailors and Marines who lie entombed in the USS Oklahoma, is drawing to a close. Southwest Airlines also commemorated the attacks by helping reunite one of the recently identified Sailors with his family, who were able to finally lay him to rest.