Boeing Company Salutes Military Veterans During Ceremony at St. Louis Campus

By Carmelo Turdo

The Boeing Company held their annual Veterans Day Recognition Ceremony November 5 at the St. Louis campus in advance of the national Veterans Day holiday approaching next week.  The St. Louis facility was once the McDonnell Douglas world headquarters, and still manages the operations of the Defense, Space and Security Division of the Boeing Company.  The company facility not only supplies military hardware and support services to the U.S. armed forces and those of allied nations, it also recognizes the current and past military veteran employees several times each year.  The recognition events are organized by the St. Louis Veterans Task Force and involve other organizations from the local area, as will be illustrated below.

Mr. Dave Thomas, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and President of the St. Louis Veterans Task Force, was the host of the event that brought several hundred veterans and family.

The St. Louis Boeing Concert Band provided patriotic music:

 

Ms Georgia Barnett, long-time employee and member of the St. Louis Veterans Task Force, provided the Invocation:

 

Mr. David Wegan, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and member of the St. Louis Veterans Task Force, introduced the American Pride Tribute provided by the Joint Service Color Guard, UTRANSCOM at Scott AFB, Patriot Guard Riders and bald eagles from the World Bird Sanctuary:

 

Featured speakers were: Mr. Jim O'Neill, President of Global Services and Support at Boeing Defense, Space and Security; Mr. Gilbert Dieckhoff, World War II veteran and crewman/mechanic aboard U.S. Navy PBY Catalina; and Major General Michael S. Strough, Director of Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, IL:

 

Boeing St. Louis campus is host to two memorials to veterans outside the headquarters building.  The Boeing St. Louis Employee Veterans Honor Wall was dedicated on November 11, 2005 and contains the names of local McDonnell Douglas and Boeing employee veterans on the wall identified with each service's flag.  The unique aspect of the memorial is that it honors living veterans as well.  Also, there is a memorial to McDonnell Douglas veterans that was installed prior to the Honor Wall.  Here are some views of both memorials:

 

Special thanks to the Boeing St. Louis Veterans Task Force for recognizing our veterans and for their hospitality.