ATI held a special lunch for all its employees to thank all the men and women who served honorably in the military on Veterans Day.
As part of the celebration, Alex Thagard, SVP Strategy, Sales & Marketing, shared his thoughts and reminded people to remember all the sacrifices they have done & continue to do and be proud of their contribution to the national security of the country.
Check out below speech from Alex Thagard.
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. My name is Lieutenant Colonel Alex Thagard, United States Air Force, Retired. I would like to wish you all a very Happy Veteran’s Day. As we pause to consider the significance of Veteran’s Day, we can recall its origin from 1919. On 28 June 1919, World War I “The Great War” officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Palace outside of the city of Versailles, France. The date of 11 November 1918 was when the fighting actually ceased between the Allies and Germany. During the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the eleventh month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, went into effect. To this day in 2020, we celebrate Veteran’s Day on this date, to commemorate that end of this war.
I would like to share with you all some perspectives that we may be too busy to see every day while we go about our duties here at Aero Turbine, Incorporated. From the knowledge of how the military thinks and acts, how we take care of engines, and how we support and produce engines for our military customers, veteran’s insight is absolutely essential.
But what exactly is our mission? What does our mission affect? From personal experience, I can tell you as a brand new Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, all I was worried about was flying airplanes and I didn’t want to concern myself with much else. But as I matured and began to understand the Air Force mission, my leadership showed me the impact that we were making, and connected it all the way to the top of the military. It became important to me that I could understand how the day to day tasks that we perform, contribute to something important to the national security of the United States of America. I believe that the people on our team have the same feeling, the same tug in your gut, to see and know that we are contributing to something great. You are. We are. The work we do each and every day, does contribute to the national security of the United States of America. I encourage all of you – that when you talk to your families and loved ones, you share with them that you don’t just have a job – but that you are part of ensuring the safety of America. Whether you are turning a wrench, making a computer drawing, or pricing repairs, the work we perform here is connected to our country’s security.
We provide the engines that power the T-38 Talon. The T-38 is the initial, supersonic, flight trainer for all of the United States Air Force’s student pilots. The Air Force had more than 1,000 of these jets. Every year, 40 percent of the new pilots in the USAF that train to become fully qualified fighter pilots, will earn their wing this with this airplane. The student pilots will then become operational in the F-15, F-16, F-22, A-10, B-1B, and the F-35. But they all start out in this trainer.
So keep your chin up and head held high. All of us are part of an important team. I can promise you that the work we are doing does not go unnoticed by the leadership of the US Air Force, the US Army, and the US Navy. I can tell you personally that the Program Manager for all of the T-38’s in the Air Force, knows that we have an outstanding team that produces an excellent product. He encourages us to continue our efforts and continue our outstanding support to security of this nation.
Finally, remember that whether your service was in Vietnam, DESERT SHIELD or DESERT STORM, or fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq, we are part of an unbroken chain of men and women who have served this country with distinction. I thank each and every one of you and your families for this service. God bless our veterans and troops and God bless the United States of America.”
