Memories of a son as U.S. observes Memorial Day
San Francisco Sheet Metal Technician Tom Ballard shared this story, "What Memorial Day means to me," about his son, 1st Lt. Ken Ballard, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2004.
My only child, Kenneth Michael Ballard was born at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York, on July 21, 1977, in the fourth year of my 20-year career with the U.S. Air Force. His family lineage has been one full of military service to our nation. His great grandfather served in WWI, and both his grandfathers, his grandmother, father, uncles and cousins all served in the military, totaling some 117 years of service.
Ken joined the U.S. Army after graduating high school in 1995. Pvt. Ken Ballard's first assignment was with the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, (General Patton's WWII unit "Old Ironsides") out of Friedberg, Germany. He was an Abrams tank ammunition loader, soon to be serving with our NATO forces in Bosnia and Macedonia.
His superiors saw he was a true leader. He was placed into a program called "From Green to Gold," a program that moved an individual from the enlisted ranks to become an officer.
In 1998, Ken took leave from active duty in Germany to attend Middle Tennessee State University. In 2002, Ken earned his degree in international relations. At Ken's commissioning ceremony, his mother and I pinned on his 2nd Lt. bars. (Bars I had made of pure gold.)
Returning to active duty, Ken started training to be an Abrams tank commander.
His first assignment was back to Friedberg, Germany, back with the 1st Armored. Within the year, their unit was given their orders to deploy. On the May 22, 2003, their unit crossed the border into Iraq – the start of their first-year tour of combat.
Three hundred sixty-five days later, the 1st Armored was ready to head home. They felt very blessed to have served their year in-country without having lost a single soldier. They had packed their personal gear and were ready to go. Time to pass the command over to the new incoming troops. "WE MADE IT. WE ARE GOING HOME!!!!!" All this was about to change.
Orders had been cut – the 1st Armored was placed on an involuntary extension. Insurgents were launching large-scale attacks into the twin cities of Al-Kufa and Al-Najaf, an area considered to be very sacred, holy land to the people of Iraq. Headquarters felt it would be wiser to send seasoned rather than inexperienced troops into an extremely hot combat zone.
On Memorial Day, May 30, 2004, eight days into their extension, the 1st Armored lost their first soldier. Pfc. Nicholas E. Zimmer, age 20, of Columbus, Ohio. His vehicle came under attack by rocket-propelled grenades. Eight hours later, while I was attending a gathering with friends at home, we raised our glasses in a toast, thanking those that have given their lives protecting freedom around the world. At precisely that time, halfway around the world, my son was lost.
Twelve hours later, I was back at work in central control at SFO Air Train. My brother in Denver called me. He asked where I was. I told him and asked why? He told me that two old military buddies were passing through the airport and knew that I worked there. They wanted to stop by and say hello. I told him where I was and hung up.
A few hours had passed. I forgot about my brother's call. I noticed our safety officer on the first floor CCTV monitor. He was holding the door open looking left and right as if he was looking for someone. I got distracted, and when I looked back he was gone.
A short while later, the safety officer entered central control and asked me to accompany him to his office.
As I opened his office door, I saw two sharply dressed men in their formal military uniforms. Nothing needed to be said. My life as I knew it had been changed. No more birthdays. No grandchildren.
The Ballards' unscathed military history of 117 years of service had changed overnight.
Ken's unit returned to the U.S. on the Fourth of July 2004.
Two months after my son died, a much respected friend who we all work with at UAL was notified his nephew, Spc. Anthony J. Dixon, was killed in Samarra, Iraq.
You may be surprised at the number of people you work with on a daily basis. Many have served defending our freedoms. Some silently carry the pain of the loss of a loved one – a loved one that stood in front of you, defending your freedoms.
Memorial Day has always held a very special place in my heart. Now more than ever.
Remember why we commemorate this day. MEMORIAL DAY.
Think about it, when we are all given the day off. Who has made this day possible?
Take the time this weekend to think of those that gave their lives so you can live yours with freedom.
On March 19, 2020, United operated its first flight carrying cargo without passengers on board. While the passenger cabin was empty, its cargo hold was completely full, carrying more than 29,000 pounds of commodities from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
A year later, United Cargo has operated more than 11,000 cargo-only flights carrying more than 570 million pounds of freight. To support the COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, United Cargo has also transported more than 113 million pounds of medical and pharmaceutical products on both cargo-only and passenger flights as well as approximately 10 million COVID-19 vaccines, providing global communities access to the items they have needed most.
"At the beginning of the pandemic, we knew we were uniquely positioned to utilize our widebody aircraft and our network to keep commodities moving, so we quickly mobilized various departments throughout the airline to launch a cargo-only network of flights that would keep commodities moving," said United Cargo President Jan Krems. "Thanks to those efforts, United Cargo has delivered millions of items to countries all around the world. We would not have been successful without the steadfast support of our employees, industry partners and our customers."
Since last March, United Cargo has transported almost 850 million pounds of freight on cargo-only and passenger flights. The airline will continue to monitor market trends adjust its cargo-only flight schedules to help ensure we are meeting our customer's evolving shipping needs.
Whether you haven't flown with us for a while or just need a quick refresher before your spring trip, read this list of tips to know before your flight and arrive at the airport travel-ready:
1. Download the United app for contactless bag check, travel assistance and more
Before your flight, download the United app to view your flight status, check in, sign up for flight notifications, locate departure gates, access our free personal device entertainment when available and more. We've also updated our app with new features that can make your trip a little safer, including contactless bag check.
Don't forget to use Agent on Demand for help with any and all questions you may have before your flight. This new capability is available at all our U.S. hub airports and allows you to use your own mobile device to contact a customer service agent via phone, video or chat to help with day-of-travel questions while you're at the airport. Learn more about Agent on Demand here.
2. Check out the Travel-Ready Center
Our Travel-Ready Center makes it easy to get a personalized overview of everything you need to do in preparation for your flight. Just enter your confirmation number or MileagePlus® number and you'll find detailed information on all the documents, tests and more that you'll need for your trip.
3. Read and sign the Ready-to-Fly checklist
Before completing check-in, all United travelers will need to read our Ready-to-Fly checklist and confirm that they understand and agree to our policies. These include:
Acknowledging that you haven't had any symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 14 days
Agreeing that you will not fly if you have tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 21 days
Confirming that you will follow all policies regarding face masks, social distancing and other health and safety measures we've adopted
4. Arrive early; avoid the stress
Airports can be busy, especially during peak travel periods like spring break season. The TSA advises arriving at the airport two hours before your flight for domestic travel and three hours for international travel in anticipation of long security lines. This can help ease the stress when navigating busy check-in areas, security lines and crowded boarding gates.
5. Get familiar with CleanPlus
United CleanPlus℠ is our commitment to delivering industry-leading cleanliness as we put health and safety at the forefront of your experience. We've teamed up with Clorox to redefine our cleaning and disinfection procedures and Cleveland Clinic to advise us on enhancing our cleaning and disinfection protocols, like:
Disinfecting high-touch areas on board and in the terminal
Using electrostatic spraying, Ultraviolet C lighting wands and more advanced measures to clean aircraft cabins before boarding
Redesigning our mobile app to allow for touchless check-in and contactless payment, along with enhanced travel assistance features
Implementing high-efficiency (HEPA) filters on our aircraft that completely recirculate cabin air every 2-3 minutes and remove 99.97% of airborne particles, including viruses and bacteria
Studies show COVID-19 exposure risk is minimal when air filtration systems and masks are in use, so you can rest assured that the steps we've taken to keep you safe truly make a difference.
6. Wear your mask
Federal law requires all travelers to wear a face mask in the airport, including customer service counters, airport lounges, gates and baggage claim, and on board during their entire flight. Make sure you review the requirements for face masks, including what an acceptable face mask looks like.
7. Get ready for a safer boarding process
To make boarding even safer, we now have travelers board their aircraft from back to front. At the gate, just listen for your row number to be called – we'll ask a few rows at a time to board, starting with the last row of the plane. This helps everyone maintain a safe distance from each other during boarding without slowing things down. As you step onto the plane, flight attendants will hand each passenger a sanitizing towelette, which you can use to wipe down your seat to ensure it's extra clean.
8. Pack smart
Before packing your bags, check to see what exactly you can carry on and what you should plan to check. You can also copy your confirmation number into our Baggage Calculator tool to learn about the bag allowance included with your reservation, as well as the cost of checking any additional bags.
9. Check your flight status, important notices and weather
Check the United app regularly for the latest updates on weather conditions, flight status, gate numbers and seat assignments. You can also visit our Important Notices page to find essential information and updates about travel waivers, international travel, TSA and security, airports and United Club locations.
10. Relax and enjoy your flight
Once you're on board, it's time to sit back and enjoy your flight. Our flight attendants will be happy to help you with anything else you need.
This week, we were honored to become the first U.S. airline to join the UNICEF Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by transporting the vaccine and other critically needed supplies to underserved areas of the globe.
"We are committed to helping the global community in any way we can, and we all must work together to do our part to bring this health and humanitarian crisis to an end," said Director of Cargo Specialty Products Manu Jacobs.
We will leverage our expertise to transport these critical pharmaceutical and healthcare shipments around the world safely, efficiently and expediently. We are proud to partner with the United Nations to support this global effort and provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Together, we are facing an unprecedented challenge. United Together, we rise to meet that challenge.
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Calling all AvGeeks and travelers! Take your next video call from a United Polaris® seat, the cockpit or cruising altitude with United-themed backgrounds for use on Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Newly added to our collection is a background encouraging our employees and customers to vote. Our mission is to connect people and unite the world — and one of the most important ways to do that is to engage in the democratic process. No matter which party you support, we know our democracy will be stronger if you make your voice heard and vote.
So for your next meeting or catch up with friends and family, download the app to either your computer or mobile device to get started.
To use on Zoom:
- Start here by downloading your favorite United image to your computer or mobile device. Just click "download" in the bottom left corner of the image.
- Next go to your Zoom app (you'll need to download the app to access backgrounds) and click on the arrow to the right of your video camera icon in the bottom of the screen.
- From here select, "choose virtual background" to upload your uniquely United photo.
To use on Microsoft Teams:
- Start by downloading your favorite United image to your computer. Just click "download" in the bottom left corner of the image.
- If you're using a PC, copy the image you want to use into this folder:
- C:\[insert your device user name here]\AppData\Microsoft\Teams\Backgrounds\Uploads
- If you're using a Mac copy the images to this folder on your computer:
- /users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams/Backgrounds/Uploads
- If you're using a PC, copy the image you want to use into this folder:
- Once you start a Teams meeting, click the "…" in the menu bar and select "Show background effects" and your image should be there
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This is why we fly.
20 UCSF Health workers, who voluntarily set aside their own lives to help save lives, are on their way to New York City.
We are humbled by your selfless sacrifice.
Thank you.
#UnitedTogether #UCSFHeroes
In celebration and appreciation of all first responders and essential workers. 👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿
This is the story of Jason and Shantel. You see, Jason and Shantel love each other very much. They also love traveling and they love the classic Adam Sandler film, The Wedding Singer.
It all began when Jason reached out to United's social media team, hoping for assistance with his upcoming plan to propose. Some phone calls and one borrowed guitar later, the stage was set for Jason. Put all that together, mix in some helpful United employees and, voila, you have a truly memorable marriage proposal. Congratulations to this fun-loving and happy couple, and here's to many more years of making beautiful music together.
A big thank you to Chicago-based flight attendants Donna W., Marie M., Karen J. and Mark K. for making this proposal come to life.
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