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BNSF gives Christmas present to military families
(The following story by Eric Timmons appeared on The Register-Mail website on December 9, 2009.)
GALESBURG, Ill. — Area veterans travelled in style Tuesday aboard a special BNSF train on a journey that was the railroad company’s way of thanking them for their service.
BNSF also donated $10,000 to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund at a ceremony attended by company executives, military representatives and local politicians. But it was the trip on the BNSF Holiday Express that captured the imagination of the veterans and their families.
Snow and rain swirled outside as the train swept across the countryside on a two-hour trip, passing through Kewanee before returning to the Amtrak Depot in Galesburg. Inside, veterans and their families, including many young children, drank hot cocoa in carriages decked out in Christmas decorations.
Ryan Hummel, a staff sergeant at the Galesburg Armory, took his wife Katrina and children Ashlee and Daniel along for the ride. Neither Ashlee or Daniel had ever been on a train before, and were clearly excited by the experience. “It’s a lot of fun and the kids love it,” Hummel said.
Santa even made an appearance, doling out gifts for the children as he made his way through the train, which was filled with 200 people, including at least two families of fallen soldiers.
Hummel said BNSF has a reputation for treating veterans particularly well, as demonstrated by the Holiday Express, but also in many other ways. “They support those who serve better than most,” he said. “They even pay you when you’re away.”
BNSF employees who join the military receive make-whole pay and benefits continuation for themselves and their families when they are deployed.
Andy Williams, a BNSF spokesman, said the company takes pride in treating veterans and their families with the respect they deserve. “Since 9/11, over 1,000 of our employees have been deployed,” he said. “And we like to say we’re a company that really supports our troops.”
State Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson, said BNSF’s Christmas present to veterans was a nice way of giving something back to the men and women who risk their lives for their country.
“I want to thank Burlington Northern Santa Fe for doing this,” he said. “It’s an outstanding show of appreciation for our veterans and their service.”
The BNSF Holiday Express consisted of 11 restored vintage cars and was powered by two of BNSF’s newest locomotives.
Brandy Rodriguez, from Bettendorf, Iowa, took the train with her husband Jose, an active-duty Marine, and their children Isabella and Aidan, both of whom were also on their first train ride. “I just think it’s so generous,” Rodriguez said of the BNSF trip. “It’s such a beautiful experience for those who served.”
Galesburg was just one stop for BNSF’s Holiday Express on a two-week trip through Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, giving rides to more than 2,400 members of military families.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
© 1997-2010 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
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