American Airlines honors American fallen heroes

American Airlines (AA) Cargo partnered with the nonprofit organization Operation Honor our Heroes to transport 10,000 American flags to Washington, D.C., for a Memorial Day event in to commemorate the more than 1.2 million soldiers that died in service, from the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783 to the present conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The 1.04 metric tonne shipment contained one flag for every 120 service members who lost their lives in the line of duty. The flags, along with personalized memorial cards, were displayed near the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The airline provides a dedicated team to ensure the “safe and respectful transport of fallen soldiers and memorial artifacts.” These specialists were present in Dallas-Fort Worth as the flags were loaded onto a 757 destined for Washington’s Reagan National Airport.