Wreaths Across America's Trucking Tributes Presents UPS and the Honor Trailer


 

The desire to remember, honor, and teach goes so much deeper than the cause-marketing impact of a company logo associated with a reputable organization. Supporters of Wreaths Across America believe in the mission, and they take the part they play to heart.

 

“There are thousands of people who come out on Wreath Day to the Georgia National Cemetery where I’ve participated for the last six years,” shares Lloyd Knight, Senior Director at UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Chairman of the UPS Veterans Steering Council, and President of VETLANTA. “To feel that fellowship between thousands of Americans coming out to honor those veterans who came before us is very, very moving. Then you have that personal connection by taking a wreath and laying it on the headstone of somebody you don’t know. It is, believe it or not, amazing and touching. It’s just something that you have to participate in to get that first-hand knowledge.” Lloyd is a retired veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and he has that first-hand knowledge of what service and sacrifice mean.

 

UPS is supporting Wreaths Across America as this year’s sponsor of the Wreaths Across America Honor Trailer created by Contract Leasing Corp. UPS will haul the Honor Trailer traveling with the Annual Wreath Escort to Arlington National Cemetery, filled with veterans’ wreaths. The annual event includes a convoy of vehicles forming the world’s longest veterans’ parade, stretching more than 2.5 miles. This year, the Wreaths Across America convoy will be delivering 50,000 of the quarter of a million wreaths that will be placed at Arlington National Cemetery on Wreaths Across America Day. There will be public events at schools and veterans’ locations along the way in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington D.C. UPS volunteers will also participate at National Wreaths Across America events in multiple locations.

 

Of the 480,000 UPS employees, thousands of them are veterans. Lloyd founded the first UPS Veterans Business Resource Group (VBRG) chapter eight years ago; today, there are 23 chapters available to UPS employees. The VBRGs assist with items such as interviewing skills, resume building, and community service. “My passion is behind employment for veterans. Veterans are some of the best candidates there are. They’ve got professionalism, leadership skills, discipline, and a lot of education in many different areas.” As a service-focused organization, UPS is a logical choice for veterans seeking employment following military service. The organization completed its mission to hire more than 50,000 veterans by the end of 2018 two years early. UPS also participates in Air Force and Army mentorship programs that provide active-duty officers on-the-job training, experience, and exposure with private-sector companies.

 

You can hear more about Lloyd’s military service, the nonprofit he founded in the Atlanta area, and UPS on Trucking Tributes, heard exclusively on Tuesdays at 11:00 AM and again at 4:00 PM (Eastern) on Wreaths Across America Radio.