BNSF News

Employees Share Stories of Loved Ones Serving Proudly in the Military

2007-07-02

They are models of courage, compassion, endurance and strength. They are the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces throughout the years including World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm or who are currently serving in Iraq. They are some of BNSF’s favorite heroes in preserving this country’s freedoms and liberties.

Over the past few weeks, BNSF’s Labor Relations (LR) Department has requested BNSF employees to submit stories of their favorite military personnel. Some submitted humorous memories of antics among the troops, some wrote moving tributes to their fallen heroes, and others tell of personal lessons learned from serving abroad.

Some of the people who have written include Alice Roberts, who writes a moving tribute to her brother. "My brother, Norman Partridge, is on ‘The Wall’ in Washington, D.C. He was a Huey helicopter pilot in Vietnam for less than two weeks. He was killed Sept. 16, 1968, when his helicopter exploded while making a rescue he had volunteered for. His Huey was hit as it lifted off the ground after rescuing a colonel and his driver. Grossly injured himself, he was able to drag the injured colonel from the crashed helicopter and returned for his deceased co-pilot when it exploded. I have the letter from that colonel, who wrote our parents, telling them that Norman was a true hero. He lost his life while saving another."

Paul Packard writes of his son, BNSF Signal employee, Eric Packard. "My son, Eric Packard, joined the Marines in June 2001…Later he was deployed to go to Iraq at the start of the war and served on the Bonhomme Richard (which was called the Harrier Carrier) bringing troops and Harriers to the Gulf Region. He was just married eight days before he had to leave. After six months of deployment he returned home and had a baby boy a year later, before having to be deployed again. He is presently employed by the BNSF in the Signal Department in Kansas City, Mo."

These personal accounts and others can be read on the LR Web site. To submit an article on your favorite military hero, go to the LR Web site via employee.bnsf.com, which is accessible from any computer with a Web browser, 24 hours a day. Go to Departments and then select Labor Relations from the drop-down menu.

As this country’s Independence Day approaches, BNSF salutes those who have protected this country from harm.

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