Achieving our Mission with a Little LUV from Southwest

December 2, 2014

The Mission Continues is celebrating #GivingTuesday with a special shout-out to Southwest Airlines in gratitude of their support. We could do our best to describe how big of an impact Southwest has had on our mission to empower veterans, but we wouldn’t do it justice. Instead, we’ll leave it to U.S. Air Force veteran and Mission Continues Fellow Justin Rigdon to explain:

Over the past couple of months, I have been provided the opportunity to travel to two separate events with The Mission Continues thanks to donated tickets from Southwest Airlines. The first event was my Fellowship Orientation in Los Angeles, California. The second, the Service Platoon Summit in Boston, brought together platoon leaders from across the country. These two events are easily the most important and life-changing events I have had since leaving active duty in 2005.

I had no idea what to expect at orientation to begin my Fellowship. My guess was that I, being 33 years old at the time, was going to be the old guy who waited too long after active duty to get involved and seek out organizations helping veterans. I had spent nearly ten years spinning my wheels but never really got anywhere in my professional life. So I was a little nervous the whole flight out to L.A.

Justin at his Fellowship Orientation in September of 2014.

 When I got there though, my eyes were opened. I was in a room full of veterans, just like me, who were all at various stages in life. It brought a sense of relief to me. Until that weekend I thought I was alone in my struggles. To put it bluntly, I felt like a loser–unsuccessful and unaccomplished. It was that weekend that showed me, I was not the loser I had pictured before. I was a veteran, going through challenges that many veterans just like me experience. And now I’m tackling some of the biggest issues my community is facing.

There is just something about being in that space with a room full of veterans that creates bonds almost instantly. I am so grateful to be a part of The Mission Continues, and thanks to Southwest, I can get together to learn and grow with the best of my generation.

Since 2010, Southwest has donated more than $640,000 in travel in support of our efforts. Hundreds of veterans have since come together in Fellowship Orientations, Service Platoon trainings and leadership summits just like Justin experienced. Next month, nearly 100 more veterans will begin their fellowships with an orientation in Houston, Texas. Thanks to Southwest, each veteran will have the opportunity to forge a new unit and continue their legacy of service here at home.