Truckload Carriers Association conducted a special ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. to honor Air Force veterans who are interred at the Academy's cemetery.


TCA President, Chris Burruss, and Josh Kaburick, COO of Earl L. Henderson Trucking Company of Salem, Ill., placed fresh wreaths on the first of approximately 950 graves.

Barry Pottle, president and CEO of Pottle's Transportation, Inc. of Bangor, Maine rallied his fellow TCA officers to contribute nearly $10,000 to purchase the wreaths. Earl L. Henderson Trucking Co. transported the greenery to Colorado Springs via a donated truck and the services of two if its drivers.

"A few months ago, our officers had held their annual planning meeting at the academy and were tremendously impressed with the cadets and their outstanding dedication to this country," explained Burruss. "They thought this would be an appropriate and moving way to show the truckload industry's appreciation for their sacrifices, and it certainly was."

The ceremony was a natural complement to a program that TCA and many in the truckload industry actively support, called Wreaths Across America. Each year in December, a long convoy of trucks -- including some donated by TCA members -- carries thousands of fresh wreaths from Maine to burial sites across the nation.

"Trucking supports our veterans, there's no doubt about it," said Burruss. "Both the military and trucking provide critical services to our country, albeit in different ways. We're both working for America."