Victory Flight

Mira Verma, Matt Nyfeler, Typhoon, Cory Martin and Barry Layton Business Communications 3/16/2013

I. Introduction
The brave veterans who have served our nation continue to be a proud for reminder for Americans not to take our liberties for granted. However, it is evident that even in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, veterans are subject to hardship from wounds of the past and suffer in clinics that cannot meet their needs. We are representatives from American Airlines, a Fort Worth based company that is one of the largest airline carriers in North America. Through our extensive airline and flight system, we offer a new project that can help to solve the ever-increasing problem of underserved veterans in Dallas and the surrounding areas. American Airlines extends a new project and solution that can help combat this terrible situation that plagues veterans in the Dallas area. If American Airlines can achieve this goal in the region of Dallas, it would be a victory not only to the corporation but also to the ideal of a better future that these brave heroes fought so hard to obtain. Therefore, the proposal presented before the Dallas Chamber of Commerce is named the Victory Flight. This project will be the most basic form of giving back to those that gave more than they ever needed to. This proposal is in its simplest form a three day trip to the United States of Americas capital Washington D.C. The trip focuses on emotional release and necessary medical attention for the veterans that is so desperately warranted.

II. Background/Purpose
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common and very tragic condition found in many veterans. Severe cases of PTSD can produce flashbacks, nightmares, and uncontrollable thoughts. Extensive studies have shown that PTSD has a disproportionate and overwhelming effect on those who have served. In fact, The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs predicts that PTSD is an issue that affects nearly 31% of Vietnam War veterans, and can bear crippling effects on the lives of those it touches (National Institute of Health).

Vietnam Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Vietnam Veterans Diagnosed with PTSD Vietnam Veterans Not Diagnosed with PTSD

As a resolution to this unfortunate reality, the purpose of the American Airlines Victory Flight is to give to those who gave by arranging and paying for an all expenses paid trip to the veterans and their plus one for a three day visit to Washington DC. The aim is to not only take veterans to popular memorial sights, but to introduce them to a state of the art treatment facility located in Washington DC. In 2004, the VA clinic in Dallas was ranked the last in the nation amongst VA clinics. (Shipp) Clearly shown, the need in the Dallas community is greater than anywhere else across the country. The veterans of Dallas need attention and a trip can help alleviate the emotional wounds of the past. The main goals of the Victory Flight include creating a memorable and medically progressive trip for a group of Dallas based veterans and developing a community wide veterans awareness through a public relations program. One of the major goals is to make an impact within the veteran community so that they are able to access help when needed.

III. Proposal
Fifty veterans will be chosen using the specialty application from American Airlines, based on factors such as financial need and severity of the condition. Veterans must have served in the Vietnam War and be affiliated with the Dallas VA clinic. These measures are to ensure that the veterans are among those in the same demographic and region. Veterans will be encouraged to bring a plus one on the trip. Both the veterans and their partners expenses will be covered by American Airlines. The application process is extensive on the American Airlines administrative side in the act of mailing, searching, contacting and arranging the application services. Through a partnership with the VA Hospital in Dallas, American Airlines will be given an exhaustive list of veterans that have both served in the Vietnam War and been considered diagnosed with moderate to severe Post Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. From this point, American Airlines will send out a general application to record the basic information of the top one hundred of the lists most severely affected Vietnam vets. These applications will require information about each and every individual in the household that will take part on this trip. An example of the general application is included:

Victory Flight
Applicant Information Name: Date of birth: Current address: City: Own Rent (Please circle) Current Salary: Retirement Salary: Military Information Division/Wing/Command/Group: Active Conflict Operations Fought: Rank: Disabled Veteran: Yes No Emergency Contact Name of a person not residing with you: Address: City: Relationship: Co-Applicant (Additional Passenger to Travel With) Name: Date of birth: Current address: City: Name: SSN: State: Address: Phone: ZIP Code: Phone: State: ZIP Code: Phone: Duration: Awards/Honors Won: Branch: Did You Receive Retirement? Yes No Are You A PTSD Patient? Yes No SSN: State: Monthly payment or rent: : Phone: ZIP Code: How long? ZIP Code:

Additional Emergency Contact Information

I authorize the verification of the information provided on this form as to my credit and employment. I have received a copy of this application. Signature of applicant: Signature of co-applicant: Date: Date:

Upon the sending of the application, American Airlines will send out a customized thank you letter signed by the company executive officer (CEO) with the American Airlines logo, thanking the veterans for their outstanding service and emphasizing their commitment to serving veterans.

After the applications have been mailed out and received by a very specific deadline, American Airlines will begin to order the applicants in order of severity of PTSD and various other medical problems. Those who have a dire need for one on one psychological analysis given by the Washington VA will be ordered higher than those who do not need the interactions as badly. Directly following the ordering of each applicant by their severity of PTSD, the veterans will be further categorized by socioeconomic need. The veterans that have ample monetary resources and disposable income will be placed on a lower priority scale than those who would not have the possibility to afford such leisure on their own. After the applications have been accepted and the top 50 veterans have been chosen, American Airlines will send out packets to each chosen veteran. The applicants who were awarded the trip will receive a packet that includes: Trip Itinerary Possible Costs PTSD Awareness Pamphlet Washington, DC Pamphlet American Airlines Pamphlet

The applicants who did not receive the trip will be receive a packet that includes: PTSD Awareness Pamphlet American Airlines Pamphlet Thank You Letter, Personally Signed by CEO 10% Airfare Coupon Encouraging Letter that Explains This Happens Every 6 Months (Thank Letter Too included)

The total cost of the application process will include the cost of applications, letters and postage from each application. The cost of the paper can be deducted from the mass storage of paper and office supplies that the American Airlines headquarters has on hand. The postage will cost on average $0.46 per envelope and the packet will be sent out. This will equate to a total of $0.92 per packet and application sent out. This totals to $92.00 in postage for the entire application process. The current estimation for the total amount of travelers is 110 people, including staff and volunteers. The veterans will meet at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport where they will prepare for the 2.5 hour flight. Upon arrival, the group of 110 assembled people will be divided into two groups according to the activities that will take place during the day. During Day 2, one group of veterans will be taken to the Washington monuments and memorials. On the following day, the alternative group will be taken on the tour. Their group counterparts will make a visit to the Washington DC VA clinic.

The tour will be a three days full of activities, fun, food and medical attention. At first, we will take them to the Sheraton Four Points Hotel located in Washington DC. On partnering business, Big Bus Services, will operate the transportation of this tour for getting around the capital. The hotel authority will be ready to receive our honorable veterans with a flower bouquet. Each of the veterans with their tour companion will be assigned a designated room with their plus one for the following nights. After the reception, the hotel will arrange a special lunch banquet to honor the veterans. Meeting fellow veterans in the banquet will enable them to get to know each other and share aspects of their individual lives. Listening to each others problems and struggles will help them gain a mental support and strength to overcome issues in their day-to-day life. Washington DC has a significant number of memorials, museums, and other architectural structures that hold an age-old patriotic and historic value. With the passage of time, it has become a famous place of tourism. People from all over the world come to enjoy the magnificent views that the city has to offer. The great tourism destinations of Washington DC stand tall as a sign of honor and respect for the veterans, patriots and servicemen and woman of America. This will be the main talking point and memory evoker during the trip. The Monuments and the walk through parks can remind them about the courage and valor of the veterans. Victory Flight veterans are taken to Washington DC to provide the opportunity to revel in the views that stand for the principles they fought for in the past. The two main destinations the veterans will visit include The National Mall and the Lincoln Memorial. During the following morning, a planned visit to The National Mall will occur. The National Mall is the central point of most sightseeing visits to Washington DC. The extraordinary architecture and natural beauty of the Mall makes it a unique place that celebrates and preserves our nations history and democracy. The tour will include two of the major attractions of the National Mall. These are: The Washington Monument and National Monuments and Memorials. There are many memorials and monuments in the Mall area. As a result, arrangement of a sightseeing tour bus will be made for the convenience of the visitors. All of the veterans will be divided into two groups; one group will head for sightseeing and other to the hospital. At 10.00 AM in the morning, we expect to leave the hotel. Visitors will be divided into three small subgroups and they will be led by an individual volunteer chaperone. We will also distribute $30 a day to each of the members for their meal expenses. The visit to the mall will last till 2 PM in the afternoon. Afterwards, we will take our veterans to the Lincoln Memorial adjacent to the National Mall area. The Lincoln Memorial is an iconic landmark in Washington DC. It stands as a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln who fought to preserve our nation during the civil war. It has also been a venue for many famous speeches. This architectural milestone holds great value to the veterans. The entrance to the memorial is free of cost. Our chaperones will guide the veterans through the memorial as they describe all the key facts of the sight.

This tour is a once in a lifetime event for all the veterans. Visiting a place of national and historic interest with other 50 veterans will help them to realize the value of their great service as a veteran. Experiences from the tour and the mental support they receive will encourage them to release the sorrows and suffering of the past and look towards a new beginning. While sightseeing is beneficial, the veterans also require medical attention. Depending on their group assignment, the veterans will visit the hospital during one day of their trip. Post-traumatic stress disorder is not only a psychological thing but also a physical disorder; both sides need to be addressed (Turnbull, 2012). For this aspect of the trip, the veterans will be able to visit a doctor and a psychologist in hopes of helping them deal with their difficulties. As previously stated, half the group will go see the doctors while the others will go sightseeing for the day. These twenty-five group members attending the hospital will be taken to Washington, DCs VA Medical Center to meet with physicians and psychologists. This VA hospital has 3 full time physicians per 1,000 patients, which is significantly higher than the average for all VA hospitals (U.S. department of, 2009). Five doctors will volunteer their time, and spend an hour with each veteran. Ideally, the Veterans hospital will be a notified prior to the trip of incoming dates to prepare time and resources for these veterans. Unfortunately, a hospital is not always free from the unpredictable. If for some reason the Washington D.C. VA hospital happens to not be able to accommodate the veterans due to an unplanned reason, five nearby hospitals will be designated as back up hospitals. The five hospitals will consist of Providence Hospital, Howard University Hospital, George Washington Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital, and Washington Adventist Hospital. All of these have been ranked in the top 23 best hospitals in the Washington, DC area and many of them are in the top ten (Best hospitals in, 2012). Let us not forget that post-traumatic stress disorder is considered both a physical and psychological harm. Thus, while these veterans are waiting to see the doctor, they will be in a group therapy session with a licensed therapist. The therapist will be donating his/her time to the veterans; in the same manner that the doctors are donating their time. Since each veteran deserves the same amount of time for both doctor and therapist, the group therapy session will be held for six hours included with the one-hour each patient will individually meet with a doctor. Therefore each veteran will see a doctor for one hour, and have a beneficial group therapy session for five. This will allow time to enhance the familiarity of the veterans in the group while providing a full days events at the hospital. There will be compensation for the doctors in Washington DC who assist with this. Since this is a nonprofit organization, it would be difficult to pay them their full salary for five hours of their time. However, a certificate of appreciation and a thank you basket will be sent to them and their hospital for doing something so selfless.

Last but not least, there is a treatment facility here in Plano that does free group therapy sessions, which will be used as a resource for these veterans upon return. Rather than finding someone in D.C. to constantly donate their time, working on treating them from home is a more sustainable solution. Having a therapist in the DFW area that follows their progress not only through the trip but also throughout their lives would remind them of things to do to continue their healthy living. The certificate and thank you basket, which will be purchased by American Airlines, can be found on Henry & Davids website for gourmet thank you baskets. The average price is around $80 (Henry & David 2013). Allocating enough money for each of the three physicians and the therapist, there should be around $800 prepared to spend on thank you baskets. No expense should be spared on thanking them for their philanthropic act of kindness. The service these people are doing cannot be forgotten and must be rewarded. Upon the third day, after sight seeing and the comprehensive medical visit in Washington DC, the veterans will be flown back to the DFW Airport. Treatment of the veterans upon arrival in Dallas is of paramount importance to American Airlines. We plan to partner with Access Counseling Group (Plano, TX), who already offers treatment for PTSD patients, as well as free group therapy. Access counseling treatments for PTSD groups veterans link together with trauma patients as well. Thus, we see that this is a great fit for veterans who most likely experienced trauma that led into PTSD. Group therapy has proven to be extremely beneficial to PTSD patients because they tend to be isolated and have difficulty communicating with others due to trust issues caused by PTSD. Group therapy will bring like-minded people together, who have very similar experiences in life, such as our veterans, so that they can more easily build trust with each other. This will also broaden their networking and social skills to help them with problems, like finding work more easily. American Airlines associates will tailor the counseling group plan to provide a healthy combination of all types of group therapy related to PTSD, so that veterans get the full treatment, instead of merely a support group. The goal is a comprehensive healing process that addresses multiple aspects, such as social, medical, and developmental. The benefits that American Airlines can gain are numerous. This charity flight for veterans helps American Airlines look wholesome in the publics eye by showing they care about the needs of a somewhat forgotten demographic. American Airlines will be able to expand this event to show the country how charitable the company is. Since this will not just be held in Dallas, TX the public relations wont be limited to one city in Texas. Instead, the news outlets in Washington, D.C. will also be contacted in attempts to make the flight as widely known as possible. The positive image that American Airlines will present to the community shows that because they are willing to donate their time and resources to these few veterans, they can do so in the future to other groups in need.

The initial selection of only 50 veterans will seem like a small impact on the community of Dallas/Fort Worth. A smaller but more profound impact will be the key in the idea that quality over quantity is most readily identifiable by American Airlines. If we could empower but one veteran, that would be enough. Though the successful completion of the Victory Flight, the process of developing an annual or semi-annually trip can be proposed and followed up with. The selflessness of American Airlines will help us connect with consumers. The connection to consumers will show us as a more personable corporation instead of a typical profit-driven company. This will enhance our image as a charitable, nourishing, caring company. This personable identification with American Airlines will lead to greater profits and therefore more money for philanthropic events. The Dallas Morning News, Fox 4 News and various local news stations, newspapers and information processors will have the opportunity to report about this event. We will reach out to local newspapers for public relations. Through this positive PR, the entire community of Dallas can understand that there are struggling veterans who are in the process of obtaining help. Commercial campaigns, social media marketing strategies (tweeting and sharing pictures of Victory Flight) will also open the word of PTSD and veteran care to the Dallas community more efficiently.

IV. Staffing
The staff that will accompany the Victory Flight includes one physician, three therapists, and six tour guides to assist the veterans incase issues arise. The safety of the veterans is vital and American Airlines will do its absolute best to cover all the bases. The tour guides will be employees pulled from American Airlines, preferably from the Washington DC division. The employees will undergo a day of training before being prepared to lead and guide the veterans around Washington DC. Three tour guides for every 25 veterans and their plus ones will be provided. This provides roughly a 1:17 ratio of tour guides to the veterans and their plus ones. Before their three-day stay, veterans will be broken into two groups upon acceptance of their application. They will be notified of their group assignment via the acceptance letter. Group A and Group B will each comprise of 25 veterans and their plus one. Furthermore, each group will be divided into three subsections depending on the tour guide that the veteran is assigned to. (Ex: A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3) Therefore, every tour guide has a set amount of predetermined people that they are responsible for.

V. Budget
General Physicians Salary (1) Therapists Salary (3) Tour Guides (6) Airline Tickets Sheraton Four Points Hotel (55 Rooms for 2 Nights) Daily Per Diem $1,200 $1,980 $0.00 $0.00 $19,690.00 $3,000.00

** **

Tour Bus for Touring Postage Thank You Baskets Commemorative Plaques for Doctors/Therapist Dart Passes For After Post Therapy

$3,553.00 $92.00 $830.00 $270.00 $2400.00

Total Costs: $33,015.00 ** The cost of airline tickets is going to be taken care of by below donations and tour guides are employees and interns At American Airlines, there have already been many projects for veterans and other philanthropy projects mostly involving medical needs, in which were successful in obtaining the funding needed. The many forms of funding have included:

1. 2. 3. 4.

American Advantage Points Gift Card Donations Online Donations Employee Fundraising

These forms of funding have benefited numerous amounts of philanthropy projects ranging from demographic needs to physical needs. With American being the official airline of the USO, we have proven to benefit the soldiers and veterans with projects in the past such as the Snow Ball Express, which benefited children of fallen soldiers. In 2011, our devoted customers donated their miles totaling more than $760,000. In total of all charities for 2011, there were more than 7.3 million dollars in American Advantage miles donated. American customers also donated over $36,000 in gift card donations to the USO. For our breast cancer projects, American employees have been a Lifetime Partner for the past four year. In one year, we raised more than $70,000 in online donations. Along with the online donations, our incredible customers have donated over $560,000 in AAdvantage Miles. Our amazing employees at American have proven to donate almost $1,000,000 and volunteered more than 41,000 hours of work towards charity. Our employees themselves in 2011 donated over $90,000 dollars through payroll donations alone. There have been many employee led charities started up within American: Something mAAgic Foundation (flights for kids in life threatening conditions) Medical Wings International Airline Ambassadors International

Something mAAgic had raised more than 1.5 million dollars, while Medical Wings International has created a network of more than 150 medical professionals to help those in medical need in at least nine third world countries. The other medical network, Airline Ambassadors International, connects us to the United Nations to help out specifically those children who live in third world countries and need medical attention. In all, American Airlines is perfectly poised to amplify its efforts in reaching out towards veterans. The medical needs will be condensed into a program that benefits the veterans directly. This is an area that is crucial because veterans often do not receive the benefits that they need.

VI. Letter of Authorization/Conclusion

The entirety of the Victory Flight is a project that will create a new and improved awareness for a problem that is overlooked in the modern day community. While improving the awareness of the veteran population and the struggle of PTSD to the community, we are able to help assist and prepare medically stricken veterans for a life of comfort and progress. With the total cost of $33,015.00, the Chambers contribution would be that of $16,507.50 for the Victory Flight to launch and enhance the entirety of the veteran population of Dallas and the surrounding area. American Airlines

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