This year marks the 14th year of the two-day Veterans Day Celebration, which is hosted at Delta TechOps and brings together employees, families and friends to recognize the more than 12% of our workforce who are veterans. 

Delta has a proud legacy of supporting U.S. military members, veterans and their families —a commitment rooted in our values and our connection to the communities where we live, work and serve.    

Each November, we honor those who have served at Delta’s annual Veterans Day Celebration, hosted at Delta TechOps. This year marks the 14th year of the two-day event, bringing together employees, families and friends to recognize the more than 12% of our workforce who are veterans.  

Our support of veterans spans decades, from building a strong military talent pipeline to expanding career opportunities across the company. Our ongoing commitment to veterans was recently recognized by Newsweek, which named Delta one of “America's Greatest Workplaces for Veterans” and by Forbes, which listed Delta among “America's Best Employers for Veterans.”  

These honors reflect the contributions of Delta people who continue to foster a culture where veterans — and all employees — thrive. 

Veterans Day 2025 Celebration

The Delta Veterans Day Celebration began in 2011, started by Mark Norris, a Delta TechOps Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT). Mark has been with Delta for 39 years as an AMT and is a veteran himself, having served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Two years ago, Mark received an honorary Marine Corps promotion to corporal for his work leading the annual Veterans Day celebration and for the nearly 10,000 care packages he helps to organize that are sent to U.S. troops around the world.

What began as a small celebration to display a few military memorabilia shadow boxes and pictures, has grown into a large-scale event. It’s estimated that the Veterans Day event draws 10,000 attendees each year and a wide array of both military and vintage aircraft that are displayed in the Atlanta TechOps hangar.  

This year, the celebration featured more than 30 aircraft, a 200-foot memorabilia wall and shadow boxes commemorating the service of Delta veterans and their family members.  

Three Purple Heart recipients in TechOps — Daniel Merchant, Robert Murtha III and Scott Hartness — were honored during the event as well.  

Attendees heard from distinguished guest speakers including Georgia Congressman Rich McCormick (7th district); David Bellavia, a Medal of Honor recipient; and Delta leaders David Thompson, senior vice president of Delta TechOps, and Ryan Gumm, senior vice president of Delta Flight Operations.

"As a veteran, I'm honored to take part in Delta's Veterans Day Celebration, recognizing the men and women who have worn our nation's uniform. This event is a meaningful tribute to those who have served and sacrificed for our freedom. I'm grateful to Delta and the Atlanta community for keeping this tradition alive and for showing such deep respect for our veterans. Semper Fidelis," McCormick said. 

The event concluded with the annual cake cutting ceremony. The oldest veteran and the youngest veteran in attendance cut the cake of their military branch using a sword and feed the cake to one another. This act symbolizes the importance of mentorship between experienced service members and service members beginning their military career.  

“From the flight deck to the ramp, in the hangar and in our stations around the world, veterans bring a sense of purpose and calm leadership that makes Delta stronger every single day,” Gumm added. 

Supporting veterans year-round

Delta’s long-standing commitment to veterans runs deep and is part of our broader diversity, equity and inclusion strategy to create a runway to possibilities for all.  

As a company driven by purpose, giving back to our communities has been core to Delta and its culture for 100 years.​ This support includes efforts both within our own organization and in communities where we live, work and serve — such as: 

• Partnership with Military MOJO to help facilitate hiring veterans across the enterprise.  

• Building military talent pipeline through partnerships with organizations such as military.com and the PaYS Program to help veterans transition to civilian careers. 

• Serving as a principal funder of six Fisher House Foundation facilities, where families of military personnel can stay at no cost while their loved ones receive treatment.    

• Supporting 10 USO chapters through sponsorship and volunteer work, including assembling care packages, serving hot meals, and spending time with service members.    

• Supporting Folds of Honor in 16 markets across the U.S. through funding for educational scholarships.   

• Supporting the Marine Toys for Tots campaign for 20 years, providing bicycles and toys to children in need in December and contributing annually to the organization.   

“At Delta TechOps, nearly 20% of our employees are veterans,” Thompson said. “We don’t hire veterans just because it’s the right thing to do — we hire them because their hands-on experience, ability to lead under pressure and deep understanding of aviation make them an invaluable part of our team."

Support in the skies

Customers can honor and celebrate veterans with Delta by enjoying a special collection of titles on Delta’s seatback screens ― curated by Delta’s Veterans Business Resource Group.   

Delta  is also matching SkyMiles® Member-donated miles through the Delta SkyWish Program to Fisher House Foundation’s Hero Miles program and Luke's W​ings’ No Service Member Spends The Holidays Alone campaign throughout November.   

For the 11th year, Delta will match donations up to an aggregate total of 10 million miles donated to these two organizations through SkyWish, the charitable arm of the SkyMiles Program.  Learn more about SkyWish and how to donate miles to these two SkyWish partners at delta.com/veterans​.    
 

History and connection: Support for WWII veterans 

• For the fourth consecutive year, Delta, in partnership with the Best Defense Foundation and Michelin, organized the Normandy Legacy Flight to honor World War II veterans during the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion.  

• Delta flew 23 veterans to Deauville, Normandy, where they were welcomed by over 500 people and began a week-long commemorative tour.  

• This year, Delta also sponsored students from Dutchtown High School in Hampton, Georgia, and the Atlanta International School, allowing them to engage with veterans and attend the Freedom Prize ceremony. The initiative aims to inspire younger generations and ensure the legacy of these heroes lives on through education and remembrance. 

• On Nov. 7, Delta also honored five World War II veterans traveling on an Honor Flight to Berlin for the Atlanta Falcons versus Indianapolis Colts game, with a pre-boarding ceremony including remarks from Delta, the German Consul in Atlanta and the Best Defense Foundation.  

Delta recognizes U.S. service members during travel and beyond

• Early boarding:  Active-duty U.S. military members with an ID are welcome to board early, after those who need additional assistance/time to board and before Zone 1 begins.  

• Free baggage allowance: When traveling on orders, active-duty service members can check five bags, each weighing up to 100 pounds, for free — and two free checked bags weighing up to 50 pounds when traveling for leisure.  

• Pet travel: Military members and U.S. State Department Foreign Service officers can check their pets as baggage for a fee when traveling on active transfer orders.  

• Delta Vacations discounts: To honor all U.S. military personnel, Delta Vacations offers a special military discount when booking flight and hotel packages to any of the 300-plus destinations offered.   

• Discounted fares: Active-duty U.S. service members and their immediate family members can receive discounted fares when traveling for leisure, simply by calling Reservations to book. When traveling on orders, service members are granted discounted, fixed fares through the U.S. City Pair Program — a mandatory use, government-wide program that delivers best value airfares and ensures federal agencies effectively and efficiently meet their mission.  

• Medical emergency support: For those who have a war-injured immediate family member or domestic partner, a discounted fare is granted under our Delta Medical Emergency policy , which can be booked by calling Delta Reservations.  

To our veterans: thank you for your service, your leadership, and your example. Your impact is felt every day — and never taken for granted.

Related Topics: Honoring Delta's Veterans, Veterans, Delta TechOps, TechOps