Celebrating and supporting our heroes

Veterans Day and Global Day of Remembrance, November 11, is designated to recognize the brave ones who have served and sacrificed to defend their country's freedom. Each year, Cummins employees take this opportunity to express appreciation and provide support to veterans not only within the Cummins workforce but also in the communities where Cummins employees live. 

"Cummins is proud to be a strong veteran supporter and understands the benefits of employing veterans, like myself and many others," says Earl Newsome, Cummins Vice President and Chief Information Officer and Executive Sponsor, Cummins Veterans Employee Resource Groups. "We also recognize their sacrifices in helping to maintain the rich freedoms we enjoy, from being who you choose to be and loving whom you choose to love, to creating whatever you call family. This, along with the fact that many and their families may need our support, makes me very proud of the efforts our employees make to appreciate veteran colleagues and to go further by connecting with their communities to also support local veterans."

Expressing appreciation to employee veterans

Annually, the recognition activities at Cummins Jamestown Engine Plant (JEP) in New York include bringing awareness and engagement to their veteran population with a slide show for all employees to view on plant monitors. The slides include images of veteran employees from their time serving in the military. There is also a display board in the plant with a listing of each veteran by military branch of service.  And this year's recognition was not complete without an appreciation meal served during each of the plant shifts for all employees to enjoy. 

Over a two-day period, to include all three shifts, Cummins Rocky Mount Engine Plant (RMEP) in North Carolina organized celebrations this year "in honor of all who served". A presentation of plant veterans was shown and all employees received some special recognition gifts.

Each year on Veteran's Day, the plant leadership team at the Cummins plant in Fridley, Minnesota, celebrates and honors those who have served in the United States military by handing out pins, a tradition that has gone on for many years. Lynae Boomgaarden, Materials Director at Fridley, shares the experience: "It's our way of simply saying 'thank you for your service'. All of us at Cummins recognize and appreciate the sacrifices our service men and women make when serving. We recognize our veterans, active-duty service members, national guardsmen and women, and reservists. We have two pins we distribute, one specifically for those who have served and another for those who want to honor those who have served by wearing the pin for the day. Our employees look forward to receiving these pins each year, some even collecting them year after year."

Extending support to veterans in the community

One impactful recognition kicked off November 1 when the Cummins Columbus Mid-Range Engine Plant (CMEP) in Columbus, Indiana, hosted their Veterans Stand Down event at the Donner Center in Columbus. CMEP employee volunteers, in collaboration with 15 community partners, invited local veterans and their families to attend and access free services for veterans in need. The gathering was a huge success and serviced 65 community veterans.

"The CMEP team took the lead in working with numerous organizations like the Salvation Army, American Legion, and Veterans Administration, identifying resources to help our local veterans, some who are homeless or at risk," says Jeff Kelley, Product Quality Specialist at Cummins, member of Cummins Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG), and a former Marine. It was so rewarding to be part of this initiative, knowing we are making whatever difference we can to help local veterans."

Veterans were given access to free flu, pneumonia and COVID shots, blood pressure checks, toothbrushes, and haircuts. Jimmy John's offered free box lunches and those without transport could contact ColumBUS transit for a ride at no cost.

In prep for the event, CMEP employees held a number of earlier initiatives to create giveaways: winter kits - a duffle bag with beanie, gloves, hand warmer, and scarf; snack packs - tuna pouches, protein bars, and peanut butter cups; and a large selection of coats and blankets.

A Veterans Day recognition event also took place at CMEP for employees that included a luncheon, slide show of veterans and their family members, and an impactful movie where 10 CMEP vets participated in interviews to share their experiences. Retired veterans were even invited back for the celebration.

Commitment to veteran inclusion

These initiatives along with the progressive work being done by Cummins Veterans Employee Resources Groups throughout the company attest to the value that Cummins places on veterans. Cummins recently announced their continued commitment in recognizing that value by establishing new aspirational goals for veteran employment representation at all levels of the organization. 

Read more about those goals and the many other Cummins initiatives taking place by visiting Cummins Newsroom regularly.