First Lieutenant Kenneth “Kage” Allen lost his life during an F-15 training mission over the North Sea last June. When United Airlines caught wind that Lt. Allen’s family wanted to visit Kage’s squadron in England where he took his last flight from and shake the hands of his fellow airmen, they offered his widow and parents an unforgettable trip.
United Airlines Honors the Family Of A Fallen Veteran With Free Flights
Kage and Hannah married on February 20, 2020. A week later, Kage arrived at the 48th Fighter Wing in Suffolk, England. Just four months later on June 15, 2020 Kage’s F-15 crashed in the North Sea, killing him. He was only 27 years old. Hannah wrote on Facebook:
“I feel beyond blessed to have loved him in this life and can’t wait to love him for eternity…
“I never knew a heart could shatter like this,” she wrote. “But I’ve promised you today that the rest of my life will be a tribute to you.”
A group of fellow airmen started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money so his parents and Hannah could visit England in order to see where Kage had taken his final flight. When United caught wind of the campaign, they reached out to the family and offered round-trip business class tickets to Hannah, his parents, and Stephen, Kage’s bother.
CONCLUSION
Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day upon which Americans reflect upon and honor those who died in the performance of their military duties. It’s tempting to view the holiday in the macro sense, honoring the 1 million+ men and women who have died over the course of the last 240 years in duty to nation, but the story of Kage is an important reminder that there is a story behind every death.
Kudos to United Airlines for stepping up and giving the family a chance to fully honor the memory of Kage.
image: Hannah Allen
I always think these stories are planted by UA’s PR department. I know how they’ve treated me as a passenger for the last two decades. Pretty piss poor.
Good work, United. A nice gesture.
@Rjb Just like American Airlines planted another Piss Poor Story about stopping over in MSY to pick up a bunch of stranded Piss Poor Travelers. That’s right man, I agree with you!!