CEO Bash!

[Harold Henderson]

No, no, no. Don't get the wrong idea here. With all the Occupy ... whatever going on, I don't want you to think there is some kind of protest going on, but we are planning a surprise birthday party this evening at 6pm for our illustrious CEO, Michael Blakely, at our KLAX hub office.

Arrange your flights today to divert to KLAX to be there in time for this big blowout (that's Michael blowing out all those candles). If you need a good excuse to divert all the way to KLAX (even with intermediate refueling stops), I don't think the "There were these flashing lights on this strange rotating sphere .... I think we were abducted by aliens" excuse has been used yet, so you could try that one.

Todd, you and Barry need to cook up some excuse to keep Michael there until 6pm. "Emergency web site fixes" or "we need to play a practical joke on Bert by miss-spelling his name on the site" would probably do.

Wayne, remember, you need to pickup Michael's family in the company limo, the '53 Studebaker Commander Starliner that the LAX Captain's Club is supposed to have waxed and cleaned out (those Captains ought to be good for something). Family is important to Mike, and we want to be sure they make it.

Remember, this is a FAMILY event, so some of you wilder types, like that retread Dahlquist character, need to keep yourselves in check.

Let's have a big turnout so we can show Michael how much we appreciate his outstanding and stable leadership of this organization - one big AAV family.

Seriously and all foolishness aside, thanks Michael for all the time devoted to us. I hope you get a lot of attention from your family today and know that your AAV family is wishing you the very best.

Happy Birthday!

[Todd Meek]

Harold, I Got This. All the Captains did clean out that '53 Studebaker and I had them detail the whole thing including getting the rims with toothbrushes. Mike to us here at LAX is more important than the other guy that travels in a plane otherwise known as Air Force 1. I also had all the ground traffic halted to make sure there were no obstructions. I can take care of stalling too if needed which I'm sure will be.

Seriously though Mike's leadership of this VA is outstanding. He does so much behind the scenes that most people don't see until a big change is seen on the website. We do really appreciate all the work you do for us Mike. I am so proud to be part of this VA which is so much like a family. Happy Birthday Mike.

[Theodore Martin]

Happy birthday Mike and let me echo all the appreciation that has so far been expressed for all that you do. I know this VA takes a lot of your time (even more than any of us know) and we want to thank you for that time and the level-headed leadership you graciously give. Hope you had a wonderful day and hope you are with us for a long, long time.

Happy b'day & thanks again.

[Michael Blakely]

Thank you all. It was a good day.