It’s a chilly night at DFW Airport – but all is not quiet. Service members are returning home in the dead of night after completing basic training across the United States. But no news crews await them, no flashy headlines mark their return.
A crowd has gathered nonetheless — total strangers who have stayed up all night waiting, happy to be the first people to welcome them home. They are here to show gratitude for their service, and to give them something iconic and uniquely American: a Coke. This is Operation Exodus.
Dallas-based Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages has been a part of Operation Exodus with DFW Airport and the USO for six years, says Silvia Martins, vice president of human resources for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages. “It’s cold outside when the military members arrive,” Martins notes. “But you can feel the warmth from our employees, their families and everyone present throughout the entire night. Even at 2 a.m., as soldiers arrive, our employees stand ready, welcoming them and distributing their favorite Coca-Cola products.
“This is one of Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages’ most popular opportunities to give back,” Martin adds. “For security reasons, volunteers don’t know it’s happening until the last minute, and they could wait up to 6 hours at the airport in the middle of the night. Even so, the sign-up list always fills up immediately.”
Sean McElhenny, plant manager at Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages’ Fossil Creek facility in Fort Worth, is a West Point graduate and Iraq War veteran. A few years ago, he took his 13-year-old daughter to welcome the troops home. “I wanted her to see it firsthand. As a volunteer, it means so much when you’re able to see that soldier returning home, and you can tell them thank you and give them a little piece of home through a Coke. That smile and that handshake do more than I can teach. To see that interaction, my daughter with military members — it’s something I won’t ever forget.”
At Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, McElhenny finds a meaningful connection between his military background and current civilian role, assisting fellow veterans in transitioning to careers beyond their military service.
“A lot of this generation of the military has been overseas and obviously had to adapt to a changing environment,” McElhenny shares. “So from a company support standpoint, it’s recognizing their skill set and then integrating that skill set into the overall operation. For me, CCSWB paired me with a mentor, someone who knew the industry and the company itself.”
Martins says the veteran workforce — some 20% of Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages’ 8,500 employees — brings essential skills to ensure the company meets stringent deadlines while upholding the integrity of the brand. “One of the reasons we value bringing veterans on board is the skills they are able to transfer from the military to a corporate environment. We work with strict deadlines and even a secret recipe. So we need operational discipline and commitment in everything that we do.”
Coca-Cola has a history of supporting the military and involvement with the USO. The two organizations started working together in 1941, as Coca-Cola provided its beverages to soldiers overseas. “Back in World War II, the president of The Coca-Cola Company at that time declared that no soldier should be away from a Coca-Cola,” explains Martins. “It was something that could link them to home.”
In addition to supporting Operation Exodus, CCSWB’s Fossil Creek Facility has hosted Rep. Kay Granger for the past 19 years as she interviews local high school graduates to endorse them for various military academies. This holds personal significance for McElhenny, given his background as a West Point graduate.
“The way that the service academies work, you have to have two things: You have to be accepted to the school, but then you also need a congressional nomination,” he says. “Congresswoman Granger holds her interviews here every year. We’re able to welcome [the families] to the facility and talk about the partnership between Coca-Cola and the military. When a teenager or college student is pursuing a military academy, you have to say thank you to the family as well because it’s a family commitment.”
Today, CCSWB participates in a variety of programs supporting the veteran community each year, with employees and their families volunteering their time. Some programs are as involved as Operation Exodus, while others are as simple as giving the company’s veterans a special challenge coin or a commemorative shirt to express appreciation.
No matter how small the action, it gives employees like McElhenny the opportunity to inspire service members and fellow veterans, fostering continued involvement with an organization that played a significant role in his life.
“Many folks exiting the military are still passionate about the military, even though they’ve chosen to follow a different career. For me, being able to be involved with the USO activities and to give back a little bit to the military community has been key.”