Amtrak's first Veterans tribute locomotive, P42 #42, painted in Amtrak's 42nd year of existence, was eventually named after CEO and USAF veteran Joseph Boardman (decals visible under the cab window), seen at Beech Grove being used for training at the time of the photo.
I'll never forget a Veterans Day ceremony Joe Boardman was speaking at, and how proud he was that Amtrak was embarking on a goal of having 25% of its new hires be veterans. It wasn't a recorded event, but I wish it were. Now that Joe Boardman has passed on I'd like to share what this and three similarly painted locomotives under his watch meant to him.
Joseph Boardman grew up on a dairy farm in upstate NY not all that far from where I was born and raised, and told the audience of his experience coming home from war in Vietnam having served in the United States Air Force. It was an unpopular war, but he and his fellow servicemen were serving their country carrying out their duty regardless of personal opinion. Many of his friends came back home permanently maimed, physically, mentally, or both, and there were others who weren't fortunate enough to come home. Most were other young adults who weren't all that different from him, but then again how different could they be just barely having been out of high school and now having lived the horror that is war? When he finally arrived at Hancock field in Syracuse, NY and looking forward to seeing his family, he recalled being greeted by fellow Americans and neighbors; those whose country he left to protect and serve. There was a crowd that gathered at the airport, booing and shaming the airmen as they got off the plane.
Recalling this brought tears to the CEO decades later, now addressing the employees of America's Railroad as he stood at a podium in front of a locomotive serving as a symbol of gratitude and honor, and a commitment to all veterans.
Another thing most folks don't know is that during Joe Boardman's time as CEO of Amtrak, a Service Flag was displayed in the atrium of Amtrak Headquarters in Washington DC. With today being Veterans Day, it seemed like a fitting time to share my memories of some of the lesser known human elements behind one of Amtrak's most popular special paint scheme.
