The people we honor

Phil Condit
Chairman and CEO

As this issue of Boeing Frontiers goes to press, the war in Iraq is in its second week. People from throughout the enterprise continue to watch, listen, work and pray for a relatively quick resolution to the conflict, for the safety of both the coalition forces and the Iraqi people, and for peace and stability around the world.

I want to take this opportunity to thank and honor the people who are supporting this effort or are feeling the effects of it:

• The Boeing people and their loved ones who have been or may be called to serve in the coalition forces.

• All the men and women of the coalition forces.

• The Boeing people who design, build and support our products, on which so many lives depend.

• Our customers—especially the ones who go into harm's way—as well as those who operate our commercial products and whose businesses have been hit so hard.

The war in Iraq demonstrates that we live and work in a complex environment. Our individual opinions about this action may vary, but I think we can agree it is people that are important.

For that reason, in this issue of Frontiers, you will see very few photos of our military products in action and no list of names of Boeing employees who are serving or may be called to serve in support of the war effort. Although we take great pride in our products and in our teammates who make them what they are, featuring photo-spreads of them during the conflict could be widely misread in any number of ways—not the least of which is celebrating war. And while most of us would appreciate reading about those who serve, our publications reach audiences beyond employees and retirees. Not listing the names helps protect the safety and privacy of their families in this era of terrorist threats and 24-hour-a-day news coverage.

What we are doing is this—quietly and without fanfare: We are taking extra precautions toward protecting the safety and security of Boeing people and facilities around the world. We are guarding against discrimination. We have extended to 60 months our military-leave pay and benefits—among the most generous—to our Guard and Reservist employees who serve under orders related to terrorism or the war. We are building and maintaining relationships with customers and business partners around the globe.

We will continue to focus on running healthy businesses so that we can continue to serve the people who hold stakes in Boeing—employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders.

We remain what Boeing's Vision 2016 says we are: people working together as a global enterprise for aerospace leadership.