This article is part of Ground Support Worldwide’s “Handling with Compassion” series, which looks at the respectful transportation of human remains, including military human remains.
The procedure for returning a fallen soldier home to his or her final resting place is one of respect and dignity, something Mark Cummings understood well.
Cummings, who retired from the United States Marine Corps. and worked as an employee of American Airlines Cargo, would wear his dress blues to escort the human remains of a fallen soldier, which were placed on a military cart and transported to or from an airplane.
On the inside of this cart, Cummings inscribed the date to remember those who served.
Cummings was the embodiment of Semper Fidelis, the Marine motto of "Always Faithful." When he died in 2017, the Los Angeles American Airlines Cargo team renamed the military cart at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the “Mark Cummings Memorial Military Cart” in his honor.
American Airlines’ military carts are used solely to transport military human remains. Often, they have an American flag painted on them and are decorated with military insignia. The Mark Cummings Memorial Military Cart serves as a tribute to veterans who lost their lives in combat as well people like Cummings who treated them with dignity.
