LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Twenty-one years later, veterans at Cruise Customs hope you “never forget.”
What You Need To Know
- America is reflecting on 21 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks
- Cruise Customs in Shepherdsville created 9/11 tribute flags out of repurposed bourbon barrels
- Proceeds of flags will benefit 9/11-era veterans
- Cruise Customs is veteran-owned and employees are all veterans
It’s not just that Andrew Etheridge gets to work with his hands, which he does, and loves. For the Marine Corps veteran, the truly fulfilling part is who the work is for.
“[We’re] making something that means so much to every veteran,” Etheridge said.
We first met Etheridge in May 2021. He’d been working at Cruise Customs in Shepherdsville for about a year and working his way up the ranks to shop manager. Every employee at the shop is a veteran.
So when they make their wooden American flags by hand, they know the sacrifice and honor behind every star and every stripe.
“Today, we’ll be making these Never Forget September 11th Lieutenant Flags,” Etheridge explained.
The founder of Cruise Customs is Army veteran Chris Cruise. He designed the latest tribute to those serving after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which happened 21 years ago.
“We wanted to create a flag that represented a way to remember 9/11. I think, 21-years later, a lot of people may have forgotten what happened that day,” Cruise said.
Nearly half of all the proceeds from sales of this particular flag will go toward 9/11-era veterans and their familie,s made possible through a partnership with the veterans’ nonprofit USA Cares.
“They are actually making a difference in veteran’s lives,” Army Veteran Trace Chesser said of Cruise Customs.
Chesser is the President and CEO of USA Cares, an organization founded in Louisville providing emergency financial help and post service skills training for post 9/11 vets.
“The situation did not get better during the pandemic,” Chesser explained. “It actually added a lot more stressors on our veteran community because now, on top of everything else, you’re dealing with isolation.”
For Chris Cruise and the veterans in this shop, they served during the time before and immediately after Sept. 11, 2001. It’s why they are raising money for the men and women they served with, while also knowing there’s an entire generation born since who may not know their story.