On Tuesday, I attended the funeral procession today for Staff Sgt Amy Krueger who was from my home town of Kiel. Kiel is a small town in Wisconsin of only 3200 people and trust me, we all knew of Amy or know her family. Amy was killed at Fort Hood last week. The streets were lined today for the procession carrying her body that was arriving from Milwaukee to the funeral home in Kiel. Police, The Patriot Riders, Family, Friends and Military personnel made up the large funeral procession.
Verizon decided to park one of those mobile truck billboards, you know the kind you see that drive around big cities that are narrow and two sided, right on the route of the procession. The driver got there about 30 mins before the procession and sat in the cab the entire time and drove off when it was done. Someone posed the question that he might be there to mourn also, but why didnt he then park the vehicle in the parking lot for either the church or the post office and join the rest of us standing on the curb. The way he was facing, if he was there to mourn, all he would see is the backside of the procession, unless he decided to watch it in the side view mirror.
National and local media is covering much of the events of this week for Amy's memorial and funeral. I was contacted by a buddy that works for Fox6 News, he is requesting if anyone has a picture or video footage that shows the Verizon mobile billboard to let them know. They would like to do a piece on the incident.
I am angry that Verizon is trying to benefit off of a tragedy and a soldier being killed. It is absolutely sickening and disgusting.
To expres your anger, write Verizon Wireless for your area and let them know that taking advantage of a small town hero soldier killed will not be tolerated or forgotten.
I am so mad now that I didnt go over there, confront him and take care of the situation right then and there, but I guess I was thinking it wasnt the right place to start a fight. Many grade school students were lining the streets. I am kicking myself now for not stepping up and taking care of it. I just knew though the driver would say he has every right to park there.
It doesnt make it right though.
First of all, thank you very much for those that called, wrote and discussed the situation I laid out that occurred Tuesday in Kiel for Staff Sgt Amy Krueger's procession home.
Verizon got the message. The PR Manager for the area has been flooded with calls, some of which got a bit graphic from what I understand. While I don't condone that, I understand as I was very angry too, to say the least. I was so angry I started this media blitz bringing to light the fact that someone at Verizon Wireless thought it would be a good idea to park a mobile billboard truck on the street in downtown Kiel, right on the route that the procession was using to the funeral home.
She has spent the last day and a half trying to find out what happened yesterday regarding the mobile billboard.
She has been in contact with me regularly throughout the day. Although she is basically doing crisis control and some PR spin, she does understand our anger.
Basically, the driver has changed his story several times throughout the day regarding why and where he was yesterday when confronted with updated and ongoing information. It didn't help that the editor of the Kiel newspaper has video footage showing the vehicle parked on the street, and not in a parking lot with other trucks as he told his supervisor and PR Manager when confronted. It would appear that the driver and the mobile advertising company made the decision to be there. Verizon Wireless is still investigating on their end to see if any manager signed off or indicated that the mobile billboard should be placed in Kiel during the procession. They went as far to say that the driver was pre-scheduled to be on that route at that time (to which I ask anyone from Kiel if they have ever seen that mobile billboard previously), to saying he was from the area (but stated he didn't know what was going on in Kiel yesterday that was attracting all the people),to saying he didn't want to interfere with all the traffic, so he just pulled over to park until it was done (traffic, in Kiel? Besides, the roads were not closed and traffic was not that much heavier as the street were all ready lined with mourners), to saying he was paying his respects (from the cab of a truck, facing the wrong way, of which he never got out). Any which way, the driver is the one without any tact, conscious or ethics.
I am still angry at Verizon Wireless and the marketing company trying to benefit from the death of a brave soldier. It will not be forgotten soon by me, or hopefully by you, if at all. If you want to express your displeasure, feel free to write them or continue to post comments on various forum boards and social networking sites. But, phone calls to the regional Verizon WIreless PR for WI are no longer necessary. But remember that Verizon Wireless did try to benefit off of a tragedy next time you need to shop for wireless service.
Thank you very much for your outpouring of support. Feel free to contact me if you would like any future updates on what Verizon Wireless finds out through their investigation or how they address it.
The above two posts were threads and emails that I sent out on Tuesday and late last night regarding what happened. Although Verizon is stating they are trying to make it right, hearing the lies upon lies that the driver is telling his supervisors made me want to still get this message out there, which is why I am now posting it up here. The PR manager is trying to assist, but bottom line, it happened and Verizon Wireless and whatever subcontractor they use for their mobile advertising service should be called out regarding it.
This is the response I received this morning from Verizon Wireless.
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Verizon Wireless would like to apologize to the family of Staff Sergeant Amy Krueger and the community of Kiel, Wis., for a mobile billboard that was seen along the procession route for St. Sgt. Krueger's return to Kiel on November 10.
We want to be clear in stating that it was not pre-motivated initiative by Verizon Wireless or the vendor we contract with to handle our mobile advertising. Our mobile advertising is determined weeks in advance, and the mobile billboard was scheduled to be in the Kiel area on Tuesday.
Upon arriving into Kiel early that afternoon and learning of the activities that were to shortly take place, the driver of the mobile billboard—an employee of an outside agency--decided to take time out to observe the procession. He then parked the vehicle near the procession route. In doing so, we understand that many were left with the impression that Verizon Wireless was looking to benefit from this somber occasion. That is absolutely not the case. The driver made this decision on his own and was solely motivated by the desire to watch the proceedings.
As well-intentioned as the driver may have been on Tuesday, we believe his decision-making was very misguided. Please know that we take the concerns expressed by members of the community very seriously and are pursuing corrective action with the vendor who handles our mobile advertising.
_________________________
Caroline Schaumberger
PR Manager IL/WI Region
Regardless, I know I will not be using Verizon Wireless in the future and I hope you think of what they did when you need wireless service.
Can you hear me know, Verizon?
I still say that there's no way that truck just happened to be 'in the area' that day by happenstance.
Lousy spin on a bad decision somewhere along the line of responsibility.
The BS flag is waving on this one, those trucks I see 99% of the time right in the middle of construction zones, accident backup, sporting events any where traffic is goi g to be heavy and their message is going to be a large stationary audience, ie maximum effectivess for advertising. Those trucks should be outlawed in my opinion they are distracting when traffic is moving quickly and just add to congestion, and I beleive they are sent solely to be in the congestion.
The compaines that run these trucks I bet watch accident, construction, sporting event news mrs than cab companies
Good for you guys.
That is unacceptable, the words that the "PR manager" wrote in the so called apology are common and cheap like a bad politician would use.
Hoping Staff Seargent Krueger's family will be comforted, along with all the other families that lost loved ones that day at Fort Hood.
I'm a proud Patriot Guard Rider with 26 Missions, tomorrow is # 27.
I'll be doing my 27th. PGR mission tomorrow
Henry,
Thank you so much for being a Patriot Guard Member. Unfortunately, I wish you wouldnt have to do any missions, but I am glad there are people like you that assist the families and honor the fallen.
Doc
Verizon probably figured all of this out from the Jackson family.
Honored to stand for those that stood for us.
Not all missions are difficult, a few send offs and a welcome home here and there.
Tomorrow is for CW2 Earl R. Scott III, 24, US Army.
A helicopter pilot and motorcyclist, killed in Iraq when his Kiowa OH-58D helicopter crashed.
I am sure many of you are rolling your eyes and saying "not again.......". Well, I am one of you. I was really done with the Verizon Wireless incident in Kiel last Tuesday. I had news and radio shows contacting me on Thursday and Friday wanting to interview and discuss the incident and after talking with members of the Amy Krueger family, I declined the offers and decided to just let it be. Verizon Wireless got pummeled in the court of popular opinion.
Then, I got the email below....................
I felt I needed to forward this email from the driver of the Verizon Wireless Mobile billboard vehicle for several reasons. For one, it now gives you all angles for you to establish an opinion, if you so choose. You heard from the viewpoint of the offended Kiel person (my initial email), the corporate damage control, PR spin response from Verizon, and now the driver.
I also wanted to forward the email as it contradicts what Verizon Wireless (VzW) was stating. VzW stated the driver "was from the area" and "was scheduled to be in Kiel". The driver is from Green Bay. That is not from the area. I would have given them "the area" if he was from within 25 miles of Kiel, or heck, even from Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Calumet or Fond du Lac counties. Not Brown Co. I don't go around telling people I am from "The Madison area". Then, the driver stated he could have "been anywhere that day, and just by coincidence was in Kiel". Per VzW, this was a scheduled route.
Here is the driver's angry response, unedited as it arrived (syntax/spelling errors not altered). It was forwarded to me by the editors of the Kiel Tri-County Record (www.iwantthenews.com)
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Submitted by: Stephen R. Rutten
Topic: Verizon Truck Nov.10 2009
I'd like to let Jeanet Alili and all other Kiel residents just why I was there the day the motorcade brought back the body of Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger. When I left Green Bay that day I could have gone to Appleton, Oshkosh, Brillion, Fond da Lac, or any other city or town with in 75 miles of Green Bay. It just happened to be Kiel. Let me explain my job. I drive to a city or town and find places that have high visibility and people around. Park for 30 -45 minutes take some photos and move to another spot and do the same thing over and over for 8 hours. So yes, you could possibly see the truck moving around town from time to time. That would be a good thing, meaning that I was doing my job. It was just a coincidence I was there that day. I swear, I did not know that this was the day that Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger body was coming home. When I learned what was happening I parked the truck, paid my respect, and only after the motorcade went past. I then went back to work just like students went back to school and other people went back to doing their job. My deepest synthesis goes out to Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger's family and the people of Kiel on there lose. People like Amy have died so that you and I and every one that lives in America can have rights. And everyone can also have a different opinion. It just so happens that this time someone's opinion cost me my job. So congratulation is due to some of the fine people of Kiel for doing that. I broke no laws that day and I had the right to be there. Evidently some of you feel you can decide who gets rights and who doesn't. With everything happening In Kiel this week I find it very hard to believe that this is something people are putting so much energy into. Once again I'd my deepest synthesis to Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger's family.
Peace
Stephen R. Rutten
Submitter's email edited out.
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What really offends me by the email above was the fact that the driver basically stated he did what he set out to do, get exposure. This was not a letter of apology. Also, if this guy feels he did nothing wrong, why was he fired?
Why didn't someone at Verizon Wireless or the mobile advertising company that schedules these routes know what was going on and instruct the driver to avoid the area?
After seeing all angles, I am further reinforced in my opinion that Verizon Wireless made a conscious effort to be in Kiel and get exposure and now are just trying to cover their tracks.
It makes all this even more despicable. Not only did Verizon Wireless try to benefit off the death of an American Soldier, they lied. They could have just stated "we are sorry" and that would have gone a long way. Now, they are lying to cover themselves and trying to justify what happened. There is no justification. Also, Verizon Wireless has yet to name the mobile advertising company. By protecting them, the focus of the negative PR needs to lie squarely on the shoulders of Verizon Wireless.
Please, please, please, if you are with Verizon Wireless, change your plan. If you ever need wireless service, completely avoid Verizon Wireless.
They are an unethical company in some of the worst ways.
I'd like to really extend my thanks to the Patriot Guard riders that were at the memorial service at the Kiel High school this weekend. It was a very impressive and honorable sight to have the walk ways lined with Patriot Guard Members holding American Flags.
"didnt know when they were bringing her home". Yeahhhh riiiight. Every news station even here put out that info. Unless he lives completely under a rock, doesnt use a computer, doesnt watch tv nor read newspapers, I wouldnt buy that. He knew exactly what he was doing.
BTW I never seen these billboard trucks operate in anything but large cities. We dont even get them in Janesville and we are how many times larger than Kiel?
That was my point too. People from Kiel have never seen any kind of mobile advertising truck before, and I lived in Appleton for 17 years until recently and never saw a mobile truck billboard there either (85,000 population, 200,000 Fox Cities metro area). I just have a hard time believing that they would go to Kiel (pop 3200) on that particular day, especially as they have never been there before.
Well, it might have been a big corporate conspiracy as you suggest, but isn't it inconsistent for you to blame Verizon when the truck driver himself says that he was there on his own? If he was sent by Verizon and got fired by them, as he was, wouldn't he be laying the blame on them? Since he's not, I'm inclined to believe that he acted on his own, dumb as the act was, and that Verizon's reaction was to fire him. That was the only thing they could do after the deed was done, and was responsive to the situation.
I admit I just scanned the posts, but unless I'm missing something Verizon canned an independent contractor for a dumb mistake. That seems like they were sensitive to the offense and took action.
As for the company's initial comments from the PR person from Madison, she apologized and it's quite conceivable that at first she was simply relaying what she may have believed to be an explanation.
BTW, I don't care about Verizon one way or another.
Despicable as it is, it not Verizon's doing. Verizon does not own that billboard, or determine where it travels. Those companies have been in my office more than once to sell me advertising. They sell you space on the truck, and tell you where and when it will be on the road.
However they do tell you that they take advantage of sporting events and high-traffic situations to broaden their reach. It sounds to me like the driver of the truck was scheduled to be in Kiel on that day and amended his route when he spotted an opportunity. It's pretty disgusting, but people are stupid, and I'm guessing the mobile billboard driver wasn't a Harvard grad. It seems that the hostility would be more appropriately directed at the advertising company.
I just noticed that Dylanfan already covered most of that. I should really read the whole thread before I post. Now if verizon could just get my phone to work right...