I was browsing through Facebook the other morning when I saw the
following
post that was forwarded by our friend Garry Ryals.
My lead flight attendant came to
me and said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human
remains.)
"Are they military?" I
asked.
'Yes', she said.
'Is there an escort?' I asked.
'Yes, I've already assigned him a
seat'.
'Would you please tell him to
come to the Flight Deck. You can board him early," I said...
A short while later a young army
sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed
soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier.
The escorts of these fallen
soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. 'My
soldier is on his way back to Virginia ,' he said. He proceeded to answer my
questions, but offered no words.
I asked him if there was anything
I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in
the military, and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of
our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake
his hand. He left the Flight Deck to find his seat.
We completed our preflight
checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes
into our flight, I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin.
'I just found out the family of
the soldier we are carrying, is also on board', she said. She then proceeded to
tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting
their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were
unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left.
We were on our way to a major hub
at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home
to Virginia . The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing
his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was
too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if
there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our
arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier
being taken off the airplane.
I could hear the desperation in
the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do.
'I'm on it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.
Airborne communication with my
company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to
bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary
radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects
you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher.
I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the
family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.
Two hours went by and I had not
heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know
what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved
the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:
'Captain, sorry it has taken so
long to get back to you. There is policy on this now, and I had to check on a
few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft.
The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a
secondary van for the family.
The family will be taken to their
departure area and escorted into the terminal, where the remains can be seen on
the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting
aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to
watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home.
Captain, most of us here in
flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family.
Thanks.
I sent a message back, telling
flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to
the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant
was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to
them.'
Things started getting busy for
the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and
taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the
alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to
enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller,
we were told that all traffic was being held for us.
'There is a team in place to meet
the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I
realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at
once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our
gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller, we were going to stop
short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and
the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'
I stopped the aircraft and set
the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said: 'Ladies and
gentleman, this is your Captain speaking: I have stopped short of our gate to
make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our
honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his
life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today
is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and
daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in
their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the
gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes
later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants
crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop,
every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family
to exit the aircraft.
When the family got up and
gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments
later, more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping.
Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words
were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the
airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved
one.
Many of the passengers
disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words,
I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring
back that brave soldier.
I respectfully ask that all of
you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women
have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA.
Footnote:
I know everyone who reads this
will have tears in their eyes, including me. Prayer chain for our Military...
PLEASE SHARE THIS! Please send this on after a short prayer for our service men
and women.
They die for me and mine and you
and yours and deserve our honor and respect.
