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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 13,436
Campfire Outfitter
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OP
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 13,436 |
What Memorial Day is all about...
>Honor and Respect > > MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN: > > He writes: 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 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 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 . > > Foot note: > As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they were treated. When I read things like this I am proud that our country has not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war zones today and give them the respect they so deserve. > > I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including me. > > Prayer chain for our Military... Don't break it! > > Please send this on after a short prayer.. Prayer for our soldiers Don't break it! > > Prayer: > > 'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen..' > > Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world. > > There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address book. Do not let it stop with you. Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one. > > GOD BLESS YOU!!! > > IN GOD WE TRUST - GOD BLESS AMERICA
Don Buckbee
JPFO NRA Benefactor Member NSSA Life Member
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 551
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 551 |
dang it, there went the allergies again.
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,306 Likes: 2
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,306 Likes: 2 |
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 719
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 719 |
dang it, there went the allergies again. yup.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 21,810
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 21,810 |
Beautiful story - thanks.
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,639
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,639 |
Speak softly and use a big bore... Where's El Cid when we need him...
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 7,961
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 7,961 |
Thanks for the post. Another reason to be proud to be an American.
Bob
Fall seven times, stand up eight.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 73,096
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 73,096 |
That one brings on my allergies no matter how many times I see it.
George Orwell was a Prophet, not a novelist. Read 1984 and then look around you!
Old cat turd!
"Some men just need killing." ~ Clay Allison.
I am too old to fight but I can still pull a trigger. ~ Me
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 7,703 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 7,703 Likes: 1 |
AMEN..that goes for Canada ,England, Austrailia,New Zealand, and all the other countries that fight for FREEDOM.
There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle----Robert Alden . If it wern't entertaining, I wouldn't keep coming back.------the BigSky
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 7,821
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 7,821 |
Thanks Don, I couldn't make it to the end though. And now I'm forced to think that Obama refuses to go to Arlington. I can't write what I'm thinking. Ken
�Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program." -- Milton Friedman
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,452
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,452 |
Hard to see to type. Thanks for posting, Don. I'll copy this to e-mail everyone when I get home tonight.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." Robert E. Howard
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,293
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,293 |
dang it, there went the allergies again. yup. Allergies. That's it. Yeah.
This is a shooting forum, there is no place here for logic.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,494 |
Thanks Don, I couldn't make it to the end though. And now I'm forced to think that Obama refuses to go to Arlington. I can't write what I'm thinking. Ken Had not heard that, the SOB deserves worse than an impeachment, but that would be a start. Gotta go grab my allergy meds...
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,865
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,865 |
Gotta go grab my allergy meds... Yep, I had to go back and read it again. Couldn't get through it the first time... Thank GOD we have men and women willing to take the battle to the enemy's home turf. Thinking it would get real ugly fighting on American soil. Thanks Don. gonna pass it on...
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