.: An Airline Captains Announcement
“The American flag does not fly because the wind moves
past it...the flag flies from the last breath of each military member who has
died serving it.”
My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We
have an HR. 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
I could hear the desperation in the flight attendant's
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 a 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 s under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army
Sergeant XXXXXX. Also, onboard 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 ones.
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 the United States of AMERICA.
Footnote: I know everyone 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 for our servicemen and women.
Don't break it!
They die for me and mine and you and yours and deserve
our honor and respect
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, Coast
Guardsman, Airman, and others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best
one. And do not forget to remember our law enforcement officers and firemen.
GOD BLESS YOU!
SENT IN BY: Kenneth Leavel
GUEST POSTING: WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE PUBLISHED ... DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND?
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