AIRLINE CAPTAIN - You will not regret reading this one to the end. I promise... 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 a 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 were 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 he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. My first officer and I arose from our seats to shake his hand. He then left
the flight deck to find his seat. We completed our preflight checks, pushed back, and performed an
uneventful departure. About thirty 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 his father,
mother, wife, and two 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 had 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 of the airplane. I could hear the desperation in my flight attendant's voice when she
asked me if there was anything I could do.
"I'm on it," I said, then 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, thanking flight control 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 fifteen 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, but 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 of the airplane.
As we approached our gate, I asked
the co-pilot to tell the ramp controller that 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 XXXXXX. 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 then 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 had 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! Bob Smith Sr.
Gold Star Father
I know everyone who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including
me. Please, offer a prayer or a moment of silence for our active service members, and all of our veterans this Memorial Day!
GOD BLESS YOU!!!
Thank you all who have served or are serving!
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