Support our Troops~Remember our Veterans!
Never Forget, Freedom is not Free!

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Letter from an airline pilot:
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'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 pre-flight 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. W hen 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 co-pilot 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 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 for our service men
and women.

Don't break it!

They die for me and mine and you and yours and
deserve our honor and respect.

'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. In Jesus Name, Amen.'

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!!!