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I know this is a few days late his, but this makes me proud!!!

:) :)

Fog

 

----- Original Message -----

FromSent: Thursday, June 02, 2011 4:04 AM

Subject: Fw: Airline Captain. not a joke. please read

 

 

 

Memorial Day Tribute !

Lets remember what memorial day is really about

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:

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.

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!!!

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Thank you, Foghorn, for this post. I too have tears in my eyes. This is an amazing story. I would like to add that I am in touch with five of the men that were with my father the day he was killed in Vietnam, April 9, 1971. My father was 36 and they were between 18 and 20 years old and they carried my father's body out of the woods so that he could come home to us. I love those men.

Thanks again for the post,

Kim

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