{"id":658,"date":"2010-05-14T22:41:15","date_gmt":"2010-05-15T04:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/?p=658"},"modified":"2010-05-14T22:41:15","modified_gmt":"2010-05-15T04:41:15","slug":"another-final-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/?p=658","title":{"rendered":"Another Final Journey .."},"content":{"rendered":"

Our author, Wayne, is a Viet Nam veteran.\u00a0 He, among others dedicated to the purpose of this blog, keeps us on the real track of this blog … understanding what it takes to “Keep the Republic.”<\/span><\/p>\n


\nHonor and Respect<\/span><\/p>\n

MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE \u00a0CAPTAIN:<\/p>\n

He \u00a0writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, “We
\nhave an H.R. on this flight.” (H.R. stands for human remains.)
\n“Are they military?” I \u00a0asked.<\/p>\n

“Yes”, \u00a0she said.<\/p>\n

“Is there an escort?” I asked.<\/p>\n

“Yes, I already assigned him a seat”.<\/p>\n

“Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can
\nboard him early,” I said..<\/p>\n

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight
\ndeck. \u00a0He was the image of the \u00a0perfectly \u00a0dressed soldier.
\nHe introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The
\nescorts of \u00a0these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they
\nare still alive and still with us.<\/p>\n

“My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,”\u00a0\u00a0he said. \u00a0He
\nproceeded to answer my questions, \u00a0but offered no words.<\/p>\n

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he
\nsaid no. \u00a0I told him that he had the toughest \u00a0job in the
\nmilitary and that I appreciated the \u00a0work that he does for the
\nfamilies of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got
\nup out of our seats to shake his hand. \u00a0He left the flight
\ndeck to find his seat.<\/p>\n

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed
\nan uneventful departure. \u00a0About \u00a030 minutes into our flight I
\nreceived a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin.
\n“I \u00a0just found out \u00a0the family of the soldier we are carrying,
\nis on board”, she said. \u00a0She then proceeded to tell me that
\nthe father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were
\nescorting their son, husband, and father home. \u00a0The family was
\nupset \u00a0because they were unable to see the container that the
\nsoldier was in before we left. \u00a0We were on our way to a major
\nhub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the
\nconnecting flight home to Virginia \u00a0.<\/p>\n

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that
\nknowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment \u00a0and
\nbeing unable to see him was too much for him and the family to
\nbear. \u00a0He had \u00a0asked the flight attendant if there was anything
\nthat could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival.
\nThe family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the
\nsoldier being taken off the airplane.. I could hear \u00a0the
\ndesperation in the flight attendants voice when she \u00a0asked me
\nif there was anything I could do.. “I’m on \u00a0it”, I said. I told
\nher that I would get back to her.<\/p>\n

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the
\nform of \u00a0e-mail like messages. \u00a0I decided to bypass this
\nsystem and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a
\nsecondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations
\ncontrol center who connects you to the telephone of the
\ndispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher.. \u00a0I
\nexplained the situation I had on board with the family and
\nwhat it was the family wanted. \u00a0He said he understood and that
\nhe would get back to me.<\/p>\n

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. \u00a0We
\nwere going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell
\nthe family. \u00a0I sent a text \u00a0message asking for an update. \u00a0I
\nsaved the return \u00a0message from the dispatcher and the
\nfollowing is the text:<\/p>\n

“Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There
\nis policy on this now and I had to check on a few \u00a0things.
\nUpon your arrival a dedicated escort team will \u00a0meet the
\naircraft. \u00a0The team will \u00a0escort the family to the ramp and
\nplane side. \u00a0A van will be used to load the remains with a
\nsecondary van for the family. \u00a0The family will be taken to
\ntheir departure area and escorted into the terminal where the
\nremains can be seen on the ramp. \u00a0It is a private area for the
\nfamily only. \u00a0When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family
\nwill be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the
\nremains being loaded for the final leg home. \u00a0Captain, most of
\nus here in flight control are veterans. \u00a0 \u00a0Please pass our
\ncondolences on to the family. \u00a0Thanks.”<\/p>\n

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good
\njob. \u00a0 I printed out the message and gave it to the lead
\nflight \u00a0attendant to pass on to the father. \u00a0The lead flight
\nattendant was very thankful and told me, “You have no idea how
\nmuch this will mean to them.”<\/p>\n

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and
\nlanding. \u00a0 After landing, we cleared the runway \u00a0and taxied to
\nthe ramp area. \u00a0The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side
\nof the alleyway. \u00a0It \u00a0is always a busy area with aircraft
\nmaneuvering every which way to enter and exit. \u00a0When we
\nentered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, \u00a0we
\nwere told that \u00a0all traffic was being held for us.<\/p>\n

“There is a team in place to meet the \u00a0aircraft”, we were
\ntold. \u00a0It looked like it was all coming \u00a0together, then I
\nrealized that once we turned the \u00a0seat belt sign off,
\neveryone would stand up at \u00a0once and delay the family from
\ngetting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked
\nthe \u00a0copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop
\nshort of the gate to make an \u00a0announcement to the passengers.
\nHe did that and \u00a0the ramp controller said, “Take your time.”<\/p>\n

I \u00a0stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. \u00a0 I pushed
\nthe \u00a0public address button and said,\u00a0\u00a0“Ladies and gentleman,
\nthis is \u00a0your Captain speaking I \u00a0have stopped short of our
\ngate to make a \u00a0special \u00a0announcement. \u00a0We have a passenger on
\nboard who deserves our honor and respect. \u00a0His Name is
\nPrivate XXXXXX, \u00a0a soldier who recently lost his life.
\nPrivate XXXXXX is \u00a0under your feet in the cargo hold.
\nEscorting him today is \u00a0Army Sergeant \u00a0XXXXXXX. \u00a0Also, on
\nboard are his father, \u00a0mother, \u00a0wife, and daughter. \u00a0Your
\nentire \u00a0flight crew is \u00a0asking for all passengers to remain in
\ntheir seats to \u00a0allow the \u00a0family to exit the aircraft first.
\nThank you.”<\/p>\n

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and \u00a0started
\nour \u00a0shutdown procedures. \u00a0A couple of \u00a0minutes later I opened
\nthe cockpit door. \u00a0I \u00a0found the two forward flight \u00a0attendants
\ncrying, \u00a0something you just do not see. \u00a0I was told \u00a0that
\nafter we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft
\nstayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit \u00a0the
\naircraft.<\/p>\n

When the family got up and gathered their things, a \u00a0passenger
\nslowly \u00a0started to clap his hands. \u00a0 Moments later more
\npassengers \u00a0joined in and soon \u00a0the entire aircraft was
\nclapping. \u00a0Words \u00a0of “God \u00a0Bless You”, I’m sorry, thank you,
\nbe proud, and other kind \u00a0 words were uttered to the family as
\nthey made their \u00a0way down the \u00a0aisle and out of the airplane.
\nThey \u00a0were escorted down to \u00a0the ramp to finally be with
\ntheir loved one.<\/p>\n

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the
\nannouncement I \u00a0had made. \u00a0They were just words, I \u00a0told them,
\nI could \u00a0say them over and over again, \u00a0but nothing I say
\nwill bring back \u00a0that brave soldier.<\/p>\n

I \u00a0respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event \u00a0and
\nthe \u00a0sacrifices that millions of our men and women \u00a0have made
\nto ensure \u00a0our freedom and safety in these \u00a0United \u00a0States of
\nAMERICA .<\/p>\n

Foot note:
\nAs a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans
\nincluding the ones that rode below the deck on their way home
\nand how they were treated. When I read things like this I am
\nproud \u00a0that our country has not turned their backs on our
\nsoldiers returning from the various war zones today and give
\nthem the respect they so deserve.<\/p>\n

I know every one who has served their country who reads this
\nwill have tears in\u00a0his\/her eyes, including \u00a0me.<\/p>\n

Prayer:<\/p>\n

“Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as
\nthey protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless
\nacts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen..”<\/p>\n


\nPrayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment
\nand say a prayer for our troops around the world.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm’s way, prayer is the very best one.<\/span><\/p>\n

GOD BLESS YOU!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our author, Wayne, is a Viet Nam veteran.\u00a0 He, among others dedicated to the purpose of this blog, keeps us on the real track of this blog … understanding what it takes to “Keep the Republic.” Honor and Respect MAY … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17,26],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=658"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":660,"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions\/660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orderofephors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}