This message of Honor and Respect was sent to me yesterday by a member of Gold Star Wives of America as written by a Vietnam War veteran. Let me share it with you just as it came to me.
" MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN:
" MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN:
This Vietnam War Veteran 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 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. 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 X, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private X is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant. 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:
As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they were treated. When I read things like this I am proud that our country has not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war zones today and give them the respect they so deserve. I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including me."
'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 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. 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 X, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private X is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant. 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:
As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they were treated. When I read things like this I am proud that our country has not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war zones today and give them the respect they so deserve. I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including me."
On a personal note it was on February 28th, 1968 that Major Richard McDaniels assumed the duty to escort my husband, Captain James Eddie Reed (killed in action on February1, 1968 at Don Rach Cat, Long An Province, Vietnam) home to Kingsport, Tennessee.
Major McDaniels began his duties at Travis Air Force Base greeting Eddie as he disembarked from his flight from Saigon. They then rode rogether in a hearse to the Oakland Army Depot Mortuary where Eddie was further prepared for his final trip home. Eddie and Maj. McDaniels then drove across the San Francisco Bay Bridge to San Francisco International Airport. Major McDaniels oversaw Eddie's placement in the hold of a Delta Airlines flight and together they flew into Atlanta, Georgia. Major McDaniel then made sure Eddie was properly removed and transferred to another plane for what they thought was the final trek into TriCities Airport in Kingsport, Tennessee. Due to severe weather conditions the plane into TriCities was diverted into Knoxville, Tennessee. There Major McDaniels saw to it that Eddie again disembarked with honor and respect. A hearse that had come one hundred miles through the snow from Kingsport waited for them on the tarmac. Though the journey had been long, Major McDaniels again perfectly executed his duties and together the driver, his assistant, the Major and his soldier headed northeast up Highway 11W as the snow continued to fall.
As fate would have it -- or the angels -- near Rogersville, Tennessee an overturned tractor trailer truck blocked the highway. The Tennessee Highway Patrol diverted Eddie and his escorts to a small state highway named West Carter's Valley Road. Eddie grew up in West Carter's Valley and drove on that road nearly everyday of his childhood and college years. The hearse took Eddie by the Reed farm where he grew up, by his favorite fishing hole in the North Holston River, the meadows where he hunted arrowheads and played cowboys and Indians or rode his pony, by his favorite hunting grounds, by Bell Ridge Elementary School, and where he played with his brothers. At Lynn Garden community they turned right onto Lynn Garden Drive and went past Lynn View High where Eddie ran track and pole vaulted, past the small apartment where my son and I lived. They headed into downtown Kingsport. The driver of the hearse took him down the icy streets past the Texas Steer Drive-in where we had gone on our first date. Together the men and their soldier slowly cruised Broad Street one last time before arriving at 1:30 A.M. at the Hamlett Dobson Funeral Home. Though dead tired Major McDaniels stayed with his soldier as his family slowly arrived to welcome their soldier home, just not the way they wanted.
Though Eddie didn't have his family on board his flights from Vietnam to Knoxville, Tennessee, Eddie did see the people and places he loved. He had his final goodbye. We are deeply grateful that Eddie had a wonderful escort who stayed with him until he was peacefully interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Kingsport, Tennessee on March 2nd 1968.
Major McDaniels began his duties at Travis Air Force Base greeting Eddie as he disembarked from his flight from Saigon. They then rode rogether in a hearse to the Oakland Army Depot Mortuary where Eddie was further prepared for his final trip home. Eddie and Maj. McDaniels then drove across the San Francisco Bay Bridge to San Francisco International Airport. Major McDaniels oversaw Eddie's placement in the hold of a Delta Airlines flight and together they flew into Atlanta, Georgia. Major McDaniel then made sure Eddie was properly removed and transferred to another plane for what they thought was the final trek into TriCities Airport in Kingsport, Tennessee. Due to severe weather conditions the plane into TriCities was diverted into Knoxville, Tennessee. There Major McDaniels saw to it that Eddie again disembarked with honor and respect. A hearse that had come one hundred miles through the snow from Kingsport waited for them on the tarmac. Though the journey had been long, Major McDaniels again perfectly executed his duties and together the driver, his assistant, the Major and his soldier headed northeast up Highway 11W as the snow continued to fall.
As fate would have it -- or the angels -- near Rogersville, Tennessee an overturned tractor trailer truck blocked the highway. The Tennessee Highway Patrol diverted Eddie and his escorts to a small state highway named West Carter's Valley Road. Eddie grew up in West Carter's Valley and drove on that road nearly everyday of his childhood and college years. The hearse took Eddie by the Reed farm where he grew up, by his favorite fishing hole in the North Holston River, the meadows where he hunted arrowheads and played cowboys and Indians or rode his pony, by his favorite hunting grounds, by Bell Ridge Elementary School, and where he played with his brothers. At Lynn Garden community they turned right onto Lynn Garden Drive and went past Lynn View High where Eddie ran track and pole vaulted, past the small apartment where my son and I lived. They headed into downtown Kingsport. The driver of the hearse took him down the icy streets past the Texas Steer Drive-in where we had gone on our first date. Together the men and their soldier slowly cruised Broad Street one last time before arriving at 1:30 A.M. at the Hamlett Dobson Funeral Home. Though dead tired Major McDaniels stayed with his soldier as his family slowly arrived to welcome their soldier home, just not the way they wanted.
Though Eddie didn't have his family on board his flights from Vietnam to Knoxville, Tennessee, Eddie did see the people and places he loved. He had his final goodbye. We are deeply grateful that Eddie had a wonderful escort who stayed with him until he was peacefully interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Kingsport, Tennessee on March 2nd 1968.
I have always been grateful that our friend, Dick McDaniels, whom we had known from Fort Ord, accompanied Eddie on his journey home. I don't know where he is today but I remain grateful for the loving consideration, the honor and respect he gave to Eddie --- that Eddie had a friend by his side as he rejoined his family in Tennessee.
