`I received this Patriotic Message in email,
was so touched by the reverence shown
to our military troops,which we seldom hear of'
I decided to share it here with all of you!
Enjoy it and please keep all of our troops
in prayer with your support!
Thanks with God's Blessings To All!
`Janie/mjfb1954~a.k.a~MJ
God Bless This Airline Captain
Date:
Fri, 1 Jul 2011 20:13:39 -0700 (PDT)
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 him
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 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 attendant
was very grateful '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 alley way.
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 XXXX,a soldier who
recently lost his life. Private XXXX
is under your feet in the cargo hold.
Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXX.
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 every one 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
less 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!!!
`author UN`named`
`Graphics & Audio
Presented by:
Janie/mjfb1954`
a.k.a.~'MJB'~