[Nfbf-l] Memorial Day Is Fast Approaching / HONOR AND RESPECT

[Jody W. Ianuzzi]

Thank you for this message.  Yes, It does require tissues.  JODY

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of REPCODDS at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 4:29 PM
To: nfbf-l at nfbnet.org; nfbf-leaders at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Memorial Day Is Fast Approaching / HONOR AND RESPECT

Subject: HONOR AND RESPECT


 
 
 
   
 
 
 
     
    
 
 
MAY 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 an d 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: 
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 
giving them the respect they  so deserve. 

I know  everyone who has served their country who reads this will  have 
tears in their eyes, including  me.  

Prayer chain for our  Military.  Please send this on after a short  prayer 
for our troops around the  world:  

'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..' 

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 THEM AND YOU!!! 





















There is nothing attached. Please just  send this to people in your address 
book --- I copied it in  lieu of forwarding.  You could do the same.   os 
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