A Tribute.

I read this on facebook and thought I would pass it on here. I had tears in my eyes.

"Letter from an airline pilot: 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've 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
co-pilot 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 USA, Canada, Australia New Zealand, England.



Foot note:



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



Please send this on after a short prayer for our
service men and women.



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 selfless
acts they perform for us in our time of need.. In Jesus Name, Amen.'



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!!! Bring the rest home safe and
sound. We need to be there for them now more than ever."