1369 - Airline Captain

You may or may not have gotten this in an email. It's going around right now. Hopefully this is a true story. Snopes says undetermined. It's written a little to well I think, but it's a good story anyway.

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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 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 attendant's 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.