{"id":826,"date":"2008-10-23T16:08:14","date_gmt":"2008-10-23T20:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/?p=826"},"modified":"2008-10-23T16:08:14","modified_gmt":"2008-10-23T20:08:14","slug":"lest-we-forget-fallen-soldier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/23\/lest-we-forget-fallen-soldier\/","title":{"rendered":"Lest We Forget: Fallen Soldier"},"content":{"rendered":"

Via Blackfive<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

Fallen Soldier<\/h3>\n

Another 4th\u00a0of July is here and all across the nation, millions of us will celebrate in thousands of different ways.\u00a0\u00a0Our military members around the world will miss out on hometown celebrations, instead, performing the duties assigned to them.\u00a0\u00a0This story is in honor of them.<\/p>\n

As a commercial pilot, I too see the effects of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.\u00a0\u00a0Last month I showed up to start a trip and was approached by a gate agent.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cCaptain, good morning, I wanted to inform you that we have H.R. on this flight\u201d, she said.\u00a0\u00a0H.R. stands for human remains.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAre they military\u201d, I asked.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYes\u201d, she said.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIs there and escort\u201d, I asked.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYes, I already assigned him a seat\u201d, she said.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWould you please tell him to come to the flight deck, you can board him early\u201d, I said.<\/p>\n

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck.\u00a0\u00a0He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier.\u00a0\u00a0He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier.\u00a0\u00a0The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and with us.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cMy soldier is on his way back to Virginia\u201d, he said.\u00a0\u00a0He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words on his own.\u00a0\u00a0I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no.\u00a0\u00a0I told him that he has the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers.\u00a0\u00a0The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand.\u00a0\u00a0He left the flight deck to find his seat.<\/p>\n

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure.\u00a0\u00a0About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is onboard\u201d, he said.\u00a0\u00a0He then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year-old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home.\u00a0\u00a0The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left.\u00a0\u00a0We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait 4 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.\u00a0\u00a0He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival.\u00a0\u00a0The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.\u00a0\u00a0I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when he asked me if there was anything I could do.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m on it\u201d, I said.\u00a0\u00a0I told him that I would get back to him. Read the rest… <\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Via Blackfive: Fallen Soldier Another 4th\u00a0of July is here and all across the nation, millions of us will celebrate in thousands of different ways.\u00a0\u00a0Our military members around the world will miss out on hometown celebrations, instead, performing the duties assigned to them.\u00a0\u00a0This story is in honor of them. As a commercial pilot, I too see […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9,224,193],"tags":[1375],"class_list":["post-826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-life","category-military","category-war-on-terror","tag-lest-we-forget","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfpI7-dk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4016,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2011\/05\/30\/lest-we-forget-memorial-day-2011\/","url_meta":{"origin":826,"position":0},"title":"Lest We Forget — Memorial Day 2011","author":"Jeff","date":"May 30, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"My Father was a World War II veteran, like many of his peers he never talked much about his service or the things he\u2019d seen... To him Memorial Day was a day for quiet reflection, for remembering those who had given their full measure, and so it is with me.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lest We Forget"","block_context":{"text":"Lest We Forget","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/lest-we-forget\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/wK0T4pVHP28\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":967,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/11\/lest-we-forget-happy-veterans-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":826,"position":1},"title":"Lest We Forget: Happy Veterans Day","author":"Jeff","date":"November 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday we celebrated the 233rd Birthday of the Marine Corps, today we pause to remember all those who have served this nation in peace and war. Thank You and God Bless You.","rel":"","context":"In "Lest We Forget"","block_context":{"text":"Lest We Forget","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/lest-we-forget\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/marine-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3350,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2010\/05\/30\/lest-we-forget-memorial-day-2010\/","url_meta":{"origin":826,"position":2},"title":"Lest We Forget – Memorial Day 2010","author":"Jeff","date":"May 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the my second Memorial Day without my father, he passed away last year just a few days shy of 87th birthday. He was a veteran of the Second World War, having served in Europe with 709th Military Police Battalion and the 351st\u00a0Engineer Regiment. Much like last year my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lest We Forget"","block_context":{"text":"Lest We Forget","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/lest-we-forget\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/memorial_day-300x199.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":923,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/02\/lest-we-forget-col-john-ripley-usmc-ret\/","url_meta":{"origin":826,"position":3},"title":"Lest We Forget: Col. John Ripley USMC (ret.)","author":"Jeff","date":"November 2, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Col. John Ripley USMC (ret.) passed away today. From Examiner.com: ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Retired Marine Col. John Ripley, who was credited with stopping a column of North Vietnamese tanks by blowing up a pair of bridges during the 1972 Easter Offensive of the Vietnam War, died at home at age\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lest We Forget"","block_context":{"text":"Lest We Forget","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/lest-we-forget\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":750,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/12\/lest-we-forget-uss-cole\/","url_meta":{"origin":826,"position":4},"title":"Lest We Forget: USS Cole","author":"Jeff","date":"October 12, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"It was 8 years ago today that USS Cole (DDG-67) was attacked by terrorists in Aden, Yemen. 17 sailors lost their lives in the bombing. 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