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 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 also
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 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.