Serving Those Who Serve

[sfc_darrel]

Serving Those Who Serve
By JANE GARGAS
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC


SANDY SUMMERS/YHR
Mary Jo Pinnell, a stewardess for United, volunteered to serve on a plane that transported troops to Iraq. Pinnell, who did the same for Desert Storm, said this is her way of showing her patriotism.

Even after logging millions of miles in the air, these are the flights that jet straight to her heart.

Mary Jo Pinnell, a United Airlines flight attendant for 36 years, loves what she does, but it's especially gratifying when she can help out her country.

Normally, Pinnell leaves her Yakima home several times a month for her base in San Francisco. From there she flies international flights to China, Korea, Australia, France and Japan.

On board she serves as purser, in charge of everyone on the flight except the pilots.

But even those exotic trips can't compare to the journey she embarked on in March, flying with U.S. servicemen and women going to war in Iraq. Pinnell accompanied three different military units on flights heading to Operation Freedom.

"These are the most rewarding flights I've ever done," says Pinnell, reflecting on her experiences serving two units from the Army and one from the Marine Corps on their way to battle.

In order to transport large numbers of troops quickly to the Middle East last spring, the U.S. government leased commercial planes. When Pinnell found out that crew members were needed, she signed up.

"I felt like it was a way to give something back," she says.

All three flights on which Pinnell served landed in Kuwait, headquarters for the U.S. military incursion.

It's serious business shepherding troops on their way to war, Pinnell notes, and no one was unaware of the situation's gravity.

She admits it was difficult knowing that some of these young men and women might not return alive.

With that in mind, Pinnell realized it was important for the crew always to be encouraging and help the troops face their jobs ahead.

"We try to make it as nice as we possibly can," she explains.

To that end, crew members decorated planes with crepe paper and flags and hung patriotic artwork by schoolchildren.

They handed out paper and pencils on each flight, urging military personnel to write a letter to someone back home.

They then snapped pictures with a Polaroid camera, added a photo to each letter and mailed them to the troops' loved ones.

Pinnell saw her role as being positive without being political.

"You're not supporting the war itself, you're doing it for the United States and the troops," she notes.

"Nobody wants to go to war," she adds. "We should be very proud of them all."

Pinnell made an effort to talk to as many of the 400 servicemen and women as she could on each 12-hour flight.

"They didn't seem scared," she recalls. "They seemed very dedicated. They were quiet, but most were pretty upbeat."

There were wistful moments, though.

Watching a single father part with his two children before boarding his flight was poignant, Pinnell says. Everyone choked up as they looked over at the soldier's children waving goodbye, standing on the other side of the fence with their grandmother.

"There's no way of knowing who's still alive or even who's still over there," Pinnell laments.

But there were lighthearted moments on the flights, too.

As the Marines stood stiffly at attention next to their seats after boarding, listening to their orders, Pinnell decided they needed a little levity.

"I turned to the colonel and said, 'Stop yelling at those boys and girls!. They're mine now.' "

After a brief silence, the colonel laughed, and Pinnell knew the Marines really were hers then.

But no one lost sight of their serious destination. For one thing, there was a graphic clothing reminder. Everyone on board had to don a chemical warfare suit as soon as the 747 jet touched down in Kuwait.

"They're uncomfortable and hot," Pinnell says, "and we had to go through an hour-and-15-minute drill just on how to put it on."

She doesn't recall feeling frightened, even though she was aware the planes could be artillery targets.

But she clearly remembers the apprehensive atmosphere 12 years ago when she first volunteered to serve on a military flight, also bound for hostilities in Iraq. That was Desert Storm, and Pinnell took 20 flights in three weeks, shuttling military personnel to battle.

Her service during the first Iraqi war earned her honors from the military. On her wall at home hangs a medal given to her by the Air Force in 1993 for outstanding achievement as a civilian in Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

When the United States decided to enter battle against Iraq last spring, Pinnell was even more motivated to help than she had been during Desert Storm. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, spurred her on.

"I lost some friends flying in the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania," she explains.

"It's still difficult to talk about," she says, pausing. "I feel very strongly about the freedoms our country offers."

It's somewhat of a reversal from her sentiments during the Vietnam era. She was an anti-war activist then, living in San Francisco.

"We'd come home from our flights, let our hair down (because in those days you had to wear it up when you were working) and got out and marched against the war," she remembers.

And while she would still be against the U.S. intervention in Vietnam if she had to do it over, she says that her ideas and ideals about preserving freedom have evolved.

"Since then our world has changed and our focus has, too," she explains.

Ironically, Vietnam had something to do with Pinnell meeting her future husband. Rick Pinnell had just returned from duty with a helicopter unit in Vietnam and was visiting San Francisco when he met Mary Jo.

Even though she was anti-war and he was an Army lieutenant, they realized they had plenty in common. They were married in 1973 and moved to Yakima a year later.

Vietnam is still part of Mary Jo Pinnell's destiny, as she juggles dual roles as businesswoman and flight attendant.

Last year she and a partner started an import business called Savvy Shopper, selecting artwork and other decorative items in Thailand and China to bring to Yakima for sale.

Next year she'll travel to Vietnam to expand their inventory.

Pinnell says her new business is a perfect fit for someone who enjoys flying, loves Asia and has a house full of artifacts from the Far East. It's also a chance to use her language; she speaks a little Korean, Mandarin and Japanese.

But she wouldn't hesitate to put both vocations on hold and volunteer to serve the troops if her country needs her again.

http://www.heraldrepublic.com/premiu...395564080.news

[BLUEHAWK]

Wonderful story...thanks.