At America's Airports, Are Fallen Soldiers Getting The Respect They Deserve?

[Boats]

At America's Airports, Are Fallen Soldiers Getting The Respect They Deserve?
By: Gary Stoller, 7-17-17
RE: https://www.forbes.com/sites/garysto.../#4471acd26416

Many people expressed outrage after videos went viral that purportedly show passengers being disrespectful as the casket of deceased U.S. Air Force airman Andre Taylor was removed from the cargo hold of a Delta Air Lines jet in Detroit on July 6.

The videos—posted on Facebook, popularmilitary.com and onemileatatime.com—immediately piqued my interest, because I had just posted an article on Forbes.com about frequent business travelers bemoaning the lack of respect, courtesy and civility at airports. So I contacted the person who posted the videos to get a more complete account, while wondering whether America’s travelers have truly become ill-mannered.

Ken Fitzgerald, an off-duty airline pilot who shot the videos, believes they have. He says the flight crew four times made announcements instructing passengers on the Phoenix-Detroit flight to stay seated after landing until the airman’s casket was removed from the cargo hold. Ten seconds after two uniformed military escorts exited the plane to help with the coffin, a person stood up and grabbed his bags, and then the whole planeload of passengers followed, Fitzgerald says.

“It was absolutely disrespectful,” says Fitzgerald, who served in the Air Force and became an airline pilot this year. “People these days are only focused on themselves. It was rude—not the proper way to act.”

As passengers exited, Taylor’s family could be seen crying outside the aircraft windows, he says.

Fitzgerald says he was very disappointed with people that day, and he posted his videos“to educate those who are not aware of proper customs and courtesies, no matter how spoon- fed the instructions were on this particular flight.”

Many, if not all, passengers on the flight were aware, before they boarded in Phoenix, that a deceased military officer would be traveling with them, Fitzgerald says. Many saw the coffin being loaded onto the plane, he says.

Fitzgerald estimates that the flight was about 75% full. He says that only a flight attendant, another off-duty pilot and himself—flying as passengers—and the Delta Air Lines flight crew remained seated until Taylor’s coffin was loaded into a hearse.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he says. “I talked to the flight attendant sitting behind me, and we were questioning whether there was something we missed (about the flight crew’s instructions). I later talked to the flight crew, and they said they couldn’t believe this happened.”

Fitzgerald says the flight attendant sitting behind him told two departing passengers that, if they didn’t have the courtesy to stay seated, they, at least, should stop laughing as they walked down the aisle.

Does Fitzgerald find it surprising or odd that no paying passengers heeded the flight crew’s instructions to remain on the aircraft? Might some passengers have thought it was okay to leave after the military escorts departed? Might some be worried about missing a connecting flight, have medical or personal issues they needed to address or have a valid reason to depart?

Fitzgerald says one woman had arthritis and needed to stand, and he totally understands her actions. But he believes most, or nearly all, passengers were discourteous.

Was this incident a sign of a changing or callous America full of citizens lacking respect and proper courtesies? The jury is still out on that debate, but there have been other similar incidents in recent years that show many Americans have caring, wonderful hearts and respect for those military officers who have died while serving the country.

Popular travel blogger John DiScala, who goes by the name Johnny Jet, was traveling four years ago on an Atlanta-Los Angeles Delta flight carrying the remains of a deceased U.S. Army soldier. Passengers on the flight showed the utmost respect after landing at Los Angeles International Airport, according to DiScala’s blog post on JohnnyJet.com.

A military escort told passengers—including many who might have been cranky or in discomfort after such a long cross-country flight—to stay seated so the fallen soldier could be taken off the plane first.

Everyone in the aircraft cabin “was silent, no one got up,” DiScala’s said in his blog post. “I’m sure most had meteor-sized lumps in their throats and tears in their eyes like I did.”

After passengers deplaned, “it only got more emotional,” DiScala said. “There was a large number of passengers, who are normally in a hurry to get home or make a connection, standing by the window to witness something truly moving. To see the honor guard and family waiting patiently, while LAX baggage handlers and a military loadmaster remove the flag covered casket first from the cargo hold, was humbling to say the least.”

Then DiScala summed up the entire experience.

“This ordinary flight became extraordinary and is one that I will never forget. Thank you to all the military who protect our beautiful country and let us live the lives we are able to lead. Without you, we would be nothing. And thank you to the honor guard for making sure these fallen soldiers, warriors and heroes are not treated like just any piece of luggage…but rather with the care and respect they so rightly deserve.”

Another emotional airport tribute to a deceased soldier occurred in Anchorage, Alaska, in October 2015. It was posted on Facebook and YouTube by a passenger, Julia Jette, and the details are now on Alaska Airlines’ website.

Jette was waiting to board a red-eye flight to Seattle, according to Alaska Airlines, when customer service agent Denise Snow announced that a fallen soldier ashes would be on the flight, and she wished to sing in his honor.

““Everyone, as far as I could see, stood in respect,” and they were silent as she sang, Jette said, according to the airline. “I was fighting back tears. The family member carrying the ashes was crying, and it ripped my heart out. It was amazing and heart wrenching all at once.”

Snow told the airline she frequently sings to honor deceased soldiers.

“I always pray that my singing will bring joy to the hearts of those listening and soothe away their pain,” Snow. “I love to honor those who fought so hard for America and my freedom with my voice and let them know I appreciate what they did for this country.”

Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines’ regional vice president, said Snow sometimes comes to the airport in Anchorage on her day off to honor a deceased soldier’s body being transported by the airline.

“To watch a 90-year old World War II veteran stand at attention from his wheelchair while Denise sings is something you never forget,” Romano said.