Back in October 2013, I boarded a Delta Air Lines flight that I wasn’t originally supposed to be on. I hadn’t been feeling well, so I postponed my flight by a day. Little did I know that this simple change of plans would put me on what would become the most emotional flight of my life. It’s now 13 years later and I still think about that experience often, especially around Veterans Day. Here’s what made this flight so unforgettable.
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Delta Flight 2255 from Atlanta to Los Angeles seemed like an ordinary flight, with the exception of Candy, who was one of the most loving flight attendants I’ve ever encountered. Besides using her Southern charm to quickly defuse just about any situation, she began her welcome announcement by thanking the handful of uniformed service members on board for serving our country. Her heartfelt message was followed by applause from the passengers and served as a reminder that so many of the freedoms we enjoy are made possible by the sacrifices of the brave men and women who serve.
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But this transcontinental flight turned out to be anything but ordinary. About 45 minutes before landing, the captain came over the PA system and explained that we were transporting a fallen soldier home. There was a military escort on board and he asked everyone to remain seated for a few minutes after arriving at the gate so the military personnel could exit first. He also told us not to be alarmed if we saw fire trucks waiting for our arrival because Los Angeles would be honoring the fallen soldier with a water cannon salute. The cabin went quiet as everyone absorbed what he had just told us.
A few minutes after touchdown, we did indeed receive a water cannon salute, something I’d previously only experienced on happy occasions like inaugural flights. But this time was different. As the water streamed down the aircraft windows, it looked like tears. Passengers inside the airport must have wondered what was happening when they saw our plane pull into gate 69A with a full police and fire escort, both in front and behind the aircraft.
I was sitting on the left side of the plane and later realized that the fallen soldier’s family was waiting off to the right, along with members of the United States Army Honor Guard. These service members perform ceremonial duties, including providing military funeral honors for fallen comrades. Seeing the military personnel waiting alongside the family made the significance of our arrival even more apparent.
When the aircraft door opened, another military officer addressed the escort, who was standing at attention. The officer then stepped onto the plane and spoke to all of us passengers. He said, “I just addressed the escort. It is a sworn oath to bring home, to the family, the fallen.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Today you all did that, you are all escorts, escorts of the heart.” He thanked us for our time and walked off the plane.
As you can imagine, everyone was silent and no one got up. Not even that person from the back row who always seems determined to be the first one off the plane. I’m sure most of us had meteor-sized lumps in our throats and tears in our eyes, just as I did. I’ve flown millions of miles over the years and experienced countless memorable moments in the air, but I had never experienced anything quite like this.
It only got more emotional when I deplaned. Instead of rushing to baggage claim or hurrying to catch connecting flights, many passengers stopped at the terminal windows to witness something truly moving. Outside, the Honor Guard and the fallen soldier’s family were waiting as LAX baggage handlers and military personnel carefully removed the flag-draped casket from the cargo hold. It was an incredibly humbling scene and one that I’ll never forget.
I watched as a woman, who I believe may have been the soldier’s mother or wife, slowly approached the casket. A few other family members stood nearby, wrapped in blankets, while members of the Honor Guard stood at attention. I couldn’t begin to imagine what that family was going through or how difficult it must have been to wait for their loved one to come home under such heartbreaking circumstances.
As soon as I saw the woman reach out and place her hand on the casket, I walked away.
That was more than I could bear to watch. Even today, 13 years later, I get emotional thinking about that moment and the extraordinary sacrifice that family made.
A flight I will never forget
What began as an ordinary flight became the most extraordinary flight of my life. I’ve traveled all over the world and taken thousands of flights, but this experience stands apart from all the others. It was a powerful reminder that behind every military uniform is a person with family and friends who love them, and that the sacrifices made by our service members affect far more people than we sometimes realize.
I’m grateful to the Delta crew, the military escort, the Honor Guard and everyone at LAX who helped ensure that this fallen soldier was brought home with the dignity and respect they deserved. I’m especially grateful to the men and women who serve our country and to the families who support them, often making sacrifices of their own.
Veterans Day is a time to recognize and thank all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces, while Memorial Day specifically honors those who died in military service. Although this experience involved a fallen soldier, it reminds me every Veterans Day of the courage, commitment and sacrifice of our military members and their families.
To all our veterans and active-duty service members, thank you for your service. And to the families who have lost loved ones while serving our country, please know that their sacrifices are not forgotten.
Thirteen years later, I can still hear that military officer’s words: “You are all escorts, escorts of the heart.” I’ll carry those words, and the memory of that flight, with me for the rest of my life.
Johnny’s note
When I first shared this story and video in 2013, I had no idea how many people it would touch. Over the years, I’ve received thousands of comments and emails from readers, including veterans, military families and people who have experienced similar homecomings. One of the most impactful was a comment left on Yahoo by a reader named Indiana Joan. Her words have stayed with me, just as this flight has.
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So much to be thankful for. Thank you for sharing
My son returned from 6 months in Afghanistan last week. My heart breaks for this mother. Our sons and daughters are still on harms way…please keep them in your prayers.
This brought tears to my eyes, and although I am a big supporter of our soldiers, who do fight for our freedom each day, I am wondering what did this soldier die for? Why are we still in the Middle East? The Afghans and the Iraqis don’t want us in their country, but we are still there losing our men and women, and breaking the hearts of mothers and father and brother and sisters here at home. When soldiers came home from WWII, we knew what they were fighting for…now, that resolve is blurred. It’s time that we bring our soldiers home.
Thank you for sharing this experience with us. There is no greater love… than to give your life.. for other people. I will always respect our heros and be forever grateful!!!
Johnny, Thank you so much for posting this event. It “hurt my heart” to know a young person died to preserve OUR safety & made me feel so humble. I am the daughter of WWII POW & Purple Heart Recipient (now deceased) & the mother of a current U.S. Navy Special
Forces member. Daddy came home from WWII, married & I was borne in 1946. Through the years I have been to MANY of Daddy’s friends/fellow veterans funeral services & ALWAYS hurt to my core but also know they will rest in peace knowing they did all they could for our country. As for my son, Thank our Lord God, he has returned home from several tours of Iraq/Afghanistan to continue to be a Daddy himself. In my opinion, we CANNOT DO ENOUGH FOR OUR VETERANS! I thank you for your post, reminding us our of ability to live in the most wonderful country in the world.
As the wife of a Marine and Mother of three Marines, simply, thank you. When my husband returned from Vietnam, the scenes were 180 degree different. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your story on line and I viewed your pictures on Fox. It not only brought tears to my eyes but also my husband. These stories like this help Veterans from Vietnam and other conflicts, heal a lot of wounds no one sees. You have no idea how many people you have affected in a good way. Thank you. My prayers to our military and their families. Their families have to bravely carry on.
THANK YOU!!
This is so moving…thank you for sharing your experience. Hope our brave one will rest in peace.
Please remember, when you’re traveling and you encounter a member of the military, please say thanks in some manner. When my son was serving, he had people pay for meals, etc. in the airport. They do appreciate being acknowledged by the public.
A truly touching story. Thank you for sharing.
I don’t want to be the skunk in the room but there is an Awful Reality that Nobody seems to want to address and admit. NONE of these Soldiers had to die or be maimed. Can anybody say what Iraq was for and what did all this sacrifice of lives and limbs get us. Afghanistan is the same. Check out my Song “A KNOCK AT THE DOOR”….As a Country we HAVE to confront this awful truth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU5Lne1nwpQ
Barry David Butler
Contact me at bdbutler@centurylink.net
If you don’t want to be a skunk in the room, don’t be a skunk in the room.
Your first sentence is like me saying, “I don’t want to be rude, but have you absolutely no memory of 9-11? That doesn’t ring any bells about why we went to war in Afghanistan?”
The problem with your response being that the poor soldier on that plane was killed more than a decade after 911 and long after Bin Laden and Al Qaeda’s departure to bigger and better killing fields elsewhere. In any case we don’t know where that soldier was killed. Given the sheer number of places we’re at war it could have been in any of a half dozen countries – only one of which has even the slightest connection to 911. Be honest. The only reason we’re still killing and dying in Afghanistan is that our politicians can’t figure out how to finally get us out of that quagmire without risking their careers. THAT is why an awful lot of Afghans and Americans have died and why the butchery continues. Its long since become a pointless exercise in slaughter.
On Saturday, October 26, I flew out of our small local airport to Phoenix. This flight was special in that it carried our local WWII veterans to Phoenix for a special meeting. They were recognized with clapping from the passengers.