Have you ever been on a flight with a fallen soldier who is being brought home? I have not, but I’ve watched plenty of videos of these remarkable journies. When you see a soldier with a folded flag across his or her arm on an airplane, that means that there’s a fallen soldier on board with you. It’s a humbling experience, I can only imagine. I don’t know about you, but just reading about things like this makes me feel very humbled and just a little bit small. How many times have I been on a flight annoyed that it was delayed? Or feeling a little big crowded or hungry or just plain tired. It makes my problems feel small when I think of the flight home of these brave fallen soldiers.
I found an article online that was written by a Marine who escorted home the remains of a fallen soldier. His account is beautiful and meaningful. He said that when a soldier dies, the soldier is escorted home by a uniformed soldier so that they can ensure that the fallen soldier is delivered safely to their next of kin and treated with respect and dignity along the way. This is so important. The soldier said that as escorts, they receive a brief covering their duties, including the proper handling of the remains and the correct procedures for draping the American flag over a casket. Also, they learn how to do the paperwork that’s needed for their sacred task.
Below, you can read an account of an airplane passenger who witnessed this escort. It’s very touching. Scroll to below this image for more details about what’s involved in the process.
After the escort checks into the plane, they then go to the tarmac so that they can observe the loading and handling of the fallen soldier. As the fallen soldier is put onto the conveyor and loaded into the aircraft, the escort soldier salutes him or her. Once they arrive in their destination city, the escort stays with his fallen soldier all the way to the funeral home. He would have draped the American flag over his soldier’s casket in the cargo hold at the airport. At the funeral home, the escort makes sure the fallen soldier’s uniform is in order, even if it’s going to be a closed casket ceremony. Then, the escort sits down with the soldier’s family and goes over how he has been treated with dignity and respect, and also, the soldier’s service.
