Posted on Nov 19, 2016
How would you react if you were on a flight where a family was boo'd for being allowed off the plane first to receive their soldier's body?
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What would you do, if a passenger in first class "boo'd" a Gold Star family for being allowed to leave the aircraft first to receive their fallen son/daughter in the military?
Posted in these groups: 
Gold Star Families
Disrespect
Customs and Courtesies
Fallen Soldiers
Military bearing
Gold Star Families Disrespect Customs and Courtesies Fallen Soldiers Military bearing
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1155
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I would probably go to jail telling the rest of the plane to f*** off and send their relative to defend the constitution. Just so they had the freedom to be so inconsiderate of a family who gave so much for the freedom to say what they believe.
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That kind of action identifies an individual with complete lack of self respect not to mention disrespect to the family of the fallen service member. I would be tempted to give that individual a serious talking to.
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I would have quietly walked up to them and told them the solider in that coffin died so you could boo , what have you done lately ???
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I would pray to God to give that family strength and courage! I have a son overseas right now that if I were in that situation I wouldn't care what any one said as long as they didn't get in my way to get to my son !!!
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We'll, as a veteran, and an airline General Manager, I could guarantee those people would spend eternity in TSA Hell every single time they tried to fly after being so disrespectful.
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I would do what I could to Honor the fallen and remember we in the military gave them the freedom to boo-But later I'd drink a beer to Honor and Duty and try to forget the fools!
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I'm not certain what I would do, but I know if I had the opportunity I would stand up and acknowledge the family, then perhaps attempt to make a louder announcement of God Bless our fallen heros!
I can't imagine how they felt being treated in such a disgusting manner while being home their greatest loss.
God Bless our Trooops! Past, Present and Future
I can't imagine how they felt being treated in such a disgusting manner while being home their greatest loss.
God Bless our Trooops! Past, Present and Future
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I'd make sure they knew I was a veteran. I'd make certain they heard my views.
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Start singing God Bless America in support of the Gold Star family to drown out the disrespect.
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Sp4 Byron Skinner. Be quiet and respectful and due honor to the military that the deceased any you both served in. To many of us whom served in Vietnam crowd disrespect is nothing new. If you are the one that makes a fuss the law will single you out as the cause. Since I doubt that few of you have ever found yourself in this kind of a situation, my experience was 50 years ago so take for what you like, my advice is to be quiet and get out of the area. The military WILL NOT stand behind you, if you want to end a career be my guest.
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I would probably do nothing trusting that karma would surely bite the offenders in the butt. It is their right to be an asshat.
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A1C Jason Jones
I would gladly take on the role of Karma for you. Every unit has the guy like me that wasn't a great soldier, airman, marine, or sailor but, was the one willing to do the time & take the heat to make shit right.
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"I saw this story a couple of weeks ago, and couldn't believe it - so I didn't. I chased down the details of it and got an entirely different picture.
The Perry family was flying from Sacramento, CA to Phoenix, AZ, ultimately traveling to Dover to meet their Fallen Warrior. For totally unrelated reasons, the 1hr 45min flight was 45min late taking off.
First piece of missing key info: Everyone on board was already a little bit tense because they were late and might miss connecting flights, et al.
(Interrupt: Actually, the FIRST piece of missing key information is that the casket containing the remains of their (our) Fallen Warrior was NOT on this aircraft. It was somewhere over the Atlantic, enroute from the Middle East to Dover.)
When the aircraft landed in Phoenix, the Captain asked that everyone remain seated while a "special Military Family" exited the aircraft (he didn't identify them as a Gold Star Family).
Second key piece of missing info: The Perrys were not identified as a Gold Star Family.
My conclusion, the passenger(s) being vilified here were...
1: Unaware the Perrys were a Gold Star Family and therefore can't be criticized for being disrespectful to them or their loss.
2: In light of the fact that the flight was already 45 min. late, it's understandable people might be a little tense and given to some kind of exasperated utterance when asked to wait even a couple of minutes longer.
I'm confident that if the other passengers had known they were being asked to wait another moment or two for a Gold Star Family to deplane, they would have respectfully waited.
What grieves me is that this not-completely-accurate report of the situation is being posted and repeated, while American Airlines and its employees are not given credit for what they did to ensure this Family arrived at their destination ASAP. Not only did AA get them to their destination as quickly as possible, the Captain of their connecting flight leaving from Phoenix delayed his departure 40 min. for them. That's the real story!"
The Perry family was flying from Sacramento, CA to Phoenix, AZ, ultimately traveling to Dover to meet their Fallen Warrior. For totally unrelated reasons, the 1hr 45min flight was 45min late taking off.
First piece of missing key info: Everyone on board was already a little bit tense because they were late and might miss connecting flights, et al.
(Interrupt: Actually, the FIRST piece of missing key information is that the casket containing the remains of their (our) Fallen Warrior was NOT on this aircraft. It was somewhere over the Atlantic, enroute from the Middle East to Dover.)
When the aircraft landed in Phoenix, the Captain asked that everyone remain seated while a "special Military Family" exited the aircraft (he didn't identify them as a Gold Star Family).
Second key piece of missing info: The Perrys were not identified as a Gold Star Family.
My conclusion, the passenger(s) being vilified here were...
1: Unaware the Perrys were a Gold Star Family and therefore can't be criticized for being disrespectful to them or their loss.
2: In light of the fact that the flight was already 45 min. late, it's understandable people might be a little tense and given to some kind of exasperated utterance when asked to wait even a couple of minutes longer.
I'm confident that if the other passengers had known they were being asked to wait another moment or two for a Gold Star Family to deplane, they would have respectfully waited.
What grieves me is that this not-completely-accurate report of the situation is being posted and repeated, while American Airlines and its employees are not given credit for what they did to ensure this Family arrived at their destination ASAP. Not only did AA get them to their destination as quickly as possible, the Captain of their connecting flight leaving from Phoenix delayed his departure 40 min. for them. That's the real story!"
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SPC Randy Torgerson
Even if your corrections are true, no one should boo a military family. Because they did, I suspect even if they were identified as a gold star family they most likely would have reacted the same or worse. I don't understand why you think they would not have? 45 minute late flight? I have been on many 45 minute late flights and the captain asks for everyone to stay seated all kinds of reasons until someone else gets off the plane. I never heard anyone booed. So I think your analysis is flat wrong. Though perhaps you have a good heart and are just trying to give the people on that plane the benefit of the doubt.
Although there is one more thing you failed to mention; it wasn't the rest of the plane booing, it was one very small group. Thats great that you did your research, but I think we're stilling missing part of the story.......
Although there is one more thing you failed to mention; it wasn't the rest of the plane booing, it was one very small group. Thats great that you did your research, but I think we're stilling missing part of the story.......
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Sgt Bob Leonard
Here are the reasons for my conclusion... (and I apologize in advance that I can't link you to the specific websites I went to during my research. It was too long ago, I've cleared my search history a couple of times since then, and I didn't record which specific ones I went to, though I'm sure some, if not most, of them are still there.)
My first, default reaction was based on the general tone of the Nation with regard to our Military Members. My take on it: this is not the Viet Nam era; and most of the Counry has been so sensitized to how we were treated, coming back from SEA (or, at least, how it's reported we were treated - I was never treated the way many others have said they were treated, and I out-processed through Travis AFB and flew commercial airlines, in uniform, home from San Francisco International Airport. The worst treatment I received was to be hit up for spare change by the hari krishnas.)
I simply don't believe that anyone, in this day and age, would 'boo' a "Special Military Family". Read all the various quotes on here and all the other postings of this story. "If I had been there, I would have said something." "If I had been there, I would have punched someone!" "If I had been there, someone would have been thrown out the airlock!"
Do you, and everyone who is saying those things, really believe there was no one in the First Class cabin that day who didn't share your values and sensibilities? And if the events happened as described, they all would have kept silent about it?
I don't! I wouldn't have kept silent if events happened as described! I'm certain there would have been others who would have shut down anyone who did and said what's been described. I therefore concluded, at first reading, that something wasn't quite right.
That's when I went looking for, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story.
1. The flight was forty-five minutes late! That right there is reason enough for some people (at times, myself included) to groan out loud at an announcement that there would be a further delay, even if only for another minute or two.
What's more reasonable to me is that the "Oh no!" reaction was to the announcement, "Please remain seated...," "Groan!" "... while a Special Military Family deplanes." "Oops. Sorry." (hand to mouth and an embarassed look). The initial reaction was to the additional delay, not to the Gold Star Family.
In my mind, that scenario is just as reasonable as what's been described. My question then becomes, "Why so quickly believe the version that creates anger and animosity against.... Who?" The person or persons who supposedly "Booed." is never identified beyond the nebulous "someone".
2. The grieving father, in subsequent interviews (there were several), said he wasn't certain the Pilot, specifically, announced "Gold Star Family" and not the general "special Military Family". I don't have any problem with that, at all. His son is dead. He's going to meet the casket. He's trying to hold things together for himself, his wife/the son's mother, and his son's sister. ANYTHING that hits him a little bit sideways, no matter how innocent or innocuous it may be, hits raw nerves.
I certainly cut him all the slack he needs as he works through this unimagineable grief, but that's not enough for me to throw some unidentified person or persons under the bus for something that may not have actually happened. At least, not as it's being described and repeated and embellished with each repeat. (Take this post for example: The real story is that the Gold Star Family is enroute from Sacramento, CA to Dover AFB Delaware to meet the aircraft bringing their son's casket home from Afghanistan. Do you see that information anywhere in this post?
No. Instead you see an Honor Guard saluting a Flag draped coffin as it's being off-loaded, with the caption, "...a Gold Star family for being allowed to leave the aircraft first to receive their fallen son/daughter ...".
The picture and the caption have absolutely nothing to do with the facts of the occurence.
Taken as a whole, I think there are enough gaps in the narrative (especially this one) to make me think it didn't happen as described.
But for discussion, you said, "...even if they were identified as a gold star family they most likely would have reacted the same or worse. I don't understand why you think they would not have?"
My question to you is, "Why do you automatically think "they" would have reacted the same or worse"?
My first, default reaction was based on the general tone of the Nation with regard to our Military Members. My take on it: this is not the Viet Nam era; and most of the Counry has been so sensitized to how we were treated, coming back from SEA (or, at least, how it's reported we were treated - I was never treated the way many others have said they were treated, and I out-processed through Travis AFB and flew commercial airlines, in uniform, home from San Francisco International Airport. The worst treatment I received was to be hit up for spare change by the hari krishnas.)
I simply don't believe that anyone, in this day and age, would 'boo' a "Special Military Family". Read all the various quotes on here and all the other postings of this story. "If I had been there, I would have said something." "If I had been there, I would have punched someone!" "If I had been there, someone would have been thrown out the airlock!"
Do you, and everyone who is saying those things, really believe there was no one in the First Class cabin that day who didn't share your values and sensibilities? And if the events happened as described, they all would have kept silent about it?
I don't! I wouldn't have kept silent if events happened as described! I'm certain there would have been others who would have shut down anyone who did and said what's been described. I therefore concluded, at first reading, that something wasn't quite right.
That's when I went looking for, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story.
1. The flight was forty-five minutes late! That right there is reason enough for some people (at times, myself included) to groan out loud at an announcement that there would be a further delay, even if only for another minute or two.
What's more reasonable to me is that the "Oh no!" reaction was to the announcement, "Please remain seated...," "Groan!" "... while a Special Military Family deplanes." "Oops. Sorry." (hand to mouth and an embarassed look). The initial reaction was to the additional delay, not to the Gold Star Family.
In my mind, that scenario is just as reasonable as what's been described. My question then becomes, "Why so quickly believe the version that creates anger and animosity against.... Who?" The person or persons who supposedly "Booed." is never identified beyond the nebulous "someone".
2. The grieving father, in subsequent interviews (there were several), said he wasn't certain the Pilot, specifically, announced "Gold Star Family" and not the general "special Military Family". I don't have any problem with that, at all. His son is dead. He's going to meet the casket. He's trying to hold things together for himself, his wife/the son's mother, and his son's sister. ANYTHING that hits him a little bit sideways, no matter how innocent or innocuous it may be, hits raw nerves.
I certainly cut him all the slack he needs as he works through this unimagineable grief, but that's not enough for me to throw some unidentified person or persons under the bus for something that may not have actually happened. At least, not as it's being described and repeated and embellished with each repeat. (Take this post for example: The real story is that the Gold Star Family is enroute from Sacramento, CA to Dover AFB Delaware to meet the aircraft bringing their son's casket home from Afghanistan. Do you see that information anywhere in this post?
No. Instead you see an Honor Guard saluting a Flag draped coffin as it's being off-loaded, with the caption, "...a Gold Star family for being allowed to leave the aircraft first to receive their fallen son/daughter ...".
The picture and the caption have absolutely nothing to do with the facts of the occurence.
Taken as a whole, I think there are enough gaps in the narrative (especially this one) to make me think it didn't happen as described.
But for discussion, you said, "...even if they were identified as a gold star family they most likely would have reacted the same or worse. I don't understand why you think they would not have?"
My question to you is, "Why do you automatically think "they" would have reacted the same or worse"?
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just take it in stride, don't add fuel to a negative fire. Console the family
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