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Wanted 2 share this Fwd with all of U..............
This past week I was on a four and a half hour, non-stop
flight from Seattle, Washington, to Atlanta, Georgia. In all my years
of traveling, I have learned that each time a plane has the opportunity to
stop, there is potential for unexpected challenges. Flight delays,
weather and airline crews can create unanticipated challenges on
any trip. Therefore, I always try to fly non-stop between my destinations.
About an hour into this particular flight, the Captain's voice
rang over the intercom. He asked if there was a physician or nurse on the
plane. If so, he asked them to identify themselves by
ringing the flight attendant call button beside their seat.
I listened carefully but heard no one ring their bell. I
immediately began to wonder what was happening. In a few
minutes, the Captain informed us that there was a medical emergency
onboard and asked again if there was a physician or a nurse who could help.
When there was no response, we were told that we
were going to make an emergency stop in Denver, Colorado. He apologized
but told us that there would be a medical emergency team waiting to meet us
at the gate, and that we would probably only be delayed by
about thirty minutes.. Though it was necessary, we knew we would all be
inconvenienced by the extra stop.
About half an hour later, we landed at Denver
International Airport and the medical crew immediately came on board.
However, everything took longer than had previously been expected.
An elderly gentleman, about 85 years old, had suddenly taken ill. It
was not clear whether he had experienced a stroke or a heart attack.Even after
the gentleman was carried off of the
plane, we still sat there for quite a while. The original
"short" stop turned into about an hour and a half. When we
finally pushed back from the gate and were in the air, the pilot apologized
profusely for the unavoidable delay. He said that since the stop had taken
longer than expected, those passengers who needed to make connections in
Atlanta would miss their flights, but would automatically be booked on the
next flight out.
You could almost hear the moans and groans
throughout the airplane of everyone who was being inconvenienced by the
unexpected stop. Then the pilot did one of the classiest things I have
personally
ever seen or heard anyone do. He spoke into the intercom and said,
"Ladies and gentlemen, I thought you might be interested in one bit of
information. The elderly gentleman who was taken off the plane was a
Marine in World War II. I am holding in my hand a copy of the Congressional
Medal of Honor that was awarded to him and signed by President Harry Truman in
1945." The pilot went on to say, "I realize that we have al l been
inconvenienced today. However, in light of the fact that this gentleman
was a war hero and was inconvenienced for four years of his life in
order that we might experience the freedoms that we enjoy today, I
thought you all should know that.
Immediately, the airplane was filled with applause.
Everyone was cheering and so pleased to know that the gentleman had been
cared for in a way that was fitting and appropriate.As we continued to fly, I
thought to myself,"Isn't that interesting? We were concerned that we
wereinconvenienced for a couple of hours, and yet this gentleman's entire life
was interrupted and inconvenienced for over four years while he went and
fought in a war to protect the freedoms and values that we love and hold
dear in this country today."
I breathed a prayer for the gentleman and asked God to bless him for
all he had done to help us understand what freedom is all about.
Don't we wish our citizens in this country also
have this same type of attitude towards our Soldiers?
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