Posted on 03/05/2003 6:48:22 PM PST by PlanoMike
From an American Airlines Flight Attendant, February 20, 2003
Dear Friends:
I have just returned from doing a small part in our efforts against world conflict. Just got home early from Frankfurt after having picked up a planeload of troops in Alexandria LA and taking them one leg of their trip....onward. They had just gotten word 24 hours earlier that full alert was "on" and they were getting ready to be transported.
We arrived in Alexandria on the military airfield in our 777, and the busses were waiting. The troops started to appear from the busses and they were all dressed in their desert uniforms. They looked so clean! Everything was new, including the weapons. Every soldier had a big gun, and some had knives hanging off their belts, too. They were young.
We were told that all weapons were unloaded, and that all the ammo was in the belly. Upon arrival at their destination, they would be given ammo, and they were on full alert and active duty as of the moment of landing at their destination. They had camel packs on their backs, too, and we were told that each soldier had 2 liters of water in those. Each soldier was also given 3 K ration packages to get them through the journey. (We feed and watered them with a good meal and lots of soft drinks, too.)
First class was filled with the rank, and also some very young men and women. We figured it out fast...they had won a prize...and another right guess....they were all sharpshooters. Business class was filled with the best of the sharpshooters, too. Even though all got the same food and the same service, these soldiers were thrilled to be in a big seat on an airliner, and they kidded each other about getting to sit in the better cabins.
Comaraderie filled the air in every cabin and there was lots of intermingling as they explored who got what, and how wonderful it was to be transported on an airliner with a crew and service! I never heard so many people say m'am in my life. They treated us with respect, and boy, we treated them that way, too. We couldn't do enough for them. "No," was not in our vocabulary! If we had it...they got it. Without exception, all the crew felt the same way.
We all felt that it was a great honor to be able to participate in getting these troops over there. Some of the flight crew had to step into the lavs and cry occasionally. I had a lump in my throat the entire flight. I was proud to be part of this....so proud!
We stepped over guns, we served cokes, we listened to stories, we served a meal, and then the soldiers took over. They got out in the aisle in their desert uniforms and passed out water and candy. They seemed to get a charge out of taking over from us, and maybe they had an alterior motive, too, because those guys got every crumb of extra food that we had. They were young men and they were hungry!
I could go on and on about some of the stories I heard, but I will just close by saying that when we landed, we all had tears. A few of the guys passed out the door with, "Would you mind kissing me, m'am?" My response was, "You bet I'll kiss you." I put lots of lipstick on lots of cheeks, and the guys just grinned.
The pride in country and uniform is overwhelming in a situation like this. I remember my Dad, the three wars he fought in, the pride with which he wore his uniform, his patriotism, his absolute belief that the United States was worth giving your life for, and that he survived it all.
God Bless America. I am so grateful to have been able to do something....anything...for our boys and girls, too. Lets hope against all hope that every single one of them comes home to their families.
goes to top of my preference when I have a choice.
She could have meant on the other side of the runway, which is Rheinmain airbase.
How was SHE in a position to know?
"This is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for fighting, this is for fun..."
I have.
In January 1970, I was returning to Nam after an emergency family leave. I was routed through Treasure Island in San Francisco, whereupon I was chosen to escort two AWOLs back to Okinawa. Among my guard-duty issue was a .45 pistol, with ammo.
We flew a regular commercial flight from San Francisco to Honolulu, where I delivered the AWOLs to the brig, while we waited passage on a civilian charter. At the gate, I informed the attendants I was armed, showed the orders I carried, and they told me I would need to surrender the pistol to the captain upon boarding.
We boarded first, and I surrendered the pistol to the captain. After landing, we deplaned last, and the captain returned the pistol to me as we departed the aircraft.
A similar procedure was followed on the civilian charter from Honolulu to Okinawa. Times have changed.
That's the way they do it now. Been watching lots of troops load commercial airliners with their weapons the last few weeks out of Gray Army Airfield, West Fort Hood. They're ready to fight within minutes of leaving the airplane, as soon as they retrieve their ammo from the cargo containers in the belly.
I would share your skepticism if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Back when I was active, we couldn't even carry a pocket knife until we were actually in a war zone. I guess we trust our troops a little more now than we did in the post Viet Nam era. I think there may be a little psy-op involved, also. Seeing those troops with their weapons, body armor, packs, helmets, gloves, googles, makes them look big and powerful. They even scare me! Saddam oughta be getting a little nervous.
Ummm, given the fact that the DoD is inviting reporters along on some planes, so that they might share these stories with America, I think your charge of "loose lips" is bit out of touch.
In short, yes. I have been on military charters where the Air Force Security Police were hand carrying their M16s.
The normal procedure for troops deploying on military airlift is to unload and clear the weapons and hand carry them. My guess is this would also apply to civilian charters if it is in the contract, or if the airline is part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).
I'm sure if there was not a specific contract, the FAA rules would apply, which would require the weapons to be put checked.
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