I can't either. This is a very moving story. I made this animation some time ago, and have posted it a few times at the Canteen and it's on my profile page. It seems to work here, too. Thank you for posting the story, Movemout, and for pinging me.
Posted on 05/22/2002 5:43:09 AM PDT by Movemout
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - An Army aviator who flew combat missions in Afghanistan with airline wings recognizing a flight attendant lost on Sept. 11 returned the memento to the woman's father at a ceremony at Fort Campbell.
Staff Sgt. Mark Baker volunteered to wear the wings after Mike Low wrote a letter to the Army asking for "some soldier, some good man or woman" to carry them in battle, describing the wings as being of "sturdy metal, having resisted a lot (of) tears and sweaty palms, without tarnishing."
The wings were returned to Low on Tuesday during a ceremony recognizing Baker and the rest of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
Low's daughter, Sara Low, of Batesville, Ark., was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, which was hijacked by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center.
Low placed a photo of his daughter on a chain around Baker's neck along with a military coin given to him by an Army general in exchange for the metal flight wings.
"I can't hold back the tears," Baker, 27, a flight engineer, said following the ceremony.
Baker said he and the rest of his crews faced enemy fire "almost every time we went up" as they flew special operations commandos in and out of enemy territory and transported supplies in "the most extreme weather and terrain."
He said he was often too busy to think about the wings during each mission but was inspired by them when the crew would take off or land.
The wings originally belonged to Sara Low's roommate, Karyn Ramsey. Ramsey gave the wings to Sara Low's father after her death.
Sara Low lived with Ramsey less than a year after moving to Boston with the goal of working on international flights.
The "Night Stalkers" of the 160th were one of the first units deployed to fight in Operation Enduring Freedom, America's war on terrorism. Nine members of the unit - eight in the Philippines and one in Afghanistan - have been killed since then.
The division - based at Fort Campbell on the Tennessee border 50 miles north of Nashville, Tenn. - is an elite, secretive group of about 1,500 aviators trained to transport special forces commandos in extreme conditions around the world.
"You go into harm's way and you risk your companions and you do things for us that give us assurance," Low said. "Once the government had the resolve to give you your mission, you performed the mission excellently."
Yep. I had to close the door to my office.
/john
I can't either. This is a very moving story. I made this animation some time ago, and have posted it a few times at the Canteen and it's on my profile page. It seems to work here, too. Thank you for posting the story, Movemout, and for pinging me.
Wings of fallen stewardess worn into battle, then back
by Spc. Heather M. Curtis
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (Army News Service, May 23, 2002) - The flight wings of an American Airlines stewardess killed Sept. 11 were worn into battle above Afghanistan and then presented back to her family by Army aviators at a ceremony here May 21.
Sara Elizabeth Low was killed when her plane crashed into the World Trade Center. Her father, Mike Low, sent her flight-attendant wings to Afghanistan with a letter to the commander of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne).
"I ask this favor of you. Would it be possible to have some soldier, some good man or woman carry these wings with them in our war against terrorism?" Low wrote.
"These wings were pinned on me by our daughter Sara's wingmate and roommate from Boston on the day of her memorial. I wore them that day and to Boston twice as we closed out our Sara's apartment and her life. I wore them to 'Ground Zero', where the evil invaders of our country and our lifestyle hurled themselves into hell and killed 5,000 innocent civilians. They are of sturdy medal, having resisted a lot of tears and sweaty palms, without tarnishing. My intent was to return them to Karen, but I want them to travel to the action first for Sara," Mike wrote.
When the letter was read to the "Night Stalkers" of the 160th SOAR, it was Staff Sgt. Mark Baker, MH-47E Chinook crew chief, who stood up and asked to wear the wings into combat.
"As soon as I heard the letter, I knew I wanted to wear them," Baker said. "I thought it would be an honor, and it was."
Baker said that wearing the wings made the fight more personal, and his fellow soldiers made sure the wings were always on his chest, pinned to his body armor.
1st Lt. Marie Hatch, public affairs officer, HHC, 160th SOAR (Abn.), said the wings were a symbol of the memory and pride of Sara Low. That they represented the perseverance and spirit of a father who lost his daughter to fight, and also of the perseverance and spirit of the American people to fight.
"We took that symbol into the fight, and every day, what it represents inspired and strengthened us," Hatch said.
The wings have now resisted more than tears and sweaty palms -- also the harsh conditions of Afghanistan: extreme weather, harsh flying conditions, enemy bullets, and Rocket Propelled Grenades, Hatch said. The wings on Baker's chest traveled on more than 20 missions, rescuing, re-supplying, inserting and removing special operations forces.
As the wings were returned at the Fort Campbell ceremony, tears fell. Family, friends, and fellow Night Stalkers mourned the loss of Sara Elizabeth Low, the victims of the terrorist attacks, and the soldiers who have fallen, fighting back for America's freedom.
Baker returned the wings to Sara's father inside a framed print, signed by each crew member who flew on a mission with the wings. The plaque read: "Sara Elizabeth Low's spirit lives on and it is in her memory, represented by these wings, that we find a heightened sense of purpose, unwavering commitment, and strength to continue to fight for freedom. Night Stalkers Don't Quit."
In return Low offered Baker a warm hug and handshake, and he removed the picture of Sara and general's coin he wore around his neck, and placed it around Baker's neck.
"You are heroes in the purist definition of the word," Low said. "You have honored the memory of these great Americans. You have given us a great gift of brightness in darkened times."
As Baker and Sara's family met for the first time, he said he couldn't hold back the tears. It seemed no one could as the ceremony came to an end. Soldiers and civilians alike stood to honor Sara, the victims of the terrorist attacks, and fallen Night Stalkers, while the words of "God Bless the U.S.A." hung in the air.
(Editor's note: Spc. Heather M. Curtis writes for the Fort Campbell Courier newspaper.)
God bless you both for your love of America and the lives that we have lost.
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