Saturday, August 22, 2009
uhh oh.
You would not believe all the good news on this side of town. I would tell you but don’t have much time. I also need to figure out how to put a slide show on here. If you know how can you leave me a comment on how to do it? I will, by the am, get to this an update you all on what has been taken place in our lives the past week. I’m sure it bound to blow your minds!!!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
In Orlando
Joshua 25:??
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Last night was the most sleep I've gotten in 2 weeks!!! I fell asleep at 10pm and woke up at 4:30ish. I have an exciting day ahead of me and I can't wait. I have a room to myself. I ate lots of fiber this am to keep my energy high. I'm taking some water and fruits with my for lunch and will eat a salad for dinner tonight. I love my life, more so when my family is with me! I miss them so much already..
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Last night was the most sleep I've gotten in 2 weeks!!! I fell asleep at 10pm and woke up at 4:30ish. I have an exciting day ahead of me and I can't wait. I have a room to myself. I ate lots of fiber this am to keep my energy high. I'm taking some water and fruits with my for lunch and will eat a salad for dinner tonight. I love my life, more so when my family is with me! I miss them so much already..
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Burnt out..
So now's the time where I say, yes, you can help me now.. I'm tired and working on about 5 hours of sleep each night.. Not to mention that I should be packing for tomorrow. I leave to Orlando!!
Monday, August 10, 2009
BUGGED OUT!!!!!!
I wanna scream and pull my hair out!!! I gotta pull everything out of the house and clean it. I thought I cleaned the rooms but when moved the furniture out, garbage appeared....
Why am I so frustrated!?!
Why am I so frustrated!?!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Yes, This is a true story.
My lead flight attendant came to me and said, 'We have an H.R. on this
flight.' H.R. stands for human remains. 'Are they military?' I asked.
'Yes', she said. 'Is there an escort?' I asked. 'Yes, I already assigned
him a seat.' 'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You
can board him early', I said.
A short while later, a young Army sergeant entered the flight deck. He
was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself
and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers
talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. My soldier
is on his way back to Virginia', he said. He proceeded to answer my
questions, but offered no words on his own. I asked him if there was
anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the
toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he
does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I
got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to
find his seat.
We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an
uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call
from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the
family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', he said. He then
proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old
daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family
was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier
was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the
family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to
Virginia. The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that
knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable
to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the
flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them
to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the
cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could
hear the desperation in the flight attendant's voice when he asked me if
there was anything I could do. 'I'm on it', I said. I told him that I
would get back to him.
Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of
e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my
flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio
operator in the operations control center who connects you to the
telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the
dispatcher. I explained the situation I had onboard with the family and
what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would
get back to me.
Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going
to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a
text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the
dispatcher and this following is the text:
'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy
on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a
dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the
family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the
remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to
their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains
can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When
the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the
ramp and planeside to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg
home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans.
Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'
I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I
printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass
on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told
me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.' Things started
getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we
cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15
gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with
aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered
the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all
traffic was being held for us.
'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked
like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the
seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family
from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the
copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the
gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp
controller said, 'Take your time.'
I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public
address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain
speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special
announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and
respect. His name is private XXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his
life. Private XXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him
today is Army Sergeant XXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother,
wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers
to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first.
Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our
shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit
door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you
just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every
passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family
to exit the aircraft. When the family got up and gathered their things,
a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more
passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of
'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words
were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out
of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with
their loved one. Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the
announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say
them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave
soldier.
I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the
sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our
freedom and safety in these United States of America.
flight.' H.R. stands for human remains. 'Are they military?' I asked.
'Yes', she said. 'Is there an escort?' I asked. 'Yes, I already assigned
him a seat.' 'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You
can board him early', I said.
A short while later, a young Army sergeant entered the flight deck. He
was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself
and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers
talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. My soldier
is on his way back to Virginia', he said. He proceeded to answer my
questions, but offered no words on his own. I asked him if there was
anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the
toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he
does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I
got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to
find his seat.
We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an
uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call
from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the
family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', he said. He then
proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old
daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family
was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier
was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the
family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to
Virginia. The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that
knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable
to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the
flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them
to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the
cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could
hear the desperation in the flight attendant's voice when he asked me if
there was anything I could do. 'I'm on it', I said. I told him that I
would get back to him.
Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of
e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my
flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio
operator in the operations control center who connects you to the
telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the
dispatcher. I explained the situation I had onboard with the family and
what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would
get back to me.
Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going
to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a
text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the
dispatcher and this following is the text:
'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy
on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a
dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the
family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the
remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to
their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains
can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When
the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the
ramp and planeside to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg
home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans.
Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'
I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I
printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass
on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told
me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.' Things started
getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we
cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15
gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with
aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered
the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all
traffic was being held for us.
'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked
like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the
seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family
from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the
copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the
gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp
controller said, 'Take your time.'
I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public
address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain
speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special
announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and
respect. His name is private XXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his
life. Private XXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him
today is Army Sergeant XXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother,
wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers
to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first.
Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our
shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit
door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you
just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every
passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family
to exit the aircraft. When the family got up and gathered their things,
a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more
passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of
'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words
were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out
of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with
their loved one. Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the
announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say
them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave
soldier.
I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the
sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our
freedom and safety in these United States of America.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Faithly Pray
Subject: Special Event for Frank Lay/Robert Freeman Defense Fund
Hi Y'all - Things are hopping! The defense fund has grown to over $5000 in 4 days! The immediate need is $8,000 that must be paid today but that is just the beginning.
We have created a website www.layfreemandefense.com you can keep up with all the news there. We will have the consent decree and other court documents that you can look at so you can be totally informed.
We still have t-shirts for sale so let people know.
Please keep reading this email for information on a fund raising event for the defense fund.
If you want to be added to the layfreemandefense email list, let me know.
Hi Y'all - Things are hopping! The defense fund has grown to over $5000 in 4 days! The immediate need is $8,000 that must be paid today but that is just the beginning.
We have created a website www.layfreemandefense.com you can keep up with all the news there. We will have the consent decree and other court documents that you can look at so you can be totally informed.
We still have t-shirts for sale so let people know.
Please keep reading this email for information on a fund raising event for the defense fund.
If you want to be added to the layfreemandefense email list, let me know.
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