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It amazes me what people will say, especially when they don’t think anyone else is listening.

Today, there was a flight that diverted to Salt Lake City due to a bomb scare on the plane.  I have personally been in this very same situation, as a crew member.  Flight Attendants and Pilots are fully trained in how to handle these types of situations.  I’m not so sure that the public is aware of this fact, and I really do believe that the everyday traveler must think that we just ‘wing-it’ when it comes to in-flight emergencies of any kind.

The fact is that there is a very good reason that Flight Attendants call themselves “Safety Professionals” and believe me it has NOTHING to do with whether or not we know how to serve a soft drink or mix your favorite adult beverage.  Granted, that’s what the general public sees, day in and day out, and frankly, I don’t mind so much.  I am glad that our day-to-day flying isn’t filled with bomb threats, terrorists and medical in-flight emergencies.  But we have no room for pause in these areas — we must remain on our guard and we are constantly reminded about how important that is.

Without the fast response of the in-flight crew, Richard Reid might have succeeded in his attempt to down an American Airlines plane just after 9/11.  Without a vigilent and alert crew, the “Underwear Bomber” might have made all Americans’ Christmas holidays quite bleak indeed, had he been sucessful.  We may look sweet and innocent to you all, but believe me, we are watching you!  (LOL)

On today’s diverted flight, I was quite impressed with how the gate agents and the management staff in Salt lake City was handling the situation.  As they could, they were re-booking passengers who were trying to make other connections, and for those that remained, while inconvenienced, they seemed to be pretty happy with how they were being dealt with.

But being as diverse and varied as the general public is, there always seems to be one or two in the crowd who can’t breathe without spewing some sort of vile comment.  I don’t really know what compels some people to say things, other than the fact that they have the right to express it (within certain boundaries — remember the “fire in the theatre” issue and the like are NOT protected rights of speech in the USA).

While I was waiting to board this flight to continue on to San Francisco, I started hearing this one passenger speaking to his seatmate, blatently critisizing the airline and the staff for his inconvenience that day.  While the seat mate was verbally acknowledging this talk, it didn’t seem that he was adding to what was being said.  Still, this guy ranted and raved about how poorly the airline is run, how weakly the staff is trained, how disorganized everyone was, and how angry he was that his “auto-updated” flight information on his blackberry simply stated that the reason for the delay was an “aircraft equipment delay.”

I’m thinking to myself, “REALLY?  You want your auto-alert to tell you that your flight is delayed due to BOMB SCARE?  or TERRORIST ACTIVITY?”  I truly don’t understand people and their need to express themselves, either to make themselves look good (usually in their own mind) or criticize others for things that are completely outside of their control!  One guy in the row in front finally piped in and said, “Well, I can’t believe that they diverted us to Salt Lake City…it would have been smarter to just take us all the way to San Francisco!”  Really?  With the threat of an explosive device on the aircraft and you just want to take it to the end.

The guy next to him said, “Well, they really didn’t have a choice, they are following protocol and this is what is necessary.”  The response was classic: “Well, if the plane was going to blow up anyways, might as well have taken it to California instead of f—ing UTAH!”

When I was growing up, my father used to tell us of an old saying he learned from his grandfather, who raised him and his brother and sister in the absence of his mother, who died while he was really young, and his father, who had abandoned the three of them and never returned.  And as I sat there listening to this garbage, those words rang in my ears and I sat back and smiled.  It simply says:

It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and appear to be ignorant, than to open it and remove all doubt.

Thanks Great Grandpa Letwinker!

Today was an extremely difficult day for me and my crew.

There seems to be an affinity between airline personnel and the military.  Many times, during a large deployment somewhere in the world, the military lacks the air power to transport all the personnel and equipment necessary, so the Armed Forces turns to the civil air carriers to take up the slack.  In airline lingo, they are known as MAC flights (Military Air Charters).

That relationship was galvanized after 9/11.  Over time, I have seen the young men and women in their camouflage uniforms come and go to their destinations–some going for their fifth or sixth tour of duty, perhaps others who will never return.  It is a gut-wrenching feeling to come to that realization, yet somehow, we civilians subconsciously separate ourselves from that reality and it gives us some convoluted peace of heart.

Many airline workers are former and currently-serving military personnel.  There is a camaraderie that lies, just underneath the skin of airline people that keeps our spirits uplifted, knowing that these brave souls are willing to pay the ultimate toll to defend the freedoms and basic human rights that this country was founded upon.  It is an all-volunteer force that has answered the call to arms and are given the mantle of protectors of the greatest experiment of human democracy.

I know and understand a little of what their families must feel and go through.  During the Vietnam Conflict, my Marine Corps father had served several tours of duty in the Pacific Rim.  His calling in the Corps never did require him to the shores of East-Indo China or Southeast Asia, but nevertheless, just his being away during that skirmish was enough to feel relief when we were allowed an occasional treat getting to speak with dad over the HAM radio, trying to remember to say “over” through our tears and missing him terribly.

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, 9/11/01 is now past eight and a half years.  Those wounds will never fully heal, especially to those in the airline industry.  The scar is deep and horrific for us and some of us wear it close to the surface, some prominently on our sleeves.  So it takes very little prompting to bring a gusher of emotion, completely exposed and wondering if the sacrifice being made isn’t too great, the price too high or the cost to our military families unrecoverable.

To me, the answer still remains “NO” but as these two wars on the other side of the world continue to drone on, my heart feels ever more scarred from the losses.  I will never lose my faith and trust in our military’s mission and their abilities…we military brats come from tempered steel, forged by our family’s devotion to God, Country and Honor.  But every man has a breaking point and I wonder what my limit is.

Today, on Valentines Day, as I returned to my home base, I was saddened to learn that a young mother, with her 2-year old son in tow, and mother at her side, was traveling with us today who had just lost her husband in combat in Pakistan.  Our customer service representatives removed them from our economy cabin and lovingly offered them seats in our first class.  As I introduced myself to them both, I could feel that awful, choking feeling in the bottom of my throat and I struggled to clear my mind and find any sort of words of comfort that could express those feelings.  “From the depths of my soul, I want to thank you for your sacrifice, and I hope that your journey with us will help you find a little solace and comfort for a few hours.”

The young mother looked as though hours of tears had eroded lines into her beautiful visage, yet I could tell she was trying desperately to be strong for her son, who could not possibly comprehend the loss he had just been dealt.  As I shared the situation with my galley assistant, I could see the pain wash over her face and she later told me that she found the tears welling up within her, almost uncontrollably and inexplicably.  “I don’t know why I am so emotional over this, I just can’t control for some reason.”

I knew what it was.  It went right back to those awful images that are forever seared in our minds as maniacal religious extremists took control of four U.S. flagged airliners and instantly transformed them into weapons; weapons that would unleash such chaos as has probably never been witnessed upon this land before.  All in the name of a god and religion that few of us had ever before heard about nor understood.  It was the pain of loss of a way of life that we shall never see again, where freedom is now tempered with suspicion and questioning.

My galley flight attendant found herself drawn to this young family and tears flowed again as we discovered that she was now expecting their second child in a few months.  The angst we felt for these people was almost unbearable for us and we felt compelled to reach out to them and make them a part of our family.

In reality, they ARE part of our family.  The continued and sustained loss of life that our soldiers and their families are taking, with little or no complaint, falls hard upon my psyche and gives me pause to find solace in the knowledge that their sacrifices are not in vain.

And ever since those great men and women have gone to the farthest reaches to maintain our freedoms, I NEVER pass up a moment, one by one, to thank them all for their service–in person, out loud and without fear…THAT is MY duty!

God bless the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.