When my flight to California touched down yesterday, the captain told passengers that our plane was carrying a deceased serviceman. He requested that all passengers stay seated to let the serviceman’s family exit the plane first. As they walked up the aisle, with a little boy, the plane fell quiet. A couple of women teared up. Others put a hand over their hearts.
Then, the unthinkable: Another woman, who was not one of the family members, seized the opportunity of an empty aisle and walked up behind the family, crowding them, all so that she could get off the plane about six minutes before everyone else. Most people are decent enough to accept a short delay. But there always seems to be one bad egg.
Passengers shook their heads disapprovingly and threw muttered curses at her. When she walked off the plane, right behind the serviceman’s family, passengers talked among themselves about how “disrespectful” the woman had been. “It feels like we’re living in a post-society,” one woman said.
It seemed that would be the end of the story, and that what should have been a moment of solemnity was sullied. But when I walked off the plane, I saw everyone in the terminal standing, looking out of the Sacramento International Airport’s windows, to watch Marines transfer the serviceman’s coffin into a hearse. As I overheard a mother telling her son that the man in the American-flag-covered coffin had fought for our country and died, I was reminded that even with the political and social disagreements our nation faces, most Americans will still stand to honor the great sacrifice service members make. It’s a welcome reminder, because patriotism is statistically less important in America today than it was 20 years ago, and I want to believe that most Americans still love their country and honor those who sacrifice for it.
I only caught the Marine’s title and first name: Lance Corporal Justin. He has made his final homecoming.