Disrespecting Our Fallen

CW4 Larry Curtis — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 20:55:06 -0400

COMPLETELY DISRESPECTFUL! This was in my Facebook feed this evening and I thought it appropriate to have a discussion about it here since something like this is very near and dear to us as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines.

Upon their arrival at the gate, the Captain of a flight from CLT to PHL requested that all passengers remain seated to allow a family traveling with their deceased soldier to deplane first. Out of respect, everyone on the plane remained seated in silence while a woman and her children, all of them in tears, deplaned... that is everyone EXCEPT for this guy. FOUR TIMES he was asked to sit and he ignored the requests.

And THIS is the dichotomy with which we live as servicemembers. We, mostly out of great love for our nation and our way of life, give of ourselves for our fellow countrymen by handing Uncle Sam a blank check with our signatures on it for an amount up to and including our own lives (so many of us having paid in full), to protect and defend our constitution which gives even people like this guy the right to be a complete dipstick. As far as I'm concerned, this person would not be worth the trouble anyone would find themselves in for leaving him in a snotty, bloody heap, but sometimes you just wish there were a couple of Marines on hand to accomplish such a mission. No disrespect implied toward the Marines, I love them, but they are just the first to come to mind in this scenario because whenever death smiles at them, they usually smile right back at it. SEMPER FI!

So what do we do with people like this? I think maybe the best thing we can do is to pitch-in to the effort to make this man's picture go viral as much as possible and try to shame him. Maybe that's childish and irresponsible, and it is probably quite likely that he would be too ignorant to understand that he is being shamed, but maybe it would also make me feel just a whole lot better because this guy is of a particular ilk and is certainly not one of a kind.

Sorry for the rant, folks...but this makes my hockey hotter than Hades.

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Apr 6 at 2015 8:57 PM

CPT Zachary Brooks — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 20:57:10 -0400

The guy is a dick, but he is within he rights to do this. I'd shun him and avoid speaking to him or being near him. I would also offer comfort and assistance to the family if it appeared they needed it.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Apr 6 at 2015 9:44 PM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:44:04 -0400

Poetic justice, put him on the no fly list. If it were my airline, he certainly would never fly with us again. Iwould have his picture up with instructions that he will not be served.
On another note, you do give up certain rights whrn you travel by air. You give up the right to bear arms. You give up the right to say certain things. You also agree to follow the instructions of the flight crew. Failure to comply with those instructions is a criminal offense. Maybe they dhould hsve had him arrested. Evrn if he wasn't cgarged, detaining him would have shown him th a t being a total douchebag doesn't always work out. The caveat to this is that it is more than likely just going to upset a family that is going through the worst of times. Our of respect for the family you don't make a scene. If he should accidentally fall down an escalator on his way to baggage claim, that's not my concern.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Apr 6 at 2015 9:48 PM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:48:33 -0400

There is a movie called Taking Chance it is about a Marine escorting a fallen Marine's body home for his funeral. It is a well made film and shows guest how much of an impact our fallen can have on those around them.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Apr 6 at 2015 11:18 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 23:18:12 -0400

I bet if someone snopes this, they will find it is one of many chain emails used to start arguments. I've read this same story with about 4 different pictures on it......... Just in case, the writing on the meme says it all.

Response by SGT Hector Rojas, AIGA, SHA made Apr 6 at 2015 11:53 PM

SGT Hector Rojas, AIGA, SHA — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 23:53:01 -0400

Maybe he is a foreigner, and didn't understand.
Maybe he is deaf, couldn't hear.
Maybe he simply had to get out of that plane right then and there, claustrophobia is strange like that.

Or maybe he just decided to exercise his right to get up and leave.

One way or another, this shows why more and more people are talking about this "military entitlement" mentality as of late.

Not that this guy willingly or unwillingly "disrespected" anyone, but that some people would think about beating someone up or forcibly restraining him simply for choosing to get up and deplane.

What do we do with people like this was your question? Nothing, they are all around us and they form the basis of the country we swore to defend, so enough with the almighty "I'm military so I deserve and expect respect no matter what" attitude.

Karma takes care of things eventually so don't sweat it.

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Apr 7 at 2015 12:02 AM

LTC Stephen C. — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:02:39 -0400

Shameful, CW4 Larry Curtis, just shameful.

Response by TSgt Jackie Jones made Apr 7 at 2015 12:03 AM

TSgt Jackie Jones — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:03:16 -0400

You can't fix stupid.
But I believe in karma. It WILL catch up.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2015 12:06 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:06:58 -0400

I try to remind myself that we as soldiers fight for the freedoms that allow people to be dicks about things like this. That being said, not sure that I could've been on that plane and refrained for punching that douchebag in the face to make sure he stayed in his seat quietly until he came to.

Response by PO3 Tanis Huston made Apr 7 at 2015 5:01 AM

PO3 Tanis Huston — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 05:01:45 -0400

Sadly this kind of disrespectful behavior is seen not only in this case but all they way from grocery store lines, to driving, to the emergency room all the way to respecting the family of one of our fallen. People are so disrespectful and self-centered that they never look up long enough to see the pain in someone else's eyes.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 13 at 2015 9:33 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 21:33:42 -0400

The man looks as if he is an ODD-Ball . Lucky for him no body belted him in the face. Creep , creep of the month.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Apr 13 at 2015 9:52 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 21:52:40 -0400

We will never get it 100% right all the time. We have selfish, judgmental, and indifferent people in our country.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made May 28 at 2016 7:53 PM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Sat, 28 May 2016 19:53:43 -0400

So I spent my day in DC paying my respects with my family and I came across this. Anyone who has been to the WWII memorial knows it is surrounded by signs that read Honor the Fallen. Do not wade in the waters. Do not throw coins. They damage the fountain.

I find this so incredibly disrespectful that I had to leave. Any other weekend I may have been less upset, but on Memorial Weekend, it just seemed like a slap on the face to all those lost.