honor guard

[matrix]

Did anyone hear about the ramper in phx that took the american flag off the casket of a slain border patrol agent and rolled it up in a ball and handed it to the honor guard in front of the cameras and others?

 

[beachboy]

😱 😱 😱
No, stop and say it isn't so. As someone who's brother is in the USAF I find this appalling if true. I have had too many flights than I care to remember bringing a fallen soldier home. We go out of our way as employees to treat them with respect. Usually the agent will come down and introduce the honor guard or person escorting the person home. I always try to find room in First Class and I request people remain seated to let them off the aircraft first so they can be on the ramp and supervise the transfer.
Makes me SICK :down:

 

[hula-flyguy]

Did anyone hear about the ramper in phx that took the american flag off the casket of a slain border patrol agent and rolled it up in a ball and handed it to the honor guard in front of the cameras and others?

If there was cameras, surely there are pictures. Care to share them? Provide a link? Or in anyway back up this fairytale?

 

[beachboy]

hula,
We argee 😱 😛 Lets reserve judgement and await more info. Anyone with decent common sense would know better.

 

[hula-flyguy]

hula,
We argee 😱 😛 Lets reserve judgement and await more info. Anyone with decent common sense would know better.

I'm speachless! Never thought we'd agree on ANYTHING!!

 

[beachboy]

Me either but hey, at the end of the day your USAir family. Come see mine it would scortch your eyebrows off! Disfuntion 101 We may not agree on everything but some things we are all on the same page with.

 

[sharktooth]

Did anyone hear about the ramper in phx that took the american flag off the casket of a slain border patrol agent and rolled it up in a ball and handed it to the honor guard in front of the cameras and others?

I don't think there is such a thing as a generic "american flag", they all being the same nowadays, so, I think, to not be (further) insulting, you may wish to capitalize the first letter of "american".

"slain border patrol" agents get American flags on caskets these days? Wow! What if the ramper, in avoiding dropping the flag, managed to ball it up? Which is worse, letting the flag touch the ground or getting it a little out of shape in the folding?

COMMENT EDITED BY MODERATOR

Us citizens, paying more than cash for that adventure, should be able to pay our respects to the dead as they enter their homeland.

MOD NOTE-You are free to make political statements in the water cooler, but do not interject political commentary in this section. The issue at hand has to do with one experience, not national policy or other incidents.

 

[matrix]

It's true. It didn't show up on the news but there were so many supervisors and managers down there watching it. I didn't see anything on the local news about it. The guy was immediately taken off the ramp and suspended. He even went upstairs to close out the flight like a ramp lead. He's a conx team lead. My supervisor was standing out there watching it and told me himself. I was never in the military but I know that the honor guard only touches the flag and folds it and gives it to the family.

 

[matrix]

Lithuanian and Freedom are Phx rampers like myself, they can also verify it.

 

[redeye]

Sad day, some people lack compassion.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_8068001

 

[necigrad]

I'm appalled as well, but I've also thought about this report. Giving this ramper the benefit of not knowing the FULL story (I doubt this is a fictional one) it may have been of good intent. It MIGHT have been a ramper who had some concern of the flag. Notice that he gave it to the Honor Guard. Of course it could also be some ramper that was expressing an opinion as well, but I believe that there may have been a harmless intent. Only the one who actually did it can say.

That aside, why was the guy suspended? I haven't looked at a GOM since pre merger, but in almost 10 years at HP I have NEVER heard anything said about US flags and how to handle them.

 

[matrix]

I know the guy personally and he's a good guy. He tries to do too much. I don't think his intents were bad. He sup told me that he rolled it up like a towel then balled it and handed it to the guards. He said everyone was standing with looks on their face like did he do what I thinke he did. I thought eveyone knew that you never disgrace the flag like that.

 

[beachboy]

If he was not trying to make a political statement or be disrespectful then well, I don't know what to say. At the least he needs to be spoken to about proper respect for a flag and honor guards. Maybe he just was trying to be helpful and got nervous? I kind of feel bad in a way for him if he was just being a buffoon. With no ill will I hope they don't just throw him out on his ear. There is something we can learn from this.

 

[NoMoreKoolAid]

It's true. It didn't show up on the news but there were so many supervisors and managers down there watching it. I didn't see anything on the local news about it. The guy was immediately taken off the ramp and suspended. He even went upstairs to close out the flight like a ramp lead. He's a conx team lead. My supervisor was standing out there watching it and told me himself. I was never in the military but I know that the honor guard only touches the flag and folds it and gives it to the family.

Three words...
Lack of respect!

 

[NoMoreKoolAid]

If he was not trying to make a political statement or be disrespectful then well, I don't know what to say. At the least he needs to be spoken to about proper respect for a flag and honor guards. Maybe he just was trying to be helpful and got nervous? I kind of feel bad in a way for him if he was just being a buffoon. With no ill will I hope they don't just throw him out on his ear. There is something we can learn from this.

It's just pure ignorance.
As for the ramper being suspended...why? Lack of made judgement? Where does that fall under the work rules?
Hell look at the buffoons running this airline.