MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN: He writes: 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 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 '. 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 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 found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board'. She told me the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. They were 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 and 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 the hardest thing for the family to bear. He’d asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him on our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I heard the desperation in the flight attendants voice. 'I'm on it', I said. I contacted my flight dispatcher, and explained the situation I had on board, and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me. Two hours went by. 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: 'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this, and I had to check on a few things. Upon arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft to escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with another van for the family. They’ll 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, they’ll be escorted to the ramp and plane side 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.' I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. She was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.' After landing, when we entered the ramp area and checked in with the 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, but I realized that once we turned off the seat belt sign, everyone would stand at once and delay the family from getting off. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate for an announcement to the passengers. He did, and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.' I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who gave out country his life. He is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. 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 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. They said 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 started to clap his hands. 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. 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.