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Gold Star family calls fellow fliers who booed them ‘classless’

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D

Dalek

Member
Gold Star family calls fellow fliers who booed them ‘classless’

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Devastated by his son’s death from a bombing in Afghanistan, Stewart Perry said his anguish was overcome by anger when impatient first-class passengers booed his family because they were allowed to exit a plane ahead of them to catch a connecting flight to meet the soldier’s remains.

“I was really shocked that adult men and women — from elderly to mid-20s — would behave that way,” said Perry, a former Marine who lives in Stockton.

The Perry family’s painful journey to meet the body of Army Sgt. John Perry started Nov. 14 when they boarded an American Airlines flight to Arizona at Sacramento International Airport.
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Their plane arrived in Phoenix 45 minutes later than expected, causing some panic among the Gold Star family that they would miss a connecting flight to Philadelphia, where a military driver was to meet and escort them to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

The flight captain announced over the aircraft intercom that passengers should remain seated to allow for a “military family” to deplane first because they “have an important place to go,” Perry said. He said he’s not sure if the other passengers realized the captain was talking about a Gold Star family.

As Perry, his wife and their 8-year-old daughter exited the plane, they overheard passengers saying, “This is crap” and “I paid for first class, this is garbage.”

“They were asked to remain seated for just a minute or two,” Perry said. “Their reaction was overwhelmingly ridiculous. They were just classless people. They have no care in the world for anybody but themselves.”
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Perry’s son — a member of the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas — was one of two soldiers killed Nov. 12 when a suicide bomber attacked the Bagram Airfield, in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan.

John Perry — who turned 30 on Nov. 2 — had deployed on his second tour to Afghanistan in September.

American Airlines official said they were “honored to have the family aboard,” but did not address the rude behavior of the passengers who booed the Perry family.

“We will always make every possible effort to ensure a smooth journey in such difficult circumstances,” Ross Feinsten, a spokesman for the airlines, said in a statement Monday to The Chronicle.

Perry said he had difficulty explaining to his young daughter why they were booed by the other passengers.

“I don’t know, we will just ignore that, OK,” Perry recalled saying to his daughter. “That’s the best answer I can provide.”

American Airlines made sure the family caught their connecting flight to Philadelphia, holding the plane at the gate for them for 40 minutes, Perry said.

Perry said the passengers on his connecting flight were considerate and kind when he boarded with his family.

“They were respectful. They knew what we were here for and why they were being held,” Perry said of the passengers on the flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia. “I think it was explained to people that (this flight) was our only option.”

They made it to Dover Air Force Base in time for a ceremony with Vice President Joe Biden and other dignitaries from Washington, D.C., on hand to honor Sgt. Perry and Pfc. Tyler R. Iubelt of Tamaroa, Ill., who was also killed in the explosion.

“He was a great kid,” Perry said of his son, who was honored at a memorial service in Lodi on Thursday and is to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

His son — who joined the Army in January 2008 — was awarded a Bronze Star, a National Defense Service Medal, three Army Commendation Medals and an Army Achievement Medal, among a number of other awards. He was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously.

“When I look at my son’s achievements in the Army, he was head and shoulders above me,” said Perry, who served in the Marines for 13 years.
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H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
As Perry, his wife and their 8-year-old daughter exited the plane, they overheard passengers saying, “This is crap” and “I paid for first class, this is garbage.”
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Unbelievable.
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
Massive Duck said:
Is Gold Star an airline thing or a military thing? I read through but didn't see it explained
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A Gold Star family is the family of someone who died in US military service.

https://www.army.mil/goldstar/

The term Gold Star family is a modern reference that comes from the Service Flag. These flags/banners were first flown by families during World War I. The flag included a blue star for every immediate family member serving in the armed forces of the United States, during any period of war or hostilities in which the armed forces of the United States were engaged. If that loved one died, the blue star was replaced by a gold star. This allowed members of the community to know the price that the family had paid in the cause of freedom.
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K

Kastrioti

Persecution Complex
NotTheGuyYouKill said:
Trump's America.
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I would be careful with using that shitty meme where it's not really applicable, such as in this situation.

I feel for the family but people can be assholes after long flights. The airline or flight should've explained the situation better and I don't think you would've had that reaction.
 
A

antonz

Member
Sadly this kind of behavior is all too common. How dare someone inconvenience someone else for 5 seconds.

There are a lot of people who seem to have the mentality that Military and their Families make no sacrifice. Was a video going viral earlier today of a female customer at a fast food place getting all pissed off over a Veteran discount question from a guy in front of her.

She goes off on him talking about how all military think they are entitled and want all these special privileges. He finally sets her in her place explaining how he and others give up pretty much everything to make sure people like her can sit comfortably in America and enjoy the privileges
 
M

Massive Duck. C.M.

Banned
Kastrioti said:
I would be careful with using that shitty meme where it's not really applicable, such as in this situation.

I feel for the family but people can be assholes after long flights. The airline or flight should've explained the situation better and I don't think you would've had that reaction.
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That explanation should have been enough for people who aren't assholes, with without long first-class flights as excuses
 
K

Kastrioti

Persecution Complex
Massive Duck said:
That explanation should have been enough for people who aren't assholes, with without long first-class flights as excuses
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Absolutely. I can imagine someone who just woke up after a long flight being a little moody. That and a lack of communication on the flight/airline part would cause this.
 
A

Alucrid

Banned
Kastrioti said:
I would be careful with using that shitty meme where it's not really applicable, such as in this situation.

I feel for the family but people can be assholes after long flights. The airline or flight should've explained the situation better and I don't think you would've had that reaction.
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"assholes, please don't be a dick to the family that is on their way to bury a loved one"

eh, on second though the passengers probably don't deserve that much. "military family", "important place to go", that suffices.
 
S

Sage00

Once And Future Member
To be fair if all the info I was given was 'military family with an important place to go' I'd assume it was yet another freeloader like those guys you see in uniform getting discounts in stores when they were an engineer who never left the country or whatever.

I really doubt if they simply said it was a family who needed to make a funeral they would have had any negative reaction.
 
F

Frozenprince

Banned
If you can't be bothered to put 2x2 together to figure out what "Military family with special place to be" then you're both an idiot AND an asshole.

What awful people.
 
K

Kastrioti

Persecution Complex
Alucrid said:
"assholes, please don't be a dick to the family that is on their way to bury a loved one"

eh, on second though the passengers probably don't deserve that much. "military family", "important place to go", that suffices.
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You probably have to announce it in that sort of way to the passengers. Unfortunately that what's going to happen if not announced properly.
 
P

Palette Swap

Member
Make comfort and priority a paid for convenience, be surprised when people throw courtesy and decency out the window as a result.
The end result is appalling but the whole paradigm enables that kind of mentality.
 
J

Jailer of Hope

Member
I always hate the rush off the aircraft. Especially when you see people elbowing their way out, just to be standing next to them for the next 20 mins at bag claim. I don't know why people already sitting at the front would complain.
 
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