Gratitude for sacrifice Published Oct. 10, 2007 By Capt. Joel Gorham 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron Southwest Asia -- Being deployed is difficult for any military member. It's even tougher when it's your first time. Every once in awhile, however, we get to participate in something which turns out to be a bit more special than the typical missions we fly. This happened to my crew just last week ... We launched on another "routine" mission for the C-17. We were carrying wheeled vehicles, passengers, palletized cargo and whatever else needed to be moved that day. That is a benefit of the C-17. Our capabilities are so vast, we never know what (the air terminal operations center) will try to load from day to day. Our last stop was in Bagram, Afghanistan, where we delivered two Humvees and a large armored industrial vehicle. We were set to pick up 36 passengers and one HR. HR is the term the military uses for Human Remains, or the body of a fallen comrade. This one was an Army sergeant shot in combat during Operation Enduring Freedom. After we landed, the jet was filled with people making preparations for the HR ceremony. Everything not attached to the wall of the cargo bay was removed. All tie-down links were arranged to face the same direction. An Air Force captain combed the floor with a hand-held vacuum removing the dirt from each tie-down crevice while numerous personnel assisted the crew as they meticulously cleaned the jet. Once the engines were shut down, including the external power cart, the ceremony began. The floor was lined with troops from the sergeant's unit and participating agencies here to pay their respects. A vehicle arrived at the tail of the jet carrying the soldier's body. The parking apron was silent except for the occasional whistle of wind blowing across the Tora Bora Mountains off to the east. All air operations had ceased, including engine starts, take-offs and landings, out of respect. A small band assembled and played a somber version of "Holy, Holy, Holy" as the casket, draped with a spotless American flag, was carried up the ramp. Once in place near the front of the jet, the detail lowered the casket to the floor and marched off in unison. Two chaplains took turns sharing words of encouragement from the book of Psalms. Once they had finished there was a moment of silence. Then, the soldiers, as if laying roses on a coffin, individually placed coins on the casket and walked away. Thirty-six passengers later boarded they flight for the final leg to Al Udeid. One of them was a brigadier general. The general was offered a seat in the cockpit for landing but believed if the cargo bay was good enough for this sergeant, it was good enough for him. The ceremony back at Al Udeid was similar in sentiment. The body was to be transferred to another plane and flown back to the military mortuary in Dover, Del. From there, it would move one more time to the sergeant's home town and buried according to his family's wishes. This was not my first HR movement; nor will it be my last. I hope each time, though, I take a moment and say a prayer of gratitude for the sacrifice this person made to ensure freedom in a country far from his own.