When a fallen veteran arrived home on their final flight to Boise, Idaho, there was no family to greet them.
Airport staff quickly organized a motorcade to pay their respects and make sure the veteran was not forgotten.
Thank you for your service
KTVB reported that the Horizon Air flight arrived at Boise Airport on February 3, and unfortunately the fallen veteran did not have any family present to receive them.
But no one was going to let the veteran arrive home without a proper greeting.
Since airport staff was only made aware of the situation shortly before the plane landed, they didn’t have long to come up with something.
The Boise Airport shared that the airport operations team, the Boise police department, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, and Horizon Air quickly assembled a motorcade to pay their respects to the fallen veteran.
“We received a heads-up from the airlines right before the plane arrived and understood that no family would be there to receive the fallen Veteran — so we stepped up to do the right thing,” Boise Airport marketing and communications manager Shawna Samuelson, wrote.
The veteran flew on Alaska Airlines’ “Honoring Those Who Serve” livery, which was created in 2016.
The airline, which is the parent company of Horizon Air, began a Fallen Soldiers Program in 2011 to care for fallen soldiers on their final journey home.
In addition to having special protocols for employees and program volunteers, Alaska Airlines designed special baggage carts designed to carry a flag-draped coffin.
These special carts are located at several airports around the country, and while they belong to Alaska Airlines, any airline is able to use them when they have a fallen soldier onboard.
After Boise Airport shared the image of the motorcade, many chimed in and questioned why the public wasn’t alerted.
“We appreciate so many people being willing to take time out of their day to honor this Veteran! Because the greeting happens on the airfield it is generally limited to escorted family members only for security reasons,” the replied.
It hurts my heart to think this veteran and probably so many more we don’t hear about, are brought home and don’t have any family. I wish they would all have someone to receive them.
May this veteran rest in peace.