A Big Texas Welcome Home

For the first time I decided to take R&R leave at home.  Normally I take advantage of the opportunity to take a trip to Europe for the two-week deployment break but this time I just wanted to chill with the family.

Because I chose to go back to the States for break, it meant that I would fly with 200 or so of my fellow service members back to Atlanta for a short break and then on to Dallas, where we would go our separate ways to make connecting flights to our bases or hometowns around the country.  I’d heard stories from other Soldiers who’d passed through Dallas on these kinds of flights and most talked about what great people these Texans were and how they really came out for the troops.  I had no idea what we were in store for and even watching clips from some of the local news coverage doesn't do their efforts justice.

Our plane landed on the DFW tarmac at about midday.  By then we’d been flying for about 18 hours or so since leaving Kuwait.  As we started to taxi in, the pilot mentioned that we should look out our windows because the fire department had something for us.  Well, they did.  Normally reserved for retiring pilots, the fire team at DFW brought out two trucks to pay a salute to us by hosing down the plane.  I can only imagine what it looked like from the outside, those high arcing streams of water.  It literally gave me chills of pride.

After we made it to the gate and got our briefing about how things would go through customs, we began deplaning.  Right outside our gate were dozens of people of all ages and creeds cheering us.  It was overwhelming and strangely uncomfortable, particularly when many of these are Vietnam veterans and spouses – people who didn’t get any sort of recognition for their sacrifices, yet there they were.  We tried to shake every hand without slowing the line too much.

After customs and some smiles from TSA workers we moved into the main terminal where people in green jackets started rounding us up to pass on flight information and give directions on where to go.  A few even took some of our Soldiers to their gates personally.  Their effort really helped this sleep-deprived, groggy-headed troop get where I needed to go.

Unfortunately I was looking at a fairly lengthy layover due to a cancellation but while I was standing there an employee from American Airline escorted me to their Admiral club for coffee and snacks.  They had apparently rounded up a few of us and pointed out where the showers were and told us we could stay as long as we liked.  Most of the people there were on business of some sort or were members, but nearly all smiled and nodded and more than one came up to say thank you for serving.  I generally like to be anonymous but that’s hard to do in uniform so the nods were much appreciated.

Then my crew of a few and I boarded our flight for SEATAC for the homecoming we’d all been anxiously waiting for since the journey started.  The flight there was smooth and the pilot said some nice things about us and people clapped but all I could think about was Rinni and the boys. 

The two weeks were great and leave gave me a chance to rest and devote time to appreciate my family.  The trip back to SEATAC was hard but I was resolved to put my game face back on once I got inside.  Security moved me up to the front of the line and I was at my gate in no time.  A very nice gesture by the airport and TSA but not so appreciated by some of the folks in line.

At any rate I boarded with three other Soldiers and off we went.  Once we hit our cruising altitude one of the flight attendants asked me what I wanted for breakfast but as I ordered and started pulling out my wallet she told me an anonymous gentlemen bought breakfast for all of the military folks on the flight.  I asked her if I couldn’t at least thank him and she said she’d pass it on for me.  Being the keen observer I spied her passing on my message later on but I respected his wish to be anonymous. 

Funny thing I noticed though after we landed in Dallas.  I got my bags and was heading out to catch a shuttle for my next leg and saw the anonymous guy walk out to hug his wife and get in their car to leave.  Yup, Texas plates.

I’ve been all over the planet these last 20 years and I have to say that those individual and collective efforts to show thanks to our service members by your average Texan is something to cherish.  It’s something akin to what we get from family and friends we’ve always known, who understand the difficulties military life brings.  Yet these are strangers, run of the mill folks just like the rest of us but man, they sure do take pride in their military. 

Yes, they do it bigger in Texas; whether it’s the TSA workers, the green-jacket gang, the AA employee, the transient passenger, the veterans, or the anonymous fliers.  Thank you all for making that a homecoming to remember and cherish, and God bless Texas for all the small blessings you’ve given us.