Story of the airport escort:
On
the day Joey returned, the Patriot Guard leadership was at the airport early
and communicating broadly. Debbie,
Al,
Dave.
The U.S. Army Rangers were in the hanger, practicing.
They had done it all before, many times.
They did it all again.
Because this time it really mattered.
Rob.
Then we were briefed.
The army and the PGR would be ready.
We all wanted to do a good job.
That was the only reason we were there.
Daughters were there gain a certain understanding
that cannot be had from instruction.
Sons too.
The 1994 movie Clear
and Present Danger based on the Tom Clancy novel has Harrison Ford playing
the Jack Ryan part. “Ritter” is a smarmy
bureaucrat who suborns a South American war to advance his own political
career.
Jack Ryan: You're going to jail, pal!
Ritter: [seeing Ryan holds a piece of paper] What
is that? What is it you think you have there?
Jack Ryan: [waving the paper at Ritter] You broke
the law.
Ritter: You are such a Boy Scout! You see
everything in black and white!
Jack Ryan: No, no, no! Not black and white Ritter,
right and wrong!
What does an evil person say to a good person to
insult him? “You are such a Boy Scout!”
Colonel David Hunt (in his 2005 book on political
science) called warriors like the Rangers “Olympic athletes with guns”. That is what Joey Dimock was, but that was
not all he had to be. Joey Dimock was
also a Boy Scout.
We don’t simply recruit healthy young men, give
them weapons and turn them loose. They
must also be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
Because if they is not all those things, an Olympic athlete with a gun
is a menace.
In fact, Joey was an Eagle Scout, and so is
Samuel. I first saw Sam when he rode
into the staging area with his father.
His self-confidence is evident.
He put on his Order of the Arrow sash, picked-up a
flag and found his place in line.
Some people don’t know right from wrong and they struggle
with life every day. Sam knows that it
is easy to do the right thing if you know what the right thing is.
We were formed in two ranks, facing each
other. After the family had entered the
front of the terminal we were to move around the building and enter the hanger
side.
Fred stood at one end and announced in his strong
voice, “Face me!”
Well, military or not, we each knew what to
do. And when he said “forward march” we
knew what to do then, too. We didn’t
move in lock-step, but we were looked organized and purposeful.
I later learned that the family was watching and
was reassured about our continued involvement for the days ahead.
We formed against two walls of the hanger.
And then Joey descended.
I stood out of sight from the family and captured
an image that will be burned into their memories forever.
The plane engines stopped. A truck moved it into our midst. The hanger door closed. Everything was silent.
There was some bumping noises from inside the
plane. The door opened. The crew managed some other equipment. Soon the casket was resting on a short
pedestal next to the plane.
The hearse had been parked inside the hanger. The open door of the hearse was 30 feet from
the casket. The Rangers advanced. They lifted the casket and carried it those
30 feet. We filed out silently.
And then it got noisier.
We paraded from our location north of
We then turned west.
24 hours earlier ago I had the great privilege to witness a vast outpouring of patriotic
compassion. And now it was to happen
again.
As we approached Joey’s hometown, the number of
neighbors standing at the sides of the road grew and grew.
I know what affect it had on me as I rode a bike
through their numbers. I can only wonder
at the affect it must have had on Joey’s family following in procession.
This woman lives near the funeral home. She was the last neighbor along the route.
Her children were across the street.
The army had brought him from the battlefield to an
airport in northern
Hundreds of Americans had joined with those
soldiers at that airport. We would
remain nearby over the next few days.
on to visitation
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