Patterico's Pontifications

8/8/2019

52 Years After Saying Goodbye, A Son Brings His Father Back Home (UPDATE)

Filed under: General — Dana @ 4:22 pm



[guest post by Dana]

Jackson Proskow, who is Washington’s bureau chief for Global News, was at the airport in Dallas today, waiting to catch his flight back home to Washington D.C. from El Paso, after reporting on the mass shooting, when this happened:

When we arrived at our gate at Dallas’ Love Field, I noticed a few camera crews waiting. I didn’t think much of it. Perhaps they were waiting for a politician or newsmaker.

A few minutes later a gate agent from Southwest Airlines appeared and started handing out American flags.

Then came the announcement over the P.A. system. A gate agent, his voice cracking, told us about the very special arrival we were about to witness.

Our inbound plane from Oakland was carrying the remains of an American airman, Col. Roy Knight Jr., who was shot down in combat during the Vietnam war in 1967.

The agent took a long pause, as he seemed to collect his words.

“Col. Knight ejected from his aircraft, but no parachute was seen deploying,” he explained. “A search was undertaken but could not find him.”

The agent again, took a long pause, before explaining that recently, his remains were discovered and identified and returned to the United States.

“Today, Col. Knight is coming home to Dallas,” said the agent, growing more emotional as continued explaining what we were about to witness.

And, as if your heart isn’t already breaking, there’s this:

At that point, we were told that before deploying, Col. Knight had said farewell to his family at this very airport. He waved goodbye to his five-year-old son. It would be the last time he would see any of them.

By this point in the story, the terminal had fallen silent.

T.S.A. agents stood solemnly in a line near the gate. The gate agent held the microphone in his hands, taking a long pause and a deep breath. He struggled to say what came next: “Today the pilot of the plane bringing Col. Knight home, is his son.”

Proskow said that when flag-draped casket was unloaded from the cargo hold, Dallas Love Field “fell absolutely silent.”

52 years after he said goodbye to his father, Bryan Knight brought him home.

You can read Col. Knight’s story here.

Every single moment we spend with our loved ones matters. Deeply.

Make sure you go the linked article or to Proskow’s Twitter feed to view photos and video from this incredible moment.

UPDATE: A friend sent me this which was left in the comment section of Proskow’s post:

Untitled

(h/t VB)

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana

21 Responses to “52 Years After Saying Goodbye, A Son Brings His Father Back Home (UPDATE)”

  1. This simultaneously broke my heart and made it whole again. May God comfort Col. Knight’s family members, especially Bryan Knight.

    Dana (fdf131)

  2. Thank you for this post, Dana. So much I read these days is like acid on my soul. This made me weepy, but a good and cleansing type of weepy.

    Simon Jester (895c8f)

  3. Tears in my eyes.

    mg (8cbc69)

  4. What a beautiful story

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  5. Read this story elsewhere . Glad he was able to finally come home and those civilians at the airport did us proud.

    NJRob (c2b5ce)

  6. This is a tough one for sure. What a story…

    The tragedies and wreckage from that war half a century ago just linger and linger…

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  7. Not a dry eye in the place…

    Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e)

  8. This simultaneously broke my heart and made it whole again. May God comfort Col. Knight’s family members, especially Bryan Knight.

    Dana

    Amen!

    MasterBaker (bcae7b)

  9. I’ve added a precious update to the story.

    Dana (fdf131)

  10. Thank you for posting this wonderful story, Dana. I needed it this week. It’s been a tough news week.

    DRJ (15874d)

  11. I felt it was like a salve to the wound, DRJ. It has been a difficult news week. I think I’m going to make a concerted effort to intentionally search out positive and uplifting stories to sprinkle here through the week just so we can be reminded of hope and love and the things that are eternal.

    Dana (fdf131)

  12. Thanks, Dana. I needed that. Some positivity would be a balm from Giliad.

    felipe (023cc9)

  13. I still have the POW bracelet I wore as a kid, it’s been sitting in a dish on my dresser for about 50 years.

    CAPT. JOSE DAVID LUNA
    3-10-67
    _

    He was released and returned home on March 4, 1973.

    He continued his Air Force career and retired as a Lt Col in 1989.

    harkin (6ddbda)

  14. 6 years in captivity and he continued to serve. God bless people like that.

    DRJ (15874d)

  15. #11 . Appreciated. I don’t tend to comment on stuff likes this because the story speaks for itself. It is always good to hear about the simple decency that is still typical of this country.

    Appalled (c9622b)

  16. I concur with your sentiment, Appalled.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  17. Appalled,

    I think simple decency is becoming a lost art form. Tribalism brings out the worst in a people. And we are at peak tribalism.

    It’s one of the reasons I thought, when reading this story, Thank God this took place in Texas.

    Dana (fdf131)

  18. I think it could happen anywhere, I really do, although I give credit to Southwest for making this public. I think Southwest cares about things like this and knows its customers do, too.

    DRJ (15874d)

  19. I think it could happen anywhere too but I’m not convinced the respectful response would have been the same.

    Dana (fdf131)

  20. I was talking about the respectful response.

    DRJ (15874d)

  21. Being at Love Field doesn’t mean everyone is a Texan. Southwest flies a lot of places and this is a Southwest hub, so these people are from everywhere.

    DRJ (15874d)


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