Dignified Transfer

The military has a term to describe the process of bringing service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice from the battlefield home:  dignified transfer.  Although I may have heard the term used before, it really made an impression on me this morning as I watched a segment on CBS Sunday Morning.  I watch the show most Sunday mornings, and as the teaser ran for the upcoming piece, I got a lump in my throat when I saw all the flags lining a street and a hearse driving slowly in what was obviously a military procession.  As they got to the cemetery I thought, "My gosh, that looks just like Oklahoma."

When the program returned from the commercial break after what seemed like thirty minutes, but was likely only three or four, it turned out it was Oklahoma.  It was the story of Sgt. Mycal Prince who died in Afghanistan on 15 September 2011 when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket propelled grenades and small arms.  He was 28 years old, with a wife and two small children, one still a baby.  His wife wanted his story to be told, and CBS followed Mrs. Prince soon after the time she received the news, including the point where the dignified transfer occurs.

It was so terribly touching to hear and see the interview with the chaplain and the captain who delivered the news.  They did not need cue cards or a script.  Their message was plain and simple.  And it hurt them to their core to deliver it.   

Mrs. Prince said the hardest part was to tell her older daughter that these men were here, "to let them know that Daddy is not coming home."  It was only one month until their sixth wedding anniversary.  In one picture shown of the family as Sgt. Prince was shipping out, the look on both adult faces was that of apprehension. He had already served in Saudi Arabia in 2003, in New Orleans following Katrina in 2005, in Iraq in 2008, and was sent to Afghanistan in 2011. Mycal Prince joined the Oklahoma National Guard the day after his 17th birthday.  He knew service.

On 26 September 2011 his family said goodbye and our country gave him full military honors at his funeral.  Although I am eternally grateful for his sacrifice, I am deeply sorry another one of our fine sons had to do so.  Another mother is grieving; another wife is mourning; and two more daughters will never see their father again.  And this is not to mention the hundreds or thousands who lined the streets and, never having known Sgt. Prince, still felt his loss as his procession rolled by.

One good thing came of this however.  The dignified transfer.  We treated this man -- and his family -- with respect. 

So, take that, Not-so-rev. Fred Phelps, and shove it up your First Amendment backside.

Now the whole world knows that Mycal Prince was a Hero as well as a Prince.  He's not the only young Oklahoma man who is a hero in my book.  He's right there beside Jonathan Stroud.  Thank you both for your ultimate sacrifice.

Veterans Day will be here in a few weeks.  Do something for the ones we have that are still with us, in memory of the ones who have paved the way.

In the meantime, I'm praying for fewer Dignified Transfers.