Pilot Commentary: In Support of Our Veterans

By Capt. Don Harvel (Delta), USAF Brigadier General (Ret.) and AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council Board Member

There are numerous members of the Air Line Pilots Association, International who have served, and continue to serve, as military officers and enlisted personnel and as first responders. Deploying to war zones and responding to emergencies expose our pilots to the “invisible wound” of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a serious condition that affects relationships, employment, and the ability to cope with the challenges of daily life.

The month of June brings about many opportunities to not only honor those who serve, but to shed an important light on the disorder during PTSD Awareness Month. It is not uncommon for people to have severe, stress-related reactions after experiencing a traumatic event. Fear, sadness, guilt, anger, and sleep problems are common symptoms. Sadly, 22 veterans on average commit suicide each day.

In June, I had the honor, alongside Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA’s president, to participate in a special ceremony to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in an effort to promote greater awareness and understanding of PTSD. Our participation was made possible by the Union Veterans Council, a national organization that brings together union leaders and union members who are military veterans to speak about veterans’ issues and influence public policy to improve veterans’ and their families’ quality of life. I am honored to serve as a board member of the Union Veterans Council and was proud to stand side by side with Capt. Canoll to represent the more than 53,000 ALPA members during the symbolic ceremony to bring national attention to ALPA pilots as they serve our nation, companies, and millions of airline passengers. 

ALPA is very fortunate to have pilot volunteers staffing the Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP), one of five groups under the union’s national Pilot Assistance Group, which is part of the Association’s Air Safety Organization. Formally implemented in 1994, CIRP was a joint project of the Accident Investigation, Aeromedical, Human Performance, Pilot Assistance, and Safety Committees.

The purpose of CIRP is to improve flight safety by assisting crewmembers, accident investigators, and their families following a critical incident or accident. CIRP mitigates the psychological impact of an incident or accident and aids in the normal recovery from these events before harmful stress reactions affect job performance, careers, families, and health. CIRP provides pre-incident education and post-incident/accident crisis-intervention services. Line pilot peer support volunteers are specifically trained and certified to provide support in critical incident stress management.

The Tomb of the Unknowns, unofficially known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is located in Arlington National Cemetery and sits atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. On March 4, 1921, the U.S. Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American serviceman from World War I in the plaza of the cemetery’s new Memorial Amphitheater. 

The white marble tomb is a flat-faced form and is relieved at the corners and along the sides by neoclassical columns set into the surface. Sculpted into the east panel, which faces Washington, D.C., are three Greek figures representing peace, victory, and valor. Six wreaths, three sculpted on each side, represent the six major campaigns of World War I. Inscribed on the back of the tomb are the words “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”

West of that tomb are the crypts of unknown soldiers from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, which are marked with white marble slabs.

This article was originally published in the August 2016 issue of Air Line Pilot.

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