The Epitome of Selfishness

This story in the Washington Times will make you sick.  At Reagan National Airport passengers on overbooked flights refused to give up their seats so a family could accompany their Marine son home for his funeral.  A few volunteers stepped up, but not enough, and others wouldn’t budge, not even for $500.  Sickening.

The Marine was Lance Corporal Justin Wilson, 24 years old, he married his high school sweetheart the day before he deployed and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.  His sacrifice was met by blank stares in an airport filled with selfish people, too preoccupied with their vacations or their jobs to care about him and his family.

This excerpt from the piece tells the story:

“So we stood there watching the family – dignified and mute, weighed with grief and fatigue – as the airline representative repeatedly called for assistance for this dead soldier’…s family. No one else stepped forward.  The calls for volunteers may have lasted only 20 or 30 minutes, but it seemed hours.”

I know I would have given up my seat, all I hope is that I would have had the courage to confront those who didn’t.  I wish the airline had read each passengers name, one by one, asking if they would give up their seat: “Paging Mr. Smith, are you willing to give up your seat for this dead Marine’s family? Or is your golf game too important?” “Paging Ms. Jones, this Marine died for his country, are you able to change your travel plans so his family can lay their son to rest?”  How could someone just sit there, knowing they were going to get on an airplane and that family, or part of that family wasn’t?  Would they feel no shame, no sense of guilt as their boarding pass was scanned?

Such a sad state of affairs.  Additional commentary here.  H/T Tom Ricks.