Miami's Honor Given to Arrival of Fall Soldiers Gains Attention

Feb. 10 -- The body of Master Sgt. Shawn A. Richardson arrived at Miami International Airport an hour behind schedule. It was 1:30 a.m.

He was greeted by firetrucks and a row of Miami-Dade police officers, an impromptu honor guard that carefully draped the American flag over his casket and escorted the sergeant from the runway.

The brief ceremony passed quietly, but not unnoticed.

Touched, American Airlines Capt. Gary Blied wrote an essay and e-mailed it to some friends. They forwarded it to others.

Blied's moving words spread quickly around the world. Thousands of e-mails popped into his inbox. Tearful phone calls came from as far away as Sri Lanka. Church bulletins and newspapers reprinted the letter.

Now, officials may implement a special designation for flights carrying fallen military personnel. And special decorated carts will be used for their caskets at some commercial airports.

Capt. Blied says of his e-mail: "Nobody has been more surprised than me. I've been flying over 20 years. I've never seen a reception quite like this."

About a year ago, Miami-Dade airport officers began noticing military personnel trying to get on the airfield as the caskets were unloaded from planes.

"Sometimes, there wasn't any family. They wouldn't send a hearse," said recently retired Miami-Dade Sgt. Kevin Dougherty, who led the effort. "Or they were going to put the casket on a luggage cart."

Said Miami-Dade Sgt. Mike Kirkland: "I was in the Army. I would hate for someone to treat me like that if I was deceased."

SPURRED INTO ACTION

Dougherty and officers coordinate with the Transportation Security Administration and American Airlines to find out arrival times of bodies.

Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue trucks spray water in ceremonial arches over arriving planes. K9 officers sweep hearses for security.

Airport and federal customs officers form impromptu honor guards to greet caskets, covered with a U.S. flag they bought themselves.

Bodies can arrive on short notice. Officers often stay to help on their own time.

Once a soldier's body arrived, but the connecting flight to Nicaragua was not to leave until the next day. His casket was stored in a warehouse, guarded all night by officers. "Our guys switched out every two hours until he left," Kirkland said.

How the servicemen dies is irrelevant. On a recent ceremony, a Navy seaman named Takuma J. Heath, killed in a motorcycle accident, arrived from Orlando.

"We really don't ask their names," Sgt. Rudy Espinosa said. Some were killed in combat, others were not. "We just do it out of appreciation for the fallen heroes."

The ceremonies were done discreetly until last summer, when a short letter arrived to Miami-Dade Police Director Robert Parker.

"These actions, conducted without fanfare, are both humbling and inspiring. This represents the very best of America," said the letter, signed by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker and Kenneth Preston, Sergeant Major of the Army.

A NATURAL LEADER

Master Sgt. Shawn A. Richardson, Florida son, second-generation Air Force machinist, dog lover, was born at Eglin Air Force Base on Oct. 10, 1971. His father, Charles, also an Air Force machinist, retired a master sergeant.

"He was always kind of joking he was going to outrank Dad," said his mother, Ophelia Lee.

Fond of animals, Richardson toyed with becoming a veterinarian. Instead, in January 1990, he joined the force. His airmen at Kadena Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan called him a natural leader.

Said airman Josh Cordoso, 22: " 'He was the only person who ever gave me recognition. I'd never been up for any awards but he put me up for professional of the month."

On Nov. 25, Richardson told his wife, Maria, he was going to take a ride on his motorcycle before sunset.

Less than a mile away from base, Richardson -- in full protective gear -- lost control and hit his head on the concrete base of a fence. His helmet had slipped off.