MUNFORD, TN – The story of Marine Lance Corporal Christian Brown is well known— abc24.com has been reporting his story for more than a year; since he lost both legs and a finger in an explosion in Afghanistan.
Now, Brown’s story has taken another turn.
Returning to Walter Reed Hospital from a government sponsored trip for injured service members—Brown received some shabby treatment from Delta Airlines.
“CB”, as Brown is affectionately known—was clumsily moved to the back of the plane, despite offers from other passengers to give up their seats in the front.
Other outraged veterans n board, told the Washington Post all about it—eliciting outrage from Munford.
“It’s disgusting and disgraceful.” said Randal Mckee, the Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, in Tipton County.
“It should never have happened,” agreed Munford Mayor Dwayne Cole, “it’s disgraceful.”
When a former military copter pilot riding on the same Delta flight as Brown, told the
Washington Post what happened to the Munford Marine—it touched hearts, and nerves.
“He had some people trying to help him out,” said J.R. Reed, “to maybe give him their seat.”
Reed is Corporal Brown’s stepfather.
Instead, as recounted in the Post, Brown was forced to the back of the plane, “obviously humiliated, and being paraded through the aircraft—was visibly upset.”
He was upset to the point of tears according to the Post.
“You’ve got the hard right and the easy wrong,” McKee told abc24.com, “they chose the easy wrong, with ‘our doors are closed, we’re prepared for takeoff, we can’t move around the cabin’.”
Delta directed us to their online blog—which read, in part: “we have the utmost respect for our active duty military; unfortunately we failed in this situation.”
It’s not the first time. In June 2011, Delta created a stir by charging returning soldiers thousands for extra baggage.
One of those soldiers posted this statement on Youtube: “We had four bags and Delta only allows three. We had to pay extra, even though there’s a contract between the U.S. government and Delta.”
Delta apologized for that incident as well; none of which ahs made Brown’s home town supporters any happier.
“A little bit of patience,” said Reed, “and a little bit of understanding and none of this would have ever happened.”
By contrast, Mayor Cole remembered the night thousands waited all night for “CB” to come home.
“In our town,” said Cole, “CB is honored; he is an American hero.”
And that makes Delta’s treatment seem even worse.
“That’s a U.S. Marine right there,” said McKee, “you bend the rules and you do what’s right.”
Making things even worse, Brown was suffering from an infection on that plane ride.
Stepfather Reed told abc24.com that “CB” is getting better and should be home within a week.
