30 Years Ago Today; United Flight 232 loses its center engine, hydraulics, and almost all control

[renate]

7. I sat next to a guy who'd been on this flight on his first trip since it happened

It was pre-9/11, so they let him stay in the pre-boarding area and then get on the plane even though he was super drunk. The staff knew why he was that way.

We had talked while we waited and I seemed to have a calming influence on him, so the staff asked whether I would sit next to him on the flight. I was in my 20s and totally untrained in trauma support, but I was also too polite to say that it was not my frickin’ job to babysit a drunk guy with PTSD. So that’s what happened. I was exhausted by the end of the flight and nobody said thank you.

He was a very nice guy though and overall I was happy to do it. We’re all here to take care of each other. I just wish I’d been given either a choice or some support and appreciation from the airline. But I liked him and felt awful for him and I still think of him fondly and often.