Veteran Encounters Pilot Who Rescued Him From War on United Flight
Todd Love, a former Marine who was severely injured in Afghanistan in 2010, got an unexpected surprise on Friday when boarding a United Airlines flight to Portland.
While Love settled into his seat on the aircraft, the pilot — United Airlines Captain Marc Vincequere, who had followed Love onto the plane — asked if he'd been in Afghanistan in 2010. Love said he had.
Vincequere said he recognized Love from a mission he flew as a Lt. Col. in the Air Force while deployed to the area during the war. Vincequere had been the pilot on the mission to fly a severely-injured Love out of Afghanistan.
Love said in a post that has since gone viral on Facebook that Vincequere remembered Love. "He recognized me, my injuries and my face." Vincequere had always wondered whether or not Love had survived.
According to a recent interview in the Worcester Telegram, Vincequere retired from the Air Force after 21 years of service, and has flown commercially for United for more than 13 years.
Love's Facebook post has more than 9,000 likes and 30,000 shares as of Sunday evening, with many commenters thanking both men for their service.
At TPG, we're all about serendipitous encounters on otherwise routine commercial flights. Sound off in the comments below with your most meaningful airport experience.
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