Two grandfathers restrain unruly passenger

[CoryKS]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...07/06/05/graying_duo_keep_passenger_in_check/

Shortly before landing, Bob Hayden and a flight attendant had agreed on a signal: When she waved the plastic handcuffs, he would discreetly leave his seat and restrain an unruly passenger who had frightened some of the 150 people on board a Minneapolis-to-Boston flight Saturday night with erratic behavior.

Hayden, a 65-year-old former police commander, had enlisted a gray-haired gentleman sitting next to him to assist. The man turned out to be a former US Marine.

"I had looked around the plane for help, and all the younger guys had averted their eyes. When I asked the guy next to me if he was up to it, all he said was, 'Retired captain. USMC.' I said, 'You'll do,' " Hayden recalled. "So, basically, a couple of grandfathers took care of the situation."

And I love the quote from his wife:

Hayden's wife of 42 years, Katie, who was also on the flight, was less impressed. Even as her husband struggled with the agitated passenger, she barely looked up from "The Richest Man in Babylon," the book she was reading.

"The woman sitting in front of us was very upset and asked me how I could just sit there reading," Katie Hayden said. "Bob's been shot at. He's been stabbed. He's taken knives away. He knows how to handle those situations. I figured he would go up there and step on somebody's neck, and that would be the end of it. I knew how that situation would end. I didn't know how the book would end."

 

[MJS]

Great article!! I give those guys alot of credit. Many times people choose to look the other way, but in a case like this, especially with terrorism, its good to see someone acted.:ultracool

Mike

 

[Nomad]

That is a beautiful quote from his wife!

 

[bushidomartialarts]

"I didn't know how the book would end."

I love it.

 

[Blotan Hunka]

Thats awsome! Love the wifes quote.

 

[Blotan Hunka]

Although, after reading the story I saw this:

Hayden said the unruly man's behavior upset some passengers. One told Hayden the man had said, "Your lives are going to change today forever," as he shouted and refused to take his seat before takeoff and at various times during the nearly three-hour flight. He said that at one point the man lay on his back and was screaming, moaning, and thrashing on the floor.

Why the hell didnt they kick his *** off that plane before takeoff?

 

[MA-Caver]

The wife's quote is definitely the kicker. Good to know she was confident in her husband's ability to handle the situation enough not to be alarmed.

Yes, why they didn't kick the guy off the plane before take-off is a mystery. Generally the Capitan of the plane would've been notified and would've taken measures to ensure a safe flight for everyone, even if that means expulsion of a passenger that will cause otherwise.

A shame that the younger males on the flight didn't do anything to assist. All that testosterone gone to waste. Sheesh.

 

[Tames D]

The wife's quote is definitely the kicker. Good to know she was confident in her husband's ability to handle the situation enough not to be alarmed.

Yes, why they didn't kick the guy off the plane before take-off is a mystery. Generally the Capitan of the plane would've been notified and would've taken measures to ensure a safe flight for everyone, even if that means expulsion of a passenger that will cause otherwise.

A shame that the younger males on the flight didn't do anything to assist. All that testosterone gone to waste. Sheesh.

Great story.

 

[Steel Tiger]

A shame that the younger males on the flight didn't do anything to assist. All that testosterone gone to waste. Sheesh.

Its the way society has been training people for the last twenty years. There is a great fear in people to intervene nowadays. The older gentlemen grew up in a time when there was less fear of litigation and a greater emphasis on a person's, especially a man's, responsibility to society. I'm not surprised that these two men were law-enforcement and military. It just seems right.

And the comments from the man's wife showed a supreme confidence in, and knowledge of, her husband. I wonder how many people these days know their spouses that well. Perhaps marriages just don't last long enough to find out.

 

[KenpoTex]

Hats off to these two gentlemen. Gotta love the quote from the wife.

"I had looked around the plane for help, and all the younger guys had averted their eyes

Since I'm sure the censor won't let me use the words I'd normally use to describe those not willing to help in this type of situation; I'll just go with "pathetic little wimps."

 

[searcher]

That story has a hint of a Mastercard commercial. I absolutely love it!!!

 

[JBrainard]

The quote from the wife is classic. :lol:

 

[megat]

heheheh those guys are masters man, one is a marine the other a cop they are use to these kind of things, the moral is never underestimate older folks they might be stronger than you.