Veteran has happy reunion with pilot who rescued him from Afghanistan war in 2010

For a soldier, to get out of a warzone is a miracle but to meet their rescuer later on in life is rare. Given the circumstances and chaos from which they are rescued, it is rare one gets time to thank the people involved but military veteran Todd Love was incredibly to have the opportunity to meet the person who saved him, reported Your Tango. It happened when the veteran was boarding a flight to Portland, Oregon. The heartwarming moment has left the internet emotional after a Facebook page shared the special photograph of the veteran and his rescuer named Marc Vincequere, who happened to be the pilot of the flight the former soldier was getting on. 

While boarding the flight, little did Love know that the pilot was the same man who flew him out of Afghanistan more than ten years ago. The Facebook page of A Fly Guy's Cabin Crew Lounge, which mainly shares posts related to airlines and air travel, posted Vincequere and Love's picture with a note that read: "This pilot and passenger met twice under two very different circumstances." There was an account from Love published in the caption as well. "'The pilot was standing around as I got out of my wheelchair to board my flight to Portland. He followed me and the flight attendant who volunteered to carry my bag. I fling myself into my seat. He quickly asked, 'Were you in the military.' I replied, 'Yes.' He said, 'Afghanistan 2010?' Again, although surprised this time, I said slowly, 'Yes'," the veteran said. 

The pilot had recognized the veteran, from his injuries and his face. Vincequere informed Love that he was not sure if he had survived the wounds. The pilot, who flies with United Airlines now, acknowledged that it is a crazy small world indeed. As per Worcester Telegram, Lt. Col. Vincequere served in the US Air Force for 21 years before he retired in 2018. He had flown commercial flights for United Airlines for 13 years and continues to do so. He and Love were both deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. That is when the two gentlemen met each other for the first time in the war-torn Afghanistan, where the Taliban was causing destruction. 

The story was also submitted by the veteran to Love What Matters where he mentioned that during the course of his deployment, he lost the lower half of his body after stepping on an IED. He was rescued by helicopter from an active battlefield and when he was being flown from Afghanistan to Washington DC, it was "the most painful time in his life." He said: "I feel like living each moment at that point was a choice and I was desperately hanging in as best I could." The gratitude received by the former soldier helped him to deal with his severe injuries and he has always wanted to meet everyone involved in that rescue mission from "the moment he stepped on that IED to the moment he was back on US soil."

"It’s humbling to know that these people are from many walks of life, each practicing their profession, from different nationalities, skin tones, and belief systems as well. All I know is I owe them my life," Love concluded. When Love encountered the pilot from the rescue mission, he was actually traveling to Oregon to meet with his former troop where they were training for a fundraiser for the Force Reconnaissance Foundation. In order to raise money for the members of the Reconnaissance Community of the United States Marine Corps, others were going to carry Love up to Mt. Baker. 

The comment section of the Facebook post was flooded with people thanking the two men for their sacrifices and service to the nation.