Hawaiian Airlines Volunteer Serves Afghan Evacuees with Love, Peace and Harmony
Cherilyn Moloney, a flight attendant/purser with Hawaiian Airlines was honored to volunteer to serve the Afghan evacuees, as they were transported to temporary facilities throughout the U.S. mainland. She felt blessed to have an opportunity to serve these people and to bring them to a safe haven.
“When I watched the unfoldment on the news, I could not believe that there were thousands of evacuees running for their lives from their home , in peril,” she said.
The U.S. Department of Defense activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, which was comprised of 18 aircrafts from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Airlines , Hawaiian Airlines & United Airlines to aid in the evacuation efforts from Kabul, Afghanistan.
Cherilyn worked with young, male Afghan interpreters who could deliver her messages into Pashto and Persian, the native languages of the evacuees. This support delivered messages of clear directions for all passengers. Hawaiian Airline crews transported 3,000 adults & 180 children to temporary facilities for a safer life. Passengers placed their trust in the crew, which was comprised o
f two pilots and eight flight attendants.
During each flight, as the Afghans were moved, she practiced her teachings of Love, Peace & Harmony. During the past decade, Cherilyn learned about true healing, transformation, love and light, the meaning of her existence and the importance of service to all humanity. With the help of the interpreters, she was able to teach 250 passengers to open their hearts by greeting each other with the powerful Hawaiian word “Aloha”!
“All of the passengers recited ‘Aloha’ 3 times! It was quite moving!”
After the evacuees disembarked and boarded buses, Cherilyn and her crew stood on the hard stand attached to the main door and waved goodbye to all of their guests.
“With our right hands over our hearts and our left hands waving, we were able to say “Salam alaikum” or peace be with you. They in return, all waved to us from their buses.”
“There are no words to express my gratitude for this humbling experience. As we were serving these Afghan guests, they in return, were serving all of us,” she said.
Cherilyn has been an international flight attendant for more than 52 years and served in the Desert Storm and Desert Shield military movements , in addition to scheduled service and other charter flights.
Helping with this mission is not something that she will soon forget. This was an emotional experience that she will remember forever.`
