The moment a fallen sailor was returned to her family in Oklahoma was so overwhelming for passengers on a commercial flight it brought nearly everyone to tears.
Passenger Mike Helms said when his plane landed at Will Rogers World Airport Thursday night, the crew informed passengers of the special significance of the flight.
'When we stopped at the terminal, the pilot announced that he would like to inform us that we were flying one of our fallen soldiers home to her family,' Helms wrote to Facebook.
'This moment hit me hard for some reason. I couldn't hold back tears,' Helms recounted after taking this picture
The moment a fallen sailor returned home to her family brought people on a Delta flight to tears. This is a still from a video recorded by one of her family members
Brooke Newton (pictured), 25, died in San Diego, California on August 30, 2017, according to her obituary
Newton was born at Tinker Air Force Base to Billy Newton and Misty Garrett on April 17, 1992
'He asked that we remain on the plane until our soldier was removed from the plane first. He also asked that we give a moment of silence.'
Helms said as he looked outside, he could see the casket, draped in the American flag, emerging from the plane.
Next to it, the mother and father of Brooke Newton, 25, were hysterically crying, and members of her unit were saluting her.
'This moment hit me hard for some reason. I couldn't hold back tears. As I looked around the plane, I was hoping nobody would see my moment of weakness... But to my surprise, damn near everyone on the plane was crying,' he recounted.
'It was amazing to see people of all races and religions on the Delta flight that night pay their respects to a soldier and her family,' Helm said.
The story of Brooke Newton's last trip home has since garnered 200,000 shares on the social media site
A relative of Brooke Newton later reached out to Helms to personally thank him for sharing his story (pictured: Brooke Newton with her father Billy)
'I saw no division on that plane last night. I saw Americans paying respect to their countryman. A woman who put her life on the line for me, and you, and your freedoms.'
A relative of the Newton family later reached out to Helms, thanking him for the post.
'Thank you from the bottom of my families heart!!!! You are an amazing soul truly!!!!,' wrote Jennifer Nadeau, who a cousin of Brooke's father, Billy.
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ShareSince the story of Brooke Newton's last flight home was uploaded to Facebook, the post has garnered nearly 200,000 shares.
Brooke Newton's mother, Noelle, later posted on her Facebook page: 'I LOVE YOU BABY AND I ALWAYS WILL!!!'
While her father posted pictures of Brooke during her childhood, writing to everyone that expressed condolences: 'Thank you to everybody that reached out me and my family today. I was traveling most of the day and couldn't really keep up. Please keep us in your prayers because we really need them.'
Brooke died on August 30 in San Diego, California, according to an obituary published in the Edmond Sun.
Newton was born at Tinker Air Force Base to Billy Newton and Misty Garrett on April 17, 1992.
She graduated from high school in 2010, then joined the Air National Guard. She later enlisted in the Navy after attending the University of Central Oklahoma.
The exact nature of how Newton died still remains unknown. A request for comment placed to Naval Base San Diego was not immediate returned.
The story of Brooke Newton's last trip home has since garnered 200,000 shares on the social media site
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