LAYTON, Utah — Loy Brunson thought his American Airlines flight from Dallas to Salt Lake City was going to be uneventful until he boarded the plane.
“As we got in and seated, the captain announced that this was a special flight with the escort and a fallen hero," he said.
Touching down in Utah, Brunson watched out the window in awe as servicemen carried out a dignified transfer of Stewart Wayment’s remains on the tarmac, the Utah man who was among three soldiers killed in an army helicopter crash at the end of April.
“Watching this in real-time happened was very emotional," said Brunson. "People were in tears, and this was a real emotional experience and patriotic experience.”
Over the course of their seven-year friendship, Samuel Malachowski, Warrant Officer 1 with the U.S. Army, says Wayment always welcomed him into his family during flight school, giving Malachowski a place to call home during weekends and holidays. Loved ones are till processing Wayment’s tragic death, he said.
“He really was a true, honest, good, loyal, and helpful friend," said Malachowski. "He loved his wife. He loved his kids. He was very much the family man as well as just being a really good friend to everyone around him.”
Following military honors and a flyover, Wayment will be laid to rest in Layton on Saturday morning. Friends are raising money to support the fallen soldier's wife and three children; you can donate to the GoFundMe here.
