Late Friday night, an unusual amount of vehicles lined the road on the outside of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (H.E.R.A.), usually a sign that either multiple airlines with a lot of locals on board were to arrive, and residents were avoiding airport parking fees.<\/p>\n
But there was only one plane scheduled to arrive at 9:30 p.m., American Airlines, and there was not an overabundance of locals on the flight.<\/p>\n
Instead, dozens of people stood outside the arrivals area after the American Airlines flight had landed, their eyes fixated to the entrance on the lookout for one person,\u00a0Yirakmeal “Rako” Henry.<\/p>\n
The last one to leave the plane, Mr. Henry, 18, with the help of his father, arrived on a wheelchair to loud sounds of hand clap and cheers from family and friends, who came bearing balloons and smiles.<\/p>\n
Yet the young man, who only two weeks ago lost his best friend, Zion James during a vehicular accident in Cloverdale, California<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday, August 1, wore hurt on his face, unable to give any reaction to the throng of people who came to embrace him. His mother told The Consortium that her son’s emotional pain was worse than his physical. “Because here he is coming back home to go to a funeral tomorrow,” Ms. Johnson managed as tears overwhelmed her. She was referring to the deceased James, whose burial is today. “They did everything together,” she lamented.<\/p>\n