Major Taj “Cabbie” Sareen Is A Hero To Remember On This Memorial Day

Updated Jul 2, 2020 2:53 PM EDT

I met Taj years ago while working at NAF El Centro doing photo coverage for their yearly air show. Jets were streaming in to be set up for static display and I would catch them taxiing in and get some great shots of the aircrews if they wanted them, and they always did.

I was going about my business, zooming in a golf cart from location to location as yellow shirts “caught” each arriving aircraft , a bright white F/A-18D came screaming into the overhead pattern. Everyone stopped for a second as the gorgeous, angel-like jet executed an eye-watering break over their heads. Moments later the gleaming fighter was on the ground being guided to its parking spot for the upcoming show.

The aircraft turned out to be the USMC F/A-18 training squadron’s (VMFAT-101 “Sharpshooters”) most cherished bird, the “Medal of Honor” painted theme Hornet. Taj “Cabbie” Sareen, an instructor with the squadron at the time, just so happened to have been flying it.

As Taj taxied the jet in he spotted me and gave me a big point and then gestured for me to go over to where he was parking. The canopy popped open and Taj actually greeted me, not the other way around, and as the Hornet’s twin GE-F404 turbofans wound down he yelled “hopefully you got some great shots, we saw you and tried to take it as slow as possible! Wait let me pop the speed brake for you, you will love it!” From that point on I knew that this guy understood how awesome his job and the jet he was flying was, and that he wanted to do whatever he could to share it with others.

Afterwards we chatted for a while, and got some awesome shots him and his co-pilot friend in front of and on top of the special Hornet. We also talked about getting some great departure pics that he could share with his commander who had wanted some really high-quality images of the specially painted white and green Hornet with a huge Medal of Honor on its speed-brake.

Later that evening Taj waved me over at the informal pre-party to the next day’s airshow and we had a beer or two and talked a bit. He asked all about photography and my work and I learned a bit about him and his love of very fast and exotic cars and what he did for a living. Taj was clearly unique to say the least. Sort of like a really humble Bruce Wayne. He flew Hornets by day and blasted around on exotic motorcycles and in Italian sports cars by night.

After the show, we executed our departure plan exactly as we discussed. They towed the jet into the light. Taj cranked it up, and pirouetted all around, giving me a big wave before he blasted off back to MCAS Miramar.

Days later I got an email from him to exchange contact info and to thank me once again for taking the photos as his commander loved them. We communicated back and forth after and he offered multiple times to give me the “the best tour ever” of his squadron’s operation at MCAS Miramar and to support any article or project of mine he could, after which we would go out for drinks.

Sadly and stupidly I never took Taj up on his incessant hospitality. A move I greatly regret now.

Popular culture casts fighter pilots in the Top Gun “Maverick” mold, which is ridiculous. The truth is they are all over the board personality-wise, from introverted to grinning wise-crackers. Taj was sort of his own thing though. He was professional and confident but he was highly interested in you, not himself. Really he seemed to not only love what he did, but felt fortunate to have been able to do it above all else.

Since meeting Taj I learned that my experience was not uncommon. Other aviation photographers, journalists and even just aviation enthusiasts had interactions with Major Sareen, many of them actually, and all were similar. He was an absolutely outstanding ambassador of the Marine Corps and made a very positive impression on all who met him.

In the years that had passed I knew that Taj had been assigned to VMFA-232, the Red Devils, a land-based Marine fighter-attack squadron, and last summer I had knowledge that they were on deployment to the Middle East. Then, on October 21st, 2015, as I was jamming away on the keyboard with the news playing in the background, a usual setup for what I do on a daily basis, a report came on saying an F/A-18 had crashed in England.

The civilian military aviation enthusiast community has pretty much eyes everywhere, all the time. I had seen photos in the previous days from various photographers of Red Devil Hornets passing through RAF Lakenheath on their way back from deployment.

Seeing that there are no Hornets based in the UK, it was very likely it was a VMFA-232 jet that went down. Whenever these things happen, you think of who you know in the squadron, and Taj immediately came to mind.

Soon photos and reports from the scene began to pour in and they were not promising when it came to the survival of the jet’s pilot . Within hours, an idea of what happened began to coalesce:

Early in the morning a gaggle of Red Devil F/A-18Cs departed from Lakenheath for the trans-Atlantic leg of their journey back to MCAS Miramar in San Diego. The jets were returning from a months-long tour fighting ISIS over Iraq and Syria. These ferry flights, or “tanker drags” as they are called, involve external tanker support and are complex affairs logistically. Getting the jets in working order for the trip and doing so on schedule is always a big effort, especially war-weary and many decades old Marine F/A-18s.

During departure, Taj’s Hornet had a serious problem at seemingly the worst time, low and slow while weighed down with gas shortly after leaving the ground. The F/A-18C ended up careening into the ground with an ejection attempt occurring too late in the chain of events to have been successful.

Taj “Cabbie” Sareen had perished in the incident.

Multiple reports have stated that Taj changed course and stayed with the aircraft to avoid homes that were in the stricken jet’s destructive path . One local farmer even stated that he knew Taj saved his life . Knowing what I do about Taj, especially after his death, I can fully believe that he would have stayed with the aircraft as long as he thought possible to avoid hurting innocent people on the ground. It appears he did just that.

Think about this deeper for one moment. Taj could have pulled the ejection handle during the emergency and would have likely walked away from the incident, but knowing that the thing he loved so much, flying jets for the USMC, could hurt, or even kill an innocent person on the ground changed his priorities. Taj put his own safety last and that of people he had never even met first.

In the end, Taj gave his life so that others may live, and did so not on the battlefield that he had just left, but over the serene English countryside.

Hero is a grossly overused word in our culture, one that is drunk on celebrity and sports star sensationalism. That is unfair to people like Taj Sareen. The guy was not just a hero the day he died, but he lived a hero’s way of life, enriching others with his accomplishments and opportunities and treating seemingly everyone he knew with respect and kindness. It was Taj’s hero lifestyle that allowed him to be a hero in his last moments of his life when it mattered most. This is a code of honor that is so rare these days that it is hard to even comprehend.

For me, it is eerily fitting that the guy I first met getting out of a jet painted to honor those who made the biggest sacrifices and executed the most courageous acts, died doing exactly that.

Taj left behind a little daughter. In fact, he had bought her a gift right before his last flight that was lost in the crash, but amazingly fulfilled anyway by a local shop owner and Taj’s friends and family, a touching story unto itself you should read about here . Taj also left behind a loving family and an army of friends, including his beloved Marine Corps family and Red Devil squadron-mates.

One of these fellow brothers in arms was Brad Danforth who was in officer training alongside Taj very early on in his military career. Brad describes his friend in wonderful detail:

“While Taj Sareen’s passing is a horrible tragedy, it’s tough to think about this loss without remembering what an incredible person he was and the joy he brought to everyone he encountered. Many will remember Taj as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, a man who loved speed, motorcycles and beautiful fast cars. While this is an accurate description of Taj, it just barely scratches the surface of what an amazing person he was.

Taj is the type of guy that would go the extra mile to help out a stranger and would repay any kindness tenfold. With an infectious smile that could light up a room, Taj was hands down the life of every party he ever attended.

The Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” had nothing on Taj Sareen.

Every person who ever met Taj has a Taj story. There are many unbelievable tales of Taj offering to loan his Ferrari to people he just met and yes, Taj really did do that. Taj always instructed me not to get a rental car when coming to San Diego as he always had “something” I could borrow. Regrettably, I was always too scared to drive one of his amazing cars.

Given Taj’s determination, intelligence and outgoing spirit, he could have done anything he chose to do after graduating from college. With this in mind, Taj chose to be a United States Marine during a time of war.

Image courtesy Brad Danforth

During his time in the Marine Corps, Taj was known as an incredible pilot and a consummate professional. Being a Marine Corps pilot is a great honor, but being a leader of Marines is one of the greatest honors and responsibilities this nation can grant its young officers. This is an honor Taj cherished, and a responsibility he never took for granted.

Above all, Taj was a family man. In the year and some change that I lived with him as a roommate and neighbor, I cannot recall a day when he hadn’t spoken to his family and friends back home in San Francisco. Taj’s love and closeness with his family will always be what I admired most about him. Despite being a continent or a half a world apart, Taj always knew what his family was up to back home and vice versa. At the same time, it breaks my heart that his one-year-old daughter will never get to remember what a loving, caring person her father was.

Trying to sum up Taj in a few paragraphs and do him justice is one of the toughest tasks I’ve had in a while. Taj isn’t someone you can just explain to people who have never met him and fully paint an accurate picture of who he really is. Taj was just someone or something you had to experience… almost like driving a new sports car, or flying a fighter jet.”

Brad’s words are not uncommon in the least. “Beautiful person,” “most generous man I have ever met,” “one of the best pilots I have ever flown with,” are just a few short descriptors from other people who knew Taj Sareen far better than I did.

Taj had a quote he loved, you can still see it on his Instagram account :

“Speed is life, altitude is life insurance.”

Eerily true words from a man that truly loved what he did and all that life had to offer.

Taj “Cabbie” Sareen, a one of a kind hero that earned that status not just in the way he died, but in the way he chose to live, remembered on this Memorial Day.

If you have the means please donate to Taj’s daughter’s fund that is linked here , it is the least we can do.

Contact the author Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2020年7月2日下午2:53

多年前，我在埃尔森特罗海军航空站工作时认识了塔吉，当时我负责拍摄他们一年一度的航展。喷气式飞机陆续抵达，准备进行静态展示，我会捕捉到它们滑行进场的瞬间，如果机组人员愿意，我会拍一些很棒的照片，而他们总是很乐意配合。

我当时正忙着自己的事，开着高尔夫球车穿梭在各个拍摄地点之间，身穿黄色制服的工作人员“捕捉”着每一架抵达的飞机。突然，一架亮白色的F/A-18D战斗机呼啸着冲进了头顶的飞行航线。所有人都停下脚步，只见这架美丽如天使般的喷气式飞机在他们头顶上方进行了一次令人目眩神迷的特技飞行。片刻之后，这架闪闪发光的战斗机降落在地面上，被引导到它即将参加飞行表演的停机位。

原来这架飞机是美国海军陆战队F/A-18训练中队（VMFAT-101“神枪手”）最珍爱的战机——涂有“荣誉勋章”主题的“大黄蜂”战斗机。当时恰好是该中队教官的塔吉·“出租车司机”·萨林正在驾驶这架飞机。

泰吉驾驶着喷气式飞机滑行进场时，他看到了我，指着我，然后示意我过去。座舱盖打开了，泰吉主动和我打招呼，而不是我主动打招呼。随着“大黄蜂”的双GE-F404涡扇发动机转速降低，他大声喊道：“希望你拍到了一些很棒的照片！我们看到你了，所以尽量放慢速度！等等，我帮你放下减速板，你会喜欢的！” 从那一刻起，我就知道这个人明白他的工作和他驾驶的飞机有多么棒，并且他想尽一切办法与他人分享这一切。

之后我们聊了一会儿，还拍了一些他和他副驾驶朋友在特制的“大黄蜂”战机前和机身上的精彩照片。我们还聊到要拍一些很棒的离场照片，他可以分享给他的指挥官，指挥官想要一些高质量的照片，展示这架涂装成白色和绿色的特制“大黄蜂”战机，它的减速板上还装饰着一枚巨大的荣誉勋章。

那天晚上晚些时候，在第二天航展的非正式预热派对上，泰吉向我招手，我们喝了一两杯啤酒，聊了一会儿。他问了我很多关于摄影和我工作的问题，我也了解了一些关于他的事情，比如他对速度极快、造型奇特的跑车的热爱，以及他的职业。泰吉显然是个非常独特的人，至少可以说如此。有点像一个非常谦逊的布鲁斯·韦恩。他白天驾驶大黄蜂战斗机，晚上则骑着奇特的摩托车和意大利跑车四处兜风。

演出结束后，我们严格按照事先商定的计划执行了离开方案。他们把飞机拖到光亮处。泰吉发动引擎，盘旋了一圈，在返回米拉马尔海军陆战队航空站之前，还向我挥了挥手。

几天后，我收到他的邮件，他跟我交换了联系方式，并再次感谢我拍摄的照片，说他的指挥官非常喜欢。之后我们一直保持联系，他多次提出要带我参观他在米拉马尔海军陆战队航空站的中队运作，并表示愿意支持我的任何文章或项目，之后我们还会一起喝几杯。

可惜又愚蠢的是，我始终没有接受泰姬的热情款待。现在想想，我真是后悔莫及。

流行文化总是把战斗机飞行员刻画成《壮志凌云》里“独行侠”那样的典型形象，这简直荒谬。事实上，他们的性格千差万别，从内向到爱开玩笑的都有。但泰吉却独树一帜。他专业自信，但更关心的是飞行员，而不是他自己。他似乎不仅热爱自己的工作，而且觉得自己能从事这份工作无比幸运。

自从认识了塔吉之后，我才知道我的经历并非个例。其他航空摄影师、记者，甚至航空爱好者都曾与萨林少校有过接触，而且接触的人很多，他们的感受也都大同小异。他是一位杰出的海军陆战队大使，给所有见过他的人都留下了非常深刻的印象。

这些年来，我知道塔吉被分配到了VMFA-232“红魔”中队，这是一个陆基海军陆战队战斗攻击机中队。去年夏天，我还得知他们被部署到中东。然后，2015年10月21日，我像往常一样一边敲着键盘，一边听着新闻，这时新闻报道说一架F/A-18战斗机在英国坠毁了。

民间军用航空爱好者群体几乎时刻关注着所有领域。前几天，我看到一些摄影师拍摄的照片，照片显示“红魔”大黄蜂战斗机在结束部署任务返回途中飞越莱肯希思皇家空军基地。

鉴于英国没有驻扎的“大黄蜂”战斗机，很可能是VMFA-232中队的战机坠毁了。每当发生这种事，你都会想起中队里认识的人，而塔吉的名字立刻浮现在我的脑海里。

很快，现场照片和报道纷至沓来，但对于飞行员的生还情况而言，前景并不乐观。几个小时内，事件经过逐渐明朗：

清晨，一群“红魔”F/A-18C战斗机从莱肯希思空军基地起飞，踏上跨大西洋的返航之旅，返回位于圣地亚哥的米拉马尔海军陆战队航空站。这些战机刚刚结束了在伊拉克和叙利亚长达数月的打击“伊斯兰国”行动。这种转场飞行，或称“空中加油机拖运”，需要外部空中加油机的支援，后勤保障十分复杂。确保战机处于最佳状态并按时完成飞行始终是一项艰巨的任务，尤其是对于这些饱经战火、服役数十年的海军陆战队F/A-18战机而言。

起飞过程中，塔吉的“大黄蜂”战斗机在看似最糟糕的时刻出现了严重故障：飞机低空慢速飞行，且刚离开地面不久就因燃油负重而坠毁。最终，这架F/A-18C战斗机坠毁在地面上，飞行员的弹射尝试为时已晚，未能成功。

Taj “Cabbie” Sareen 在事故中丧生。

多份报告指出，塔吉改变了飞机的航向，留在飞机旁，以避免伤及那些位于坠毁飞机航线上的居民。一位当地农民甚至表示，他知道是塔吉救了他的命。就我所了解的塔吉而言，尤其是在他去世之后，我完全相信他会尽可能长时间地留在飞机旁，以避免伤及地面上的无辜民众。看来他确实做到了。

请仔细想想。塔吉本可以在紧急情况下拉动弹射手柄，很可能就能毫发无损地离开现场，但他意识到自己无比热爱的事业——为美国海军陆战队驾驶喷气式飞机——可能会伤害甚至杀死地面上的无辜者，这改变了他的选择。塔吉将自己的安危放在最后，而将素未谋面的人的安危放在首位。

最终，泰姬献出了自己的生命，让其他人得以生存，而他献出的不是他刚刚离开的战场，而是宁静的英国乡村。

在我们的文化中，“英雄”一词已被滥用，人们沉迷于名人和体育明星的轰动效应。这对像泰吉·萨林这样的人来说并不公平。他不仅在他去世的那天是一位英雄，他的一生也堪称英雄，他用自己的成就和机遇造福他人，并尊重和善待他认识的每一个人。正是泰吉的英雄生活方式，使他在生命最后的关键时刻，依然能够展现英雄风范。这种荣誉准则在当今社会如此罕见，令人难以置信。

对我来说，最令人毛骨悚然的是，我第一次见到的那个人，当时他正从一架涂有纪念那些做出最大牺牲和执行最勇敢行为的人的飞机上下来，而他最终也正是这样做而死的。

泰吉身后留下了一个年幼的女儿。事实上，就在他最后一次飞行前，他刚给女儿买了一份礼物，可惜在空难中遗失了。但令人感动的是，当地一位店主和泰吉的亲朋好友最终还是帮他补办了礼物，这本身就是一个感人的故事，你可以在这里阅读。泰吉还留下了一个深爱他的家庭和一大群朋友，包括他挚爱的海军陆战队战友和“红魔”飞行中队的战友们。

其中一位并肩作战的战友是布拉德·丹福斯，他在军旅生涯早期就和塔吉一起接受军官训练。布拉德对他的朋友进行了精彩的描述：

“泰吉·萨林的离世固然是一场可怕的悲剧，但想到他的离世，我们很难不去缅怀他那令人敬佩的为人以及他带给每个人的快乐。许多人会记得泰吉曾是一名海军陆战队战斗机飞行员，一个热爱速度、摩托车和漂亮跑车的人。虽然这些描述准确地概括了泰吉的为人，但这仅仅触及了他精彩人生的冰山一角。”

泰吉是个乐于助人的人，他会竭尽全力帮助陌生人，并且会十倍奉还。他笑容灿烂，极具感染力，能照亮整个房间，毫无疑问，他参加的每一个派对都是最活跃的焦点。

Dos Equis 评选的“世界上最有趣的人”跟 Taj Sareen 比起来简直逊色太多。

每个认识泰吉的人都有一段关于他的故事。有很多令人难以置信的故事，比如泰吉主动提出把他的法拉利借给刚认识的人——没错，泰吉真的这么做过。泰吉总是叮嘱我来圣地亚哥的时候不要租车，因为他总有“车”可以借给我。可惜的是，我总是太害怕开他那些令人惊艳的跑车。

凭借着泰吉的决心、智慧和外向的性格，他大学毕业后本可以做任何他想做的事情。然而，泰吉却选择在战时成为一名美国海军陆战队员。

图片由布拉德·丹福斯提供

在海军陆战队服役期间，泰吉以其精湛的飞行技术和完美的职业素养而闻名。成为一名海军陆战队飞行员固然是莫大的荣誉，但领导海军陆战队则是国家赋予年轻军官的最高荣誉和责任之一。泰吉无比珍惜这份荣誉，也从未轻视这份责任。

首先，泰吉是个顾家的男人。在我与他同住一年多的时间里，他既是室友又是邻居，我几乎想不起来他哪一天没有和旧金山的家人朋友联系过。泰吉对家人的爱和亲密关系永远是我最敬佩他的地方。尽管远隔重洋，泰吉总是能了解家人在旧金山的近况，反之亦然。与此同时，想到他一岁的女儿将永远无法记住她父亲是多么慈爱体贴，我就感到无比心痛。

要用寥寥数语概括泰吉，并准确地描述他，是我近来遇到的最棘手的任务之一。泰吉不是那种你能轻易向从未见过他的人解释清楚，并完整准确地描绘出他真实面貌的人。泰吉就像是你必须亲身经历的人或事……就像驾驶一辆崭新的跑车，或者驾驶一架战斗机一样。

布拉德的评价一点也不特别。“人品很好”、“我见过的最慷慨的人”、“我合作过的最优秀的飞行员之一”，这些只是比我更了解泰姬·萨林的其他人对他的评价中的几个简短的描述。

Taj生前很喜欢一句格言，你仍然可以在他的Instagram账号上看到：

“速度就是生命，海拔就是生命保险。”

出自一位真正热爱自己所做之事和生活之人之口，这些话语令人不寒而栗地真实。

泰吉·“出租车司机”·萨林是一位独一无二的英雄，他不仅以英勇的牺牲赢得了这一称号，更以他选择的生活方式赢得了这一称号。在这个阵亡将士纪念日，我们缅怀他。

如果您有能力，请捐款给Taj女儿的基金（链接在此），这是我们力所能及的。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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