The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Going the extra mile to reunite boy, Buzz
Airline employee documents ‘special mission’ for 2-yearold’s lost action figure.
From the back seat of a rental car, a concerned 2-year-old boy repeatedly asked his parents the same question: “Where’s Buzz?”
Ashley Davis frantically sifted through the family’s luggage in search of her son Hagen’s beloved Buzz Lightyear action figure. It was nowhere to be found. Hagen was distraught.
“To Hagen, it was the end of the world,” Davis, 31, said. “He wanted his Buzz. He is super-attached.”
It was Jan. 30, and the family of three from Elk Grove, California, had just traveled from Sacramento to Dallas, after booking a last-minute flight to attend a funeral. Davis calmly explained to her son that Buzz was on a “special mission” and would return to him shortly. In other words, she was planning to purchase a replacement toy.
Little did Davis know, though, that Buzz was, in fact, on a special mission, and would soon be back.
Jason William Hamm, a Southwest Airlines ramp agent at the Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, spearheaded an elaborate effort to return Buzz to his rightful owner.
He commenced the reunion mission after Beth Buchanan, an operations agent at Southwest Airlines, discovered the toy in the aircraft, which had landed in Little Rock after departing from Dallas.
“It was the last flight of the night, and we always have to go through and make sure people don’t leave anything,” Buchanan, 56, said. “They always do.”
While sweeping through the cabin, she spotted the action figure and noticed the name “Hagen” inscribed on the bottom of Buzz’s boot in permanent marker — a nod to “Toy Story,” since Andy writes his own name on the sole of his toys’ shoes.
Hamm, 47, got involved in the search when he saw the toy sitting on his colleague’s desk. After cross-referencing the passenger list with the name on the boot, they confirmed who Buzz belonged to. Once they tracked down Hagen’s information, Hamm sent an email to the family to let them know he located Buzz and wanted to return him, asking for the best address to ship the toy to.
While waiting for a response, Hamm, who has worked at Southwest Airlines for 10 years, got creative. If he was going to convince this little boy that Buzz was truly on a mission, he would need photo evidence. He took the action figure to the tarmac to snap some pictures in various locations. He positioned Buzz in front of an airplane, an engine and, obviously, a cockpit. And he didn’t stop there.
“I thought it would be kind of cool to add a little letter to make it look like Buzz was on a mission,” Hamm said. “I thought it would be a cute keepsake.”
In a space ranger-esque font, Hamm hand-wrote a letter to Hagen, complete with a Buzz Lightyear logo.
Once Hamm heard back from the Davis family — who said they were stunned to receive the initial email that Buzz had been located — he put together a special package for Hagen.
Hamm printed out the photos he took, bubble-wrapped Buzz, and tucked in the handwritten letter. Then he decorated the exterior of the cardboard box with a drawing of Buzz, stars and planets, as well as some quotes from “Toy Story.”
For Hamm, his own parenting experiences propelled him to “go the extra mile,” he said. “I have an autistic son, and he gets attached to toys. If he loses a toy, I know how hard it is for him,” said Hamm.
Hamm sent the package at his own expense and tracked the parcel until it finally arrived on Hagen’s doorstep at the end of February.
“I cried when I opened it,” Davis said. “You could see all the love he put into it.”
To Commander Hagen, I am very excited to return to you upon completing my mission. I was able to explore the airport and spaceport in Little Rock, Arkansas while I was away, and I have included photos of my adventure. My journey has taught me a lot but I am so thankful to return to my buddy.
Note from Jason William Hamm, a Southwest Airlines ramp agent, to 2-year-old Hagen Davis of Elk Grove, California