I, personally, take ONE exception to this policy, which is for uniformed members of the military returning from over seas. Many of them are returning from garden spots like Mosul, Baghdad , or Tikrit and still have Iraqi soil on their boots. I always work with the Captain and lead flight attendant and try to get them moved up front if there is room.

Only once have I got pushback on this - from an A-line flight attendant who would not budge. Unfortunately it was for a navy Seal commander returning from Afghanistan. I know for a fact that this guy had been sleeping months on end in the dirt and taking direct fire - fighting so our A-line could spend months on end sleeping in nice hotels (don't get me started.....) I actually had 3 passengers tell me "I think it's wonderful what you tried to do for that soldier."