"As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget
that the highest appreciation
is not to utter words,
but to live by them."
-John Fitzgerald Kennedy
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in
my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. ‘I’m glad I have
a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,’ I thought.
Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and
filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me.
I decided to start a conversation.
‘Where are you headed?’ I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.
‘Petawawa. (Could be any base) We’ll be there for two weeks
for special training, and then we’re being deployed to
Afghanistan. (Any War) After flying for about an hour, an
announcement was made that snack lunches were available for
five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the
east, and
I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.
As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy
if he planned to buy lunch. ’No, that seems like a lot of money
for just a snack lunch. Probably wouldn’t be worth five bucks.
I’ll wait till we get to base.’
His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers.
None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and
handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill.
‘Take a lunch to all those soldiers.’
She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly.
Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. ‘My son
was a soldier in Iraq ; it’s almost like you are doing it for him.’
Picking up ten snacks, she headed up the aisle to where the
soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and
asked, ‘Which do you like best – beef or chicken?’ ’Chicken,’
I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and
went to thefront of plane, returning a minute later with a
dinner plate from first class. ’This is your thanks.’ After
we finished eating, I went again to the back of the
plane, heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. ‘I saw what you did. I want to be part of it.
Here, take this.’ He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat,
I saw the Flight Captain coming down
the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he
walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed
he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane.
When he got to my row
he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and
said, ‘I want to shake your hand.’
Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took
the Captain’s hand. With a booming voice he said, ‘I was a
soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone
bought me a lunch.
It was an act of kindness I never forgot.’ I was
embarrassed when
applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so
I could stretch my legs. A man who
was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand,
wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five
dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings
and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door
was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt
pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word.
Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their
trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed
them seventy-five dollars. ‘It will take you some time to reach
the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.’
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of
their fellow travelers.
As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their
safe return.
These soldiers were giving their all for our country.
I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little…
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote
a blank check made payable to My Country for an amount
of up to and including My Life.
That is Honor, and there are way too many people who
no longer understand it.
-writer unkown
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