An anonymous testimonyI 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. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and
then we're being deployed to Afghanistan
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack
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 sack 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 sacks, 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 the front 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 life, wrote a blank
check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount
of 'up to and including my life.'
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who
no longer understand it.'
May God give you the strength and courage to pass this along to
everyone on your email buddy list....
I JUST DID
Let us pray...
Prayer chain for our Military...
Please send this on after a short prayer?
Prayer:
'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they
protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'
Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and
say a prayer for our troops around the world.
There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address
book. Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor,
Airman, & others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one.
GOD BLESS YOU FOR PASSING IT ON!
