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.
' Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for
special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq
' 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 Chicago , and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I r eached 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 Chicago .
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.'
& amp; lt; BR>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 in Chicago 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!
Soon 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.'
