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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.
"Great Lakes Air 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
reached for my wallet, I overheard 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."
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 seat belt 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!
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...
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