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 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 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, an 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!
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
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.
