The following is an email that is making the rounds. It is heart warming and this time of year especially important.
The closing is especially appropriate. Please take the time to read this and do send it to your email list. Too many of us forget that we have sons, daughters, fathers and mothers overseas.
Happy 4th.
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.' 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. 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