Ray
Member
>
Stand up and salute. This is good
The Sack Lunches
>
> 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'll 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
> from there 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 wouldn8 0t be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we
> get to base.' His friend agreed.
>
> I looked around at the other soldiers. None of the young men 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 . When you help these young
> men you're doing it for all of America 's warriors - so thank you
for
> helping my son.'
>
> 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 the plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate
> from first class. 'This is for you.'
>
> 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 walk ed, 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 and handed them the seventy-five
> dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will soon
> be time for supper. 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 sack lunch. It seemed s o 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
>
Stand up and salute. This is good
The Sack Lunches
>
> 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'll 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
> from there 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 wouldn8 0t be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we
> get to base.' His friend agreed.
>
> I looked around at the other soldiers. None of the young men 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 . When you help these young
> men you're doing it for all of America 's warriors - so thank you
for
> helping my son.'
>
> 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 the plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate
> from first class. 'This is for you.'
>
> 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 walk ed, 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 and handed them the seventy-five
> dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will soon
> be time for supper. 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 sack lunch. It seemed s o 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
>