Bring our Troops Home in Style
Let freedom's voice be heard
Brown Bag Lunch
I received this email a couple days ago and wanted to share it with you all here.
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', he said. 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 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
til we get to base'. His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers.
None was 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 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 you have the strength and courage
to pass this along to everyone
-- God Bless America
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', he said. 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 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
til we get to base'. His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers.
None was 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 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 you have the strength and courage
to pass this along to everyone
-- God Bless America
Comment
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Comment by GARY TENNANT on November 6, 2009 at 1:31am - DID YOU TELL THEM THEY HAVE FREE SERVICE HERE BRO AND NOW IN VEGAS AND FRISCO WOW THATS GREAT AND THATS WHY YOU ARE THE MAN OF THE YEAR WITH US FOR DOING SOME THING VERY NICE FOR THE BROTHERS...GARY TENNANT OWNER OF THE SITE AND YOUR FRIEND FOR LIFE
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