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 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 o f 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

 

sol diers 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

 

Live life one day at a time and enjoy every moment for tomorrow may never come......

 

From one Veteran to another, thanks Joe. Very nice find.

Nice find Joe, too bad this rarely happens !