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
>
> better - 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. You will be wanting another 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 "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
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 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
>
> better - 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. You will be wanting another 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 "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
>
>
>
>
