A Soldier's & Veteran's Salute!

Snack 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 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.'

Author Unknown by Me

(not written by me)