Thank A Troop

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 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.'
>
>May God give you the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone
>on your email buddy list....
>
>I JUST DID