THE SACK LUNCHES

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 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 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 on your email buddy list....