Many people have forgotten the real meaning behind Memorial Day. It’s not the day off, or the three-day weekend — but a time to remember the men and woman who’ve died defending this great country.
This story, which has been floating around the net for a while, was recently sent to us by a reader and is a great way to honor those who’ve lost their lives for us and those who currently serve.
Read the story below.
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. ‘”Great Lakes Naval Base. We’ll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we’re being deployed to Iraq .”
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 Chicago , 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 Chicago.”
His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying. 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.
