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 Lunch on the Plane (NSR)Moderators: Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | |
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Donald L. Johnson |
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Great Sage of the Sea Posts: 602 Location: Visalia, Ca. | Subject: Lunch on the Plane (NSR) Something in the same vein as "Red Marbles". I've gotten this one 4 times in the last 3 weeks. Don't know if it's true, but it ought to be! ========== 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 toread. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. I fly frequently, and I always look for an opportunity to share Jesus with someone. I wondered who it might be this time, because there were empty seats around me. Not much of a chance to talk to anyone. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. 'This is more like it! OK, Lord, which one will it be? Who needs to hear about you?' I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Chicago -- to Great Lakes 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 sacklunch. 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 of them were buying lunch. I was hungry, but could not bring myself to eat in front of them. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers,' I said. She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me, saying, 'My son was a soldier in Iraq. It's almost like you are doing this for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. I forgot about me! Overwhelmed by her emotional response, I returned to my seat. She asked, 'Which do you like best--beef or chicken? 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of the plane, returning a minute later with a dinner from first class. 'This is your thanks!' she said. 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 row 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 hishand, 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 pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' 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 in Chicago, 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 the seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you a while 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. God bless all of our men in uniform. | ||
| Roy Ator |
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Great Sage of the Sea Posts: 892 Location: Palo Pinto County, Texas | Subject: RE: Lunch on the Plane (NSR) Yes Johnson, I've seen these Emails numerous times as well. I want to believe that they are true stories. In any case they make me 'feel good'... That's the way we would want it to occur. Thanks for the refresher postings! Always worth a reread... | ||
| subvetss |
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| Senior Crew Posts: 186 | Subject: RE: Lunch on the Plane (NSR) I wear my Submarine Veteran hat all the time. I was on business trip,having a steak dinner in Lakeland Fl. a few years back when a young man came to my booth. He asked if I was really a sub vet. I proudly answered "Yes I am son." He then call over the waitress and told her that my dinner would be 'on the house'. He was the manager. He then shook my hand and said "Thank you for doing what you did to make this a safe country in which to raise my family.". Needless to say I was very moved and put the 'Road House Grill' on the top of my eating out places. True story. There are plenty of good kids out there. Joe'the'Most | ||
| Ric |
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Plankowner Posts: 9165 Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: Lunch on the Plane (NSR) I had a tire unwrap driving on the freeway a few years back. I stopped and dug out the jack only to find I had the wrong wrench. Not for the lug nuts but to wind the spare down the ground from under the truck. I had nothing to fit through the hole going under the truck to engage the winding mechanism. I had my cell phone and one of those mini yellow pages book that seem to be all over now. I found a towing outfit close to where I was parked and waited. Guy shows up whips out his jack and power lug nut spinner and jerks the tire off. He has the right tool to get to the spare and tosses that on and presto, 5 minutes later I'm ready for the road. As he is standing behind my truck making out his bill for services he notices my sub related bumper stickers and asks if I'm a vet. I say yes and he folds up his book and says thank you for your service and gets in his truck and drives away. I was kind of stunned. I hadn't tried to get a free tire change, he just wanted to do it. Makes you humble. I didn't join the Navy to get free services later in life. | ||
| dex armstrong |
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COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Lunch on the Plane (NSR) Damn near 50 years ago, I was hitchhiking from Norfolk to Arlington Virginia and it was the dead of winter...rig in the brass monkeys weather....at Fredericksburg Route #1 and Route #17 split and on Friday sailors were piled up all around the bridge over the Rappahannock and about a hundred yards up the highway was a Hot Shoppe (the original chain that made J.W. Marriott famous). I was freezing my butt off and dragged my worthless carcass up to the Hot Shoppe...I was standing in line to get a seat somewhere...stamping my feet and smacking my gloved hands together to warm up...standing with my peacoat collar up and my white hat turned inside out covering my ears that were burning like hell. When you are just one, the hostesses seat larger parties and leave you standing there like a damn cigar store indian. This very distiguished gentleman comes up to the hostess and tells her to seat me with him and his lovely wife. So, I follow him with my AWOL bag. He bought me dinner and invited me to ride the rest of the way with him and his wife. When I got in the car, I took off my peacoat to use as a blanket in the backseat....He saw my Dolphins and smiled..."You riding one of those hot new nukes?" "No Sir, an old rustbucket pigboat...Tench boat...WWII leftover...REQUIN 481....out of Pier 22 Norfolk." "SubRon Six?" "Aye Sir." "I commanded Six about ten years ago." Don, He didn't know I was a boatsailor....all he knew was that I was a raggedy ass bluejacket who was cold and was trying like hell to find a place to plant his hippockets and grab a bowl of chili, soda crackers and glass of water. I was in his fraternity...the United States Navy...that was all that mattered...Since then I picked up hundreds of lunch counter tabs for servicemen in transit...it is an obligation I acquired on a cold night in Fredericksburg. Thanks for that wonderful story. DEX | ||
| dex armstrong |
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COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Lunch on the Plane (NSR) Don, I don't know if you know him, but Ray "Olgoat" Stone is one of the most considerate and generous bastards God ever turned out. Even though he's a giant China Shop Bull...a hard drinking cigar smokin' unsalvagable, rotten sonuvabitch....beneath that dinged up crocadile hide of his, there's a heart the size of Texas....you could stock a grocery store with the chow he's bought for the needy, service personnel in transit and kids who need a meal. Ray's an extraordinary caretaker if those who need it. He's also someone who would park his brogans on a lace doily....fart in a funeral home viewing line...and light up a Cuban seeegar in a five star eating establishment...and make admiring comments about a Mother Superior's bust development....Generous he is...couth he is not...DEX | ||
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