I spent two and a half weeks at the Warrior Lead Course in Fort Lewis, Washington. I wish I could say I had a great time but, it was fairly typical Army training. Kind of a Basic Training Part II. It is a requirement for me to get promoted to E-6. Now I have it out of the way.
I flew home with another guy from my unit who attended another course offered by the same school house at Fort Lewis. We were both in uniform. While we were waiting for our flight home two people offered to buy our lunch. The first saw us standing in front of the information board looking for a place to eat. He handed us a twenty and said, “thank you for serving, I’d like to buy you lunch.” I explained that our meals are paid for when we travel. He still insisted on giving us the money. After we had found a place and eaten, I put the twenty on top of the check, intending to pay. Another gentlemen walked over, grabbed the check and said, “I’m paying for this, thank you very much for what you guys do.” He walked away with our check. I put the twenty back in my pocket.
The friend that I was traveling with was very uncomfortable with the attention. To be honest, so was I. However, I’ve come to realize that what happened isn’t really about me. It is about those who make the gesture. Two people were able to demonstrate their support of the military in a tangible way, buying lunch for a couple of soldiers. Two people put real faces to the “military service members” fighting the war in Iraq. To the two of us, it’s just lunch. To the two people that reached out to us, it was a moment to express in real terms their patriotism and support.
To the two gentlemen at SEA-TAC airport, thank you for your kind gesture and your support of the military. The gesture was simple but the heart felt sentiment behind it means much more to me.
aloha
[posted with ecto]
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Just testing.