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 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 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... 

And there are way too many people in this country  who no longer understand it.'