Recently, my wife, Debbie, and I attended my son's graduation from basic training at Fort Knox, Ky. My son's girlfriend accompanied us on the trip, and it was interesting to hear her talk about the experience. While she understood the sacrifice that all members of the armed forces make while serving, I found her to be quite taken by the camaraderie, the level of professionalism and overall patriotism that seemed to emulate from everyone we met.
Because I served in the Army in the early 1990s, my wife and I were not surprised by the experience at the graduation or by the level of professionalism and respect that we received from soldiers and civilians who work and live on Fort Knox. However, I was surprised by a couple of things that took place after the graduation.
After the ceremony, we met my son, Jeremy, at the airport to see him off as he left for his advanced individual training at another post. As we were having lunch before his flight, we noticed that a few of the other soldiers he graduated with were at the same restaurant.
When they were finished with their meal, the server came over to them and told them that another customer at the restaurant had paid their bill. The person who took care of their bill never came over, and the server did not indicate who it was; she only told them that the bill had been taken care of.
Later, my son called his girlfriend, Stephanie Loomis, from Dallas, where he had a layover before going on to his final stop. He told her that he and the soldiers with him had gone into a restaurant to eat while waiting for their connecting flight. Once again, when they were finished, the server told them that their bill had been taken care of.
You guessed it -- no one came over to them, and the server never mentioned who it was.
This is the kind of stuff you never hear about in the media: two different parts of the country with two different individuals who took the time to say thank you. These two people did not come over to say, "I took care of the bill," because that would have made it about them and not about the soldiers.
I can only imagine how my son must have felt as he walked through the airport wondering who it was who did such a nice thing. After an experience like that, how could you help but smile at everyone you meet? It could be anyone, it could be everyone, saying thank you for what you do. How great is that!
I know they will probably never read this, but I want to thank these two individuals for reinforcing to my son, and the people who care about him the most, that the people in this country still appreciate the sacrifices that each member of the armed forces makes.
BMT
Linear Mode
