Despite the fog of football and festivities that surround us, it is important that we all reflect with gratitude and awe this coming Monday on those men and women who have donned our nation’s military uniforms. The majority may not have paid the ultimate price for their service, but all have sacrificed as have their families.
As such, on Veterans Day, we should be mindful of the sorrowful burden born by their loved ones and recognize that great sacrifice is not limited to merely those who have given their lives in service to our country. Those who are currently wearing our armed forces uniform and their families bravely bear the daily pain of separation, worry and fear. In that vein, I share with you today an uplifting story of our service men and women. This wonderful account was written by a woman named Sarah Barlow, and tells about her experience of witnessing a young soldier’s act of kindness towards a little girl at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. I discovered this truly heartwarming tale on a website called WelcomeHomeBlog.com.
Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me begin to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone abruptly rose to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the thirty or forty soldiers being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I’m not alone. I’m not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line every day for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear of reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said, “Hi…”
The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her…
The young soldier, who didn’t look any older than 22 years, said he would try and asked what she wanted to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster, and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter’s name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.
When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second… Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After a few minutes of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said, “I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.” He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying, “Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.”
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away during this entire event.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier, in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
Not just on Veterans Day, but every day, we need to remember all of our soldiers and their families, past and present, and thank God for them and their sacrifices. They are truly our great American heroes and stewards of our freedom. To borrow from the words of Winston Churchill, “Never has so much been owed by so many to so few.”
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. —John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Have an AWE-full Weekend! Salute a Soldier.
William “Bill” Bacque