Buying your own food and drink on a plane is pretty much the norm these days. It seems unfair considering the amount we have to pay out out on a flight in the first place and then the cost of checking our bags; it soon adds up.
So when Denny Kukich boarded his flight he wasn’t surprised to be told that if he wanted lunch on his flight, he’d have to pay.
He then overheard a group of soldiers discussing the cost and decided he couldn’t ignore the words they said to each other. What happened then caused a chain of events that those soldiers will never forget.
Denny saw the solders and started to talk to a few of them asking where they were going. He was told they were headed to Petawawa for two weeks of training and then to Afghanistan.
When the flight attendant announced that sack lunches were available to passengers for $5, Denny got his money ready to buy one. As he was doing so he overheard one of the soldiers ask his troop mate if he was going to get one.
Even though they were probably hungry, he said no adding: “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.”
Denny glanced around and realized that none of the soldiers were buying a sack lunch. So Denny decided to take matters into his own hands, he told Love What Matters.
“These soldiers protect our freedom. They sacrifice their lives to fight overseas,” he said.
Denny gave the flight attendant $50 and asked her to give each soldier a sack lunch.
“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.'”
She not only fetched the hungry soldiers some food but then returned with a first class dinner plate just for Denny as a thank you.
The chain of generosity continued when Denny was then handed $25 by a stranger who wanted to help telling him, as Denny walked to the restroom: “‘I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.’ He handed me $25.”
Then the flight captain approached him and shook Denny’s hand to thank him for his kindness adding: “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.”
Later as he was walking down the aisle stretching his legs, another two strangers shook his hand and gave him $25 and he even got a round of applause from those on board!
Denny was able to buy these soldiers a lunch and give them $75 so they could get another meal before they reached their base.
The chain of events that one act of kindness created is so astonishing. Without realizing it Denny reminded those on board how important it is to help others, especially those risking their lives to keep our country safe.
Please share as a tribute to these generous souls and the soldiers who deserve our gratitude for the sacrifices they are making.
