It’s easy to look at a serving man or woman and fail to contemplate just what a sacrifice they’re making.
Long periods spent away from loved ones is something they have to adjust to, not to mention the missed birthdays, weddings, funerals and much more. Then, on top of that, more often than not they’re literally risking their lives to protect the virtues and liberties we enjoy daily.
Which is why it’s extra special to see people going out of their way to honor soldiers when they don’t have to.
While onboard her flight waiting for it to take off, Jessica Titus witnessed an encounter between a female army officer and another passenger. Luckily – for all of us on the internet – she managed to document it …
It began when the service woman was walking down the aisle, approaching the seat she had bought and paid for.
Before she could reach said seat, however, another passenger stood up and blocked her path, refusing to let her by. It turned out he had a pretty good reason for doing so.
Titus explained: “On my flight Tuesday, I walked down the jetway behind a woman in uniform (Army). A man stood up from his 1st class seat and said, ‘Sorry ma’am, I’m in your seat.’”
Confusion
The soldier was naturally confused, and so the male passenger asked: “What does your ticket say?”
She replied: “What? No, I’m 31B.”
"On my flight Tuesday, I walked down the jetway behind a woman in uniform (Army). A man stood up from his 1st class seat…
Posted by Love What Matters on Sunday, April 9, 2017
It was what the man did next that set the tone for what was to come, though. Instead of moving aside to let her pass, he calmly went to seat 31B and sat down.
Eventually, the officer and the other passengers understood what was happening: he had devised a plan to give up his seat to thank the woman for her military service.
“He walked away, leaving her with his first class seat and then took her middle seat in coach,” Titus said.
Titus herself was left deeply impressed by the man’s actions. First-class tickets aren’t cheap, and the passenger could so easily have stayed in his own comforts and kept quiet. Jessica herself decided to extend the kindness of the day, by slipping the man a letter and a bit of cash.
“Please accept a drink or snack on me,” her letter read. “If everyone treated people the way you treated the service-woman, the world would be a better place.”
The man, however, refused her offer of compensation, proving yet again the goodness of his soul. He didn’t need rewarding for acting the way he did, and was merely trying to extent his gratitude for a service that many take for granted.
Titus’ letter was perfectly right: if more people were willing to show thanks and act generously, the world would be a much more comfortable place to live in.
We only wish we knew this man’s name so that we could thank him personally!
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