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Shopper Pays for Marine's Engagement Ring
AP ^ | Dec 23, 2005

Posted on 12/23/2005 7:17:21 PM PST by presidio9

A Marine who's planning to marry a Texan got an early Christmas present: A fellow shopper picked up the tab for a $3,000 diamond engagement ring after the two struck up a conversation in a jewelry store.

The 54-year-old Dallas woman who paid for the 1-carat, princess cut diamond ring wants to remain anonymous, Helzberg Diamonds spokeswoman Stacey McBride told The Associated Press on Friday.

The woman's father was in the military, her brother was a Marine who died in Vietnam and her nephew just got back from Iraq, McBride said.

Marine James Lynaugh, 28, of Patuxent River, Md., was shopping Thursday at the Helzberg Diamonds store at a mall in Tyler.

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Lynaugh and the anonymous shopper discussed their mutual military connections. Lynaugh opened a store credit account to buy the ring, then left with it.

After the other shopper paid for her items, she inquired whether Lynaugh's credit charge could be reversed. She didn't even ask about the cost of the ring, McBride said.

"So we were able to reverse that charge, and she paid in full with a check," McBride said.

A representative of the North Kansas City., Mo, company later contacted Lynaugh with the good news.

"He did say that he broke the news to his fiancee" that someone else paid for the ring, McBride said.

Lynaugh's fiancee is from Athens, about 40 miles southwest of Tyler in East Texas. The Marine also has family in Huntsville.

He did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press on Friday afternoon.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: anonymousgifts; godblessourtroops; iraq; merrychristmas; quagmire; redstateamerica; semperfi; socks; texas; weddingbells
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To: presidio9

What an outstanding gift that lovely woman gave that Marine! God Bless her!


81 posted on 12/23/2005 9:40:44 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: Gordongekko909

"I feel pretty good about myself when I buy military personnel beers when I see them out at bars. Now I feel inadequate as hell."

It's not how much you give, it's giving from the heart that counts.


82 posted on 12/23/2005 9:41:47 PM PST by fabriclady
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To: phoenix0468
I wasn't attacking - Honest! Just overflowing with a lot of anti-Gov't angst right now. (The bureaucracy of the Gov't that is) :-)
83 posted on 12/23/2005 9:41:52 PM PST by TCats
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To: Gordongekko909
I feel pretty good about myself when I buy military personnel beers when I see them out at bars. Now I feel inadequate as hell.

Me too! I've made it a rule for quite a while that no serviceman, police officer or fireman pays for a meal when I'm in the house. I guess I will have to redouble my efforts to live up to this wonderful lady's example.

-ccm

84 posted on 12/23/2005 9:48:40 PM PST by ccmay
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To: ccmay

Start carrying jewelery around with you!


85 posted on 12/23/2005 9:49:36 PM PST by bonfire (dwindler)
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To: Go Gordon

"Thats because its none of the press' GD business . . . "

Hey, be nice.

If it weren't for the press, you wouldn't have heard this heartwarming story.

Merry Christmas.


86 posted on 12/23/2005 10:07:04 PM PST by Jedidah
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To: thebaron512; presidio9
If you can, please contact your local VA hospitals to help out the Vets, who have become barely remembered by the rest of the country.

I second that. My brother is an Occupational Therapist at a VA hospital. My parents have adopted a group of patients this year and are sending cards and gifts up there (from them and donated from others) and my brother is going to take them over on Christmas day. Many of the guys are spending Christmas day by themselves at the hospital. My daughter's Catholic school class has a group at another VA hospital that they send cards, art, and gifts to during the year. I think it is lovely that people are finally supporting the troops and their families, but there are a lot of old forgotten vets out there who are much lonelier and who are in need of support, too.

To the original subject- NICE. For 8 years I wore the diamond that was all a Marine E2 straight out of boot camp could afford (and that was with an extra $200 I kicked in on my own) before we were married. Once he was in the civillian world, I begged for years for an upgrade and never got it... : (

87 posted on 12/23/2005 10:37:08 PM PST by conservative cat
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To: presidio9

Awwwsweet.

I got engaged all by myself at the post office... when the ring arrived from Oki. I was so beside myself, I walked into a wall when I got to work. : )

This is an incredible story!


88 posted on 12/23/2005 10:54:44 PM PST by freema (Proud Marine Mom-What fools they are who doubt the ability of liberty to triumph over despotism)
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To: Battle Hymn of the Republic
Yes it is a Wow Kodak Moment that any of us can say How wonderfully generous and kind gift of love for I'm sure a deserving Marine Couple...wow...

However,to assume the financial means of the Giver of this engagement ring is greater than most of us is slightly taking away from the givers spontaneity and generosity...

My point here is simple for this time of year... that has been my personal observation on many occasions... that it is those of us within the middle class or less income... that the average Americans are the most generous people on earth!!! Katrina, 911, volunteering,giving to church charities...on and on

Look at how much our President and VP give to Charity versus Heinz Kerry, and many other dim hypocrite's like, Micheal Moore, Pelosi, Dashello...

I hope I can make a generous-gift to someone deserving too!
89 posted on 12/23/2005 11:03:45 PM PST by Turborules (Liberal Ideas today as always are a Oxymoron)
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To: presidio9
Wow! Seeing how this is "Thank a Soldier Week", what a truly fitting and remarkable story! Classy woman thanks one of our Heroes in such a sweet, unexpected way!



Have you Thanked a Soldier today?
Thank a Soldier Week is December 19th to December 25th!

90 posted on 12/23/2005 11:40:13 PM PST by cgk (I don't see myself as a conservative. I see myself as a religious, right-wing, wacko extremist.)
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To: Gordongekko909

I always feel pretty weird about offering to buy a military guy a drink or something.

Do you get a good response?


91 posted on 12/23/2005 11:42:23 PM PST by Straight Vermonter (John 6: 31-69)
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To: Gordongekko909

Thanks for the beer! :) (I had been a reciepant a time or two when I was in the service)

When I deliver pizzas If I will pick up a a delivery if I know I am delivering to military personal....

What goes around comes around... :)

God Bless this woman for her action. She is the type of person that makes you belive in the good of mankind...


92 posted on 12/24/2005 12:22:50 AM PST by Americanwolf (Support the Minutemen Civil Defense Corp...Doing the Job our government won't !)
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To: MJY1288

Merry Christmas to you and yours.....
Personally, I'm praying for a Happy New Year - one in which we destroy many of our external enemies and neutralize our internal enemies, of which we have many.

Everyone should pray for the safety and success of our young warriors that are far from their families during this season that is meant for families to be together.

Semper Fi


93 posted on 12/24/2005 2:25:17 AM PST by river rat (You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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To: rrrod

Ping.


94 posted on 12/24/2005 2:27:25 AM PST by Rebelbase (Green bean casserole is a culinary curse upon mankind.)
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To: Straight Vermonter
You'll always get a good response....

Many times, while trvelling, I've seen young Marines be unable to buy a beer at an airport.. because of age restrictions. Believe me, there is nothign sadder than seeing 4 or so young Marines, fresh out of boot camp, ( they have that incredibly scrubbed looked..newly minted..) I'll always buy a few, then walk over, put them on the table, sit down and talk with them..( and they always want to repay you...)and start reliving my youth..

95 posted on 12/24/2005 2:44:32 AM PST by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to pass on her gene pool....any volunteers?)
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To: Gordongekko909

Don't. We military folk enjoy a good beer. Thanks for your support for the military.


96 posted on 12/24/2005 2:48:35 AM PST by napscoordinator
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To: ken5050

Reading all these posts about doing kind things for our returing troops, it never crossed my mind that many aren't old enough to buy a beer until I read your post. Talk about something that just isn't right - you can die for your country but can't legally drink. That sure needs to be changed someway.

On subject, we eat out a couple of times a week and pick up the tab of anyone we see in uniform. Monday week, we saw an incredibly young couple (she was 17, he was 19) at our favorite steakhouse. He wore desert fatigues and we struck up a conversation. He had just returned home from an year in Iraq that day. We talked for a few minutes waiting to be seated, and asked our waitress to pick up their tab anonymously. They were a wise pair, and before they left they came over to our table and both hugged me. All the ladies in our party had tears in their eyes.


97 posted on 12/24/2005 3:41:34 AM PST by Quilla
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To: Quilla

Years ago, late 80's..in NOLA for a convention during Mardi Gras..Wife and I taking a late stroll up Bourbon Street to walk off a big banquet..I'm in a tux..wife is dolled up...it was her first time in NOLA, and we'd flown in that day...so she's observing the street scene..and she asks me "What's a Hurricane?"...well..as you must know..there's only ONE possible answer..so we enter the nearest tourist dive..one where you get to take home the glass after you finished your Hurricane...I figure one sip, and we're outta there...but there are 7 young Marines..in jeans and t-shirts..but I can always tell by the hair..or lack of..sittigng glumly at a table..the waitress...gourgeous creature..had just carded them..sadly..but she was under strict orders..it was some kind of a crackdown..so I asked her if I hadppened to order and pay for a dozen hurricanes, and put them down on the table next to me, would she have a "problem" with that? She beamed, gave me a big kiss..( wife wasn't happy) and brought them..and several more rounds into the night...I had a blast...one of the great components or the tradition of the Corps is that it is the only branch of our militar when the EMs glory in their belief that their training is tougher than that of their officers..They were just out of MCRD Diego..heading to LeJeune..so we had a high old time...while I did my best to convince them that back in my youth I could run ALL of them into the ground.....indeed, sometimes it seemed during my summers of PLC that's ALL we did..RUN..anywho..they ended up "escorting" us up Bourbon Street to our hotel at about 2am..two of them were carrying my wife on their shoulders....all of us singing the "Marines Hymn" loudly...We had an open breakfast at the hotel the next morning..I invited them to join me...they all showed..in uniform...they are smart, after all....and were immediately "adopted" for the morning by others there..I think every table grabbed a Marine..I didn't have one to share breakfast with..


98 posted on 12/24/2005 4:31:12 AM PST by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to pass on her gene pool....any volunteers?)
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To: Kathy in Alaska; beachn4fun; AZamericonnie; EsmeraldaA; mylife; bentfeather; Old Sarge; ...

I don't if any of you saw this thread, so here is a Great story ping.


99 posted on 12/24/2005 5:56:41 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (I never got a job from a person on a government program.)
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To: Arrowhead1952

Yes -- it's a three tissue burner isn't it!!?


100 posted on 12/24/2005 5:58:29 AM PST by StarCMC (Old Sarge is my hero...doing it right in Iraq! Vaya con Dios, Sarge.)
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