Posted on 11/10/2004 6:16:18 AM PST by Max Combined
I was at the airport last night to pick my wife up. She's been in the PI for a month and a half.
Got to talking to a young Marine. Seems like he had a 36 hour layover in KC and the airline had sent his duffle bag ot Cancoun, Mexico. It had everything in it. His clothes, his money, his ATM and credit cards.
The airline gave him a couple of the small pillows and a couple of the thin airline blankets and told him they would have his duffle to him about 2:00 PM the next day. His next flight didn't leave until 11:00 PM.
I asked him if he would take some help if it was offered. He said sure.
I told him that we would stick around to pick up my wife and then he could come home with us, stay the night, eat a couple of good meals, and I would take him back to the airport the next day.
You should have seen the look of increduality on his face!
He said to me, "You don't know me. Why would you offer to do that for me?"
I just said that I had been in the military, been stuck in airports with no luggage, and wished that someone had done it for me.
He came home with us and slept the night. He's at my house right now with my wife feeding him up nicely with some Italian beef sandwiches, pepperincinis, and iced tea.
He's headed back to Fallujah. He had 12 days leave after 14 months in Iraq.
I figure it's the least I could do for one of our servicemen.
You're a good man Just another Joe.
God Bless you and your wife.
What a wonderful story, Joe.
God bless you Joe. This is something the young soldier will NEVER forget!!! Thanks from ALL of us!
God Bless him. God Bless you for reaching out. I was in his shoes (airports in uniform with 12-20 hour waits) a few times but never in combat.
Tell him this USAF Cold War Warrior said Semper Fi!
I would rather this young Marine remember Kansas City for the family that gave him a place to sleep and a meal than the airline that wouldn't even get him a room.
Bump.
Got stuck like that a few times but some old timers taught me well never to be seperated from my bucks. I usually wore a moneybelt under my uniform just to be on the safe side. However its one of the best advertisements for airport USOs there can be.
They're set up for just cases and more than once I took them up on their offer of a hot shower and the use of an ironing board and iron. Kept the MPs off my six.
Great folks that volunteer to work in those facilities. Too bad there aren't more of them in more airports.
Limbaugh mentioning this pic now :)
KCI doesn't have chit for an airport USO.
Ft Leavenworth wouldn't even give him a room to sleep in.
I also was never seperated from my bucks but been in airports, in uniform, with no luggage and no place to stay. Just figured I would rather give him a good memory than a bad one.
You gave him a very good memory, that he will most likely share with his buddies when he gets back to duty.
Limbaugh mentioning this pic now :)
I'm listening to Rush too and heard him mention the pic. I LOVE all these pictures! No metrosexuals anywhere to be found, thank goodness - only real men.
God bless our troops!
Coming from him, these words are huge.
Michael Moore said that we were "sending our children to Fallujah to die ! "
Has the media mislead us?
For the record, his unit is Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
No media outlet has gotten it correct yet.
Semper Fi, and Happy Birthday Marines.
Excellent story, Joe, God Bless!
ASHLEY GILBERTSON for NYT Troops captured the mayor's office, two mosques, a commercial center and other major objectives in the heart of downtown Falluja.
Actually thats my point there are not enough USO facilities in airports these days especially in view of may be a long war with many troops traveling.
He said to me, "You don't know me. Why would you offer to do that for me?"
You could have said the same thing to him. God bless our troops - keep them safe.
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