One thing American Airlines should be commended for is their treatment of U.S. soldiers. I truly debated if I should write about this or not. I don’t want it to look like I did it for anything other than what it was … the right thing to do. But I’m hoping that bringing attention to it just might inspire others to do the same. RELATED: Escorting a Fallen Soldier Home Turned an Ordinary Flight Into the Most Extraordinary Flight of My Life
This happened a while back but here’s the story, which I think is as relevant today as it was then: After getting on a particular flight, I had a bird’s eye view of boarding from seat 1E, a comfortable bulkhead seat on a 757 jet. I always look down into my travel journal once I get on early so I don’t feel the envious eyes of coach passengers. But I perked up when I heard the flight attendant welcome a soldier onboard. I looked up and sure enough, a fully decked-out army man was standing in the aisle.
There are 48 ways to honor a veteran this veteran's day.
He left when I gave up my seat. I asked the friendly flight attendant if I could switch seats with the soldier and she almost made me cry. You will make his day when he arrives in Afghanistan. He had a tear in his eye when he said farewell to his family.
I became emotional and wondered what would happen if I couldn't see my family for a long time. When I spotted him on his cell phone in the aisle seat, I was hoping he wasn't in a middle seat. He got up when I said I was going to the window seat. I told him that he had been moved to 1E. He apologized. I said thank you for your service. The man behind him asked if he was giving him his first class seat. I smiled and nodded, but the man continued to say, "That's a beautiful thing." The soldier was a young man. He told me that I had to pay for that seat. It cost me a few upgrade certificates. When he looked at me, he thought I was the nicest guy in the world, but in reality, I was just one of millions who had taken these brave men and women for granted. It's no longer possible.
I felt like I was Gandhi as the flight attendants gave me drinks. When another flight attendant found out that I was the guy who gave up his seat, she demanded that I pay for the sandwich I paid for. There was another soldier sitting across the aisle from me, but I only had one seat to give. The flight attendant told me that the soldiers always get free food. That is admirable. I heard a flight attendant say, "Thank you very much for serving our country and doing what you do." Most of the people on the plane clapped when the crew publicly thanked the soldiers on-board for their service and wished them good fortune in Afghanistan and Iraq.
American Airlines, you've done a great job.
American Airlines treats our military well.
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