A Complete Stranger Honored A Soldier In An Airport And It’s Beyond Beautiful
The world seems to be chock-full of bad news. But every once in a while we hear a story that warms our hearts and reminds us that good people do still exist. That was the case this Monday, Memorial day, when one man saw the opportunity to show some appreciation to a soldier who was trying to make it home to see his family.
Via Yahoo News:
An Illinois man recognized the true importance of Memorial Day when he purchased a plane ticket for a soldier so he could visit his family over the long weekend.
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U.S. Army Mechanic Keaton Tilson, 19, who was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, was able to surprise his family at their home in Granite City, Ill., thanks to the kindness of a stranger.
The random act of kindness came after he had been stuck at a Dallas airport trying to get a last-minute flight.
“He’s like, ‘Someone just bought my ticket,’” his mom, Jennifer Streicher-Tilson told InsideEdition.com. “His voice was shaky. He was getting choked up. The feeling was unreal.”
She explained her son was flying standby since he didn’t get approval for his time off until Thursday evening, but quickly realized he would have no chance to fly home either Thursday or Friday as he watched flights, and even standby lists, fill up.
“It wasn’t looking good at all for any flights that day,” Streicher-Tilson said.
That’s when good Samaritan Josh Rainey, of Glendale, Mo., intervened.
He told InsideEdition.com he was on his way home from a work trip when he noticed Tilson in full uniform standing at the ticket counter. Rainey said both he and the ticket agent looked stressed out.
When Rainey realized what was going on, “the only thing I thought of was buying him a ticket. Both the agent and soldier looked at me in disbelief [when] I handed my credit card and booked the ticket for the same flight.”
He said it was the obvious thing to do, even if it ended up costing him more than $370.
This is the kind of action that is both touching and guilt inciting. It was a beautiful thing for him to do, but it also makes us wonder why we don’t see things like this more, or why we don’t do them ourselves. Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line for us, and they deserve every ounce of gratitude we can muster. Thanks to this guy for not only extending gratitude for all of us but reminding us what honoring a hero might look like.
(Source: Yahoo News)
