On this veteran's day

[nadinbrzezinski]

I went to the commisary to get my groceries for the week... one way we expand our grocery bill.

Now I have not done that regularly since we lived on Base in Hawaii. So today, Veteran's day a young couple was in front of me

For whatever reason their WIC was not working... I'd guess this is a young enlisted. So I told the cashier... put the milk on my tab.

Marine looks a little embarrased, and I told him, one day when you are old enough and have a better income, you'll do the same for a young E-3 and his family. It was him, his wife and his two young children, one still a baby

The point of the story is... this guy is on givernment assistance while the Mercs are making five, at times six times as much a month... and they can quit any time they want... while this young Marine can't.

Think about it on this day...

[Rick Myers]

1. A lovely gesture!!!

And a terrible comment on the State of our Union! That you could serve your nation and need to be on assistance...

A Veteran's Day SALUTE to you!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. A veteran day's salute to you too

I've done this in the past, in Hawaii... but it is always shocking and today it is even more shocking... since a Blackwater piece of trash makes what they make.

[H2O Man]

3. Thank you. n/t

[lonestarnot]

4. Thanks NB!

:hug:

[Kajsa]

5. Nadin,

That was beautiful!

It is shameful how are servicemen and women are treated.

You truly deserve a big salute, yourself.

:patriot:

[TomInTib]

6. Good for you.

That reminds me...

I cannot recall the year, but I was going back to Texas for leave and it was right before Christmas.

Caught a boat to Pearl Harbor and went to Honolulu Int'l (wearing Dress Whites) to pick up my ticket home.

Got to the counter and the lady told me it would be $190.

I told her that I had been quoted a military rate of $90 and that I didn't have that kind of cash on me (I was making maybe $500/mo.)

She then told me that if I missed the flight, I couldn't get another on for 2-3 days.

I was absolutely crestfallen.

Guy (with teenage son) behind me says, "He's not going to miss this flight."

He paid for my whole fare and gave me $500 cash.

I stood there at that counter and cried like a child.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. I can bet that man was a vet himself

and I am the one crying now...

[TomInTib]

9. I will take never forget it.

Never.

I still get really emotional whenever I think about that single act of kindness and compassion.

And I have paid back that favor countless times over the past 3+ decades.

Food Stamp mothers whose kids want some cookies, students short on funds, people forced to decide what to leave at the checkstand, etc.

They invariably smile and look at me really puzzled-like.

Wondering why this guy is all teary while he is making them all happy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. I have never had anybody do that for me

but... when I was a young medic in Tijuana, during the winter I used to go to the surprlus store and buy the one dollar military blankets... we used to leave them behind with poor families who lived in conditions most Americans in major cities cannot imagine. Two or three of those blankets meant survival.

Then again, there is the family that we delivered the kid on Christmas Eve... we were all teary eyed...

They were working class... for the next ten years they insisted in buying us turkey... so I guess I have had the karma come back.

But many years ago I learned you do it because we are all human... and at the most basic level we need to help each other.

The most touching thing I saw though was a very poor family.... they could not afford toys for the kids... hell they could not afford a descent dinner. The kids made "gifs" for mom an dad from scraps of paper... and you know what? That family was happy... even if struggling. They were surprised when I, and my partner, went to Costco and bought them a turkey and all them fixings and brought it to them in between emergency calls. The original emergency was over an ashtma attack... and after we were able to treat in the field, we left a bunch of inhalers. They were surprised by the whole thing...

So I guess I have been doing this for many years... it is just done.

;-)

[TomInTib]

14. Christmas when I was a kid.

We were desperately poor. We mostly bartered for most of what we needed.

Around Christmas, my Mother would go into town and pick up a couple of copies of the Sears, Roebuck catalog at the catalog store.

We would each, independently, go through those catalogs and cut out a bunch of things that we would like to give one another.

Then we would write essays on why we wanted to give those particular "gifts" to one another.

Those were the best Christmases of my life.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. I'm Jewish

so I did my December 24 shift every year religious in order to send a medic home for dinner with the family... my partner was quite the agnostic... and he sent a driver home

And during Holy Mass it was us and the poor dispatcher covering a city of 1.2 million

I still remember the night the Padre started to scold us... for not going up to mass.. .and instead running an inventory and getting meds issued

Then he was red faced once he realized I was Jewish, and my partner didn't believe in any creative force.

He actually blessed the rig... with holy water, before going up to officiate mass... hoping no rado, or telephone would squak... I think it was the St Michael's prayer, but I'm not sure.

You know I remember those nights, and apreciate them...

Now the blessing of my rig, that was kind of strange....

Now that was a quiet night... and Chirstmas had always a weird quality to it as a shift. It was either BUSY like you would not believe, or so quiet that you got cold and went to get something hot to drink.

[Gregorian]

12. I love that.

There is nothing greater than hope. I know now more than ever that we are all dependent on each other.

I wish I could put my finger on why I feel so strongly about the greatness and goodness that comes from helping. I think it's so deep I can't even understand it.

[antigop]

8. Thanks for sharing. n/t

[Gregorian]

10. One fourth of our vets are homeless.

It's heartbreaking.

Bless you. It warms my heart to hear stories like this. We're all in this together. United.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. We are.... and every tme it is done the recipients get a little shocked

I know