A little bit of kindness goes a long way and sometimes we hear things that we know we could help with. As one man prepared for a flight he noticed a group of men that appeared to be getting ready to board a plane with him. They were clearly a bunch of soldiers who were either on their way or arriving from duty. This silent observer decided that he needed to do something for these loyal men who were serving their country after hearing something startling. He knew that he would need some help and that meant a quick chat with one of the friendly flight attendants.
Meet Denny
At the heart of this story is a traveler named Denny Kuklich. He had flown a lot in his life and knew just how to prepare both for a long haul or a short-haul flight. He and his fellow passengers had filed onto the plane and seated themselves when he saw the group of soldiers milling about.
He felt that it was his duty to ensure that these men were as comfortable as possible which meant he quickly needed to make some adjustments.
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Getting Seated
After most of the passengers had boarded the plane and seated themselves, Denny continued to gaze at everyone around him. He had a window seat because he liked to rest his head against the wall and doze.
There was a group at the front of the plane through which had yet to seat itself and Denny continued to watch them with great interest. All the soldiers were wearing their uniforms and milling around trying to get settled themselves. There were ten soldiers in total and Denny was curious about where they were coming from and what they had done to protect their country.
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Getting To Know The Soldiers
As luck would have it, some of the soldiers came and sat down next to Denny. As soon as the flight lifted off Denny started chatting to his neighbors and asked them about where they were headed. The soldiers were more than happy to answer all of Denny’s questions and immediately informed him they were heading to a base in Petawawa for some extra training before they were deployed in Afghanistan.
Denny was shocked to hear this and began to think about what a service these soldiers were doing for their country. As he began to ponder this the flight attendants came by with lunch.
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Lunch For Sale
As with most domestic flights these days, the lunch was not included in the price of the flight. It would cost $5 if you wanted one and Denny knew that he was starving. He started searching for a $5 bill to hand to the flight attendant for his meal.
That was when he heard the soldiers discussing how expensive lunch was and how they would rather just wait until they arrived at their destination and could get some free food in the mess hall on base. Denny couldn’t help but be surprised that these men were going to forego lunch on a lengthy flight.
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Something Isn’t Right
The flight attendant handed Denny his lunch which he immediately began to unpack on his fold-down tray. All ten of the soldiers had opted to not purchase a meal which Denny found very unsettling. These men needed to eat and keep their strength up for what was to come. That was when he made a snap decision and decided to do something good.
He asked the two soldiers sitting in his row if they would let him out so that he could go and discuss the matter with the flight attendants. The men quickly got up and let him pass by.
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Lunch For Ten
As Denny approached the flight attendant with the lunch trolley he began to assess if there were still a few left. After asking her if she had ten for sale, she quickly said, “Of course.” There were plenty of lunches left for those wishing to purchase them.
Denny removed $50 from his wallet and said that this would cover the lunches for the ten men who were aboard the plane and about to head off to serve their country.
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Lunch Is Served
The flight attendant looked at Denny, and then shared a very personal story with him. She had had a son who was also in the military and had served in Iraq. She thought this gesture of his was for him in a certain way.
She hoped that if someone had noticed him going hungry that they too would have bought him a meal. Denny felt like he had made the right decision and could finally enjoy his meal alongside the soldiers.
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Chicken Or Beef?
As Denny tucked into his lunch with gusto the flight attendant he had spoken to returned to his row. She wanted to know if he preferred chicken or beef which just confused him. He didn’t know why he would need further meal options.
This lunch would get him through to his final destination where he could then have a nice hot meal with his family and friends. He answered the question feeling very confused.
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Another Meal
After a quick restroom break, Denny was back in his seat and yet another meal was placed in front of him. Instead of a cold sandwich, it was piping hot meal from First Class. The flight attendants had decided to thank Denny in a small way for his act of kindness towards the soldiers on board.
After he finished his second lunch he got up once more to make his way to the bathroom when all of a sudden a hand shot out and stopped him.
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Another Helping Hand
The hand actually belonged to another fellow passenger and not one of the soldiers. As another silent observer on the flight, this passenger had seen everything Denny had done and decided he wanted to take part in the kind gesture.
He took $25 from his wallet and reimbursed Denny for half the cost of the lunches for the soldiers. Denny was dumbfounded, all he did was buy some men a meal to help them on their way.
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A Pilot’s Thanks
It turned out that the entire airplane now knew about what Denny had done and everyone wanted to commend him on this small act of kindness. The pilot who was captaining the flight removed himself from the cockpit and made his way over to Denny in Economy.
He wanted him to know that he had heard what he had done for the soldiers and that back in his air force days someone had done the same for him. Denny now had the thanks of the entire plane.
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A Round Of Applause
Slowly, all of the passengers around Denny began to clap until the entire plane was clapping. Denny was beside himself, all he had wanted to do was buy a meal for some deserving servicemen. It was them who truly deserved that applause not him and he wanted everyone to know that.
He thanked everyone and the plane began to quiet down and the flight continued on its way. It was wild how a small gesture could create such an outpouring of love.
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Nap Time
After all of the excitement surrounding the lunches, Denny began to nod off. Eventually, he fell completely asleep and when he woke up the plane was landing. Everyone stood up and disembarked. Right as Denny reached up to grab his bag from the overhead compartment a man slid him $25 and left the plane.
Now the $50 Denny had spent had been fully reimbursed by other passengers on the plane. Denny was pleased that his gesture may spark future ones by other people.
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Another Small Act Of Kindness
All of the soldiers were milling around the arrivals area as they waited to collect their luggage and be ferried over to their base. Denny knew that there was one last thing he needed to do for them and decided to go over and wish them well as they prepared for their deployment.
As he approached them he extended the $50 that the other two passengers had given to him. This money wasn’t for him, it was intended for them.
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Grab A Quick Bite
Denny wanted to share some parting remarks with these men in uniform. He told them that he wished them the best on their deployment and he knew that it would take them some time to reach their base.
He hoped that this $50 might come in handy if they stopped at a diner or gas station along the way to purchase some snacks. He never wanted a soldier to go hungry when they were meant to be doing important work for all of his country’s citizens.
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Best Wishes
After Denny’s encounter with the soldiers, he began to really think about what it means to serve his country. These men were doing a necessary but dangerous job and he hoped that they would be safe along the way.
He saw being in the military as the kind of job you do when you are willing to put your country before everything else, including your life. It is not a life for everyone and that is what makes those who decide to do it so commendable.
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A Social Media Share
After some careful consideration, Denny decided to post about this experience on Facebook to raise awareness about what it is like to be a member of the American military. He wanted other people to consider being generous when they see a serviceman or woman who might need a meal or going without something.
These are the heroes of society and if somebody has the power or financial means to make their lives a little bit easier for a few minutes they should.
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Overwhelming Support
As soon as the post went live on social media people from around the globe began to share and comment on it. Everybody had something kind to say or even their own stories of what they had done to help soldiers on their way.
This event happened in 2016, and the story has continued to trend with around 350,000 people liking it, commenting or sharing it. Knowing that people are out there caring about soldiers has really helped the soldiers’ families.
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A Support Network
Some of the comments came from the veterans themselves. One veteran who had sometimes questioned whether or not the public supported the military said that acts of kindness like this restored his faith in the public and their support for the dangerous operations that the military has to go through to protect their country.
Denny realized that his small gesture had actually touched the hearts of men and women around the country and he was thrilled.
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Some Negative Responses
Like anything that goes viral, some comments were less than flattering and a few users decided to question the authenticity of Denny’s story. A debate began to rage about whether Denny was just trying to make himself look good.
Other people thought the soldiers may not even have been American but Canadian and Denny was simply confused. In any case, it didn’t matter where they were from, they were still helping their country and deserve respect.
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A Good Act Creates More Good Acts
The commentators were all able to settle on one thing though. This was a kind gesture and other people should take note of it and begin to perform their small acts of kindness both for soldiers and anyone who they see who needs one.
Whether or not this story is true, one thing is certain, everyone can benefit from a kind word or gesture especially if they look like they need it. A smile never hurt anyone either.
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Staying Humble
A lot of people feel very uncomfortable when they are given recognition for a kind act and this can actually prevent them from doing it. Most people do not want to be lauded for their actions, they simply want to do something kind and let it be anonymous.
This means that some people will even avoid doing anything that will get them noticed but don’t let this prevent you from helping someone in need!
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Don’t Be Afraid
Even if you feel that you don’t deserve recognition for your act of kindness, don’t let the fear of being in the spotlight stop you. Everyone should be performing kind gestures because one day you yourself might need one.
As the saying goes, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This holds true for all of us, and these soldiers definitely benefited from Denny’s kind gesture. This is an example for us all to follow.