It is nice to know that there are people like you who can make the distinction between supporting a war and supporting the troops. I only wish my predecessors in the military had been so lucky.

I
 would like to make a request. If you know a veteran or maybe see one on the way to work, maybe you could do something nice for them, too. These days, people in the military get much more support, but this was not so in the past.  The memories these noble people have to live with usually haunt them terribly, and it might mean a lot to them for someone to notice them.
 

Before I joined the military, I used to take the same route to work every day and there was this guy who used to sit in the shade of an overpass.  He was there every day, rain or shine.  I am ashamed to say that, at the time. I just wrote him off as yet another homeless person on the streets.

I did, that is, until one day, when I drove by, I noticed him wearing an old green Army top with a lot of ribbons on it. It occurred to me that this man was a veteran.  To this day, I still don't know exactly why I did it, but I stopped at a nearby fast food place and picked up two meals.  I drove back to where he was and sat down next to him. He looked at me a little strangely, so I said ,

"You hungry?" And he replied to me,

"I could eat."

So I gave him one of the meals.  We didn't say a word while we sat there and ate together.  When we were finished,  he looked at me and held out his hand for me to shake.   I took it and he said ,

"Thanks."

I had no idea what happened to this guy.  I never saw him in the same spot again.  It wasn't until I went to the same fast food place about a month later that I saw him again.  He was working there.

We recognized each other right away, but didn't say anything to each other.  He took my order, gave me my food and reached across the counter to shake my hand again.  Once again he said,

"Thanks," smiled, and went back to work.

It had never occurred to me before that something as simple as a meal could mean so much to someone. Those were the only two words he ever said to me, but it was sincere and conveyed a world of emotion.

I now know there was a reason for why I stopped and shared a meal with a man that I didn't know. I spent $5.00 on the meal and twenty minutes of my time eating with him, but I gained so much more in return.  To give so little and be able to change someone's life is a profound thing.

I wanted to share this story with you because it was a defining moment in my life. Someone was definitely guiding me that day.  This man needed to know that someone cared about what happened to him.

I wish I had been able to get to know this man or at least learn his name, but that didn't seem to be what he wanted. He just needed that little nudge. Maybe someone near you is waiting for that little nudge. You will never know unless you try.

~ This email was written to me three days ago by Sergeant Dan Coursen. He adds, "Once again, thank you for all your support. I look forward to receiving your packages and sharing them with my buddies. God Bless. ~

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