From the Braintrust: Lessons Learned from Chance Encounter with Soldiers: Humility and Respect

~ From the Braintrust ~

This writer is immersed in the sports world most of the time, and 99.9% of the time, writes about sports. This time, however, this column is of far greater importance.

Call it: lessons learned from a pair of soldiers.

On a recent trip that took  me to West Virginia, I was at the Charleston Airport for an early morning flight to Atlanta, on Delta Airlines. This trip should have been like any other – get to the gate at the airport, board the plane, relax on the plane,etc. What I learned shortly after getting to the gate, however, was that although the flight experience itself was typical, two chance encounters with a pair of soldiers put things in perspective unlike never before.

Several soldiers were going on this flight, either returning home to see family and friends, or back to their Army base, serving our country. What I learned that day will forever be etched in my mind.

When I saw eight soldiers waiting at the gate, I walked around to each and politely offered my appreciation for their service to our country. Each greeting was met with a respectful “Thank You” in return. Nothing unusual there.

One soldier happened to be standing near me as we waited, and I again told him  I appreciated his service to our country. His response is what floored me, and I’ll share at the end of this column. You know, writer’s hook – I’ll keep you in suspense till then.

This soldier then turned to me and asked if I could help him out. Looking at his boarding ticket, he wasn’t sure what it all meant, where he would be seated. Obviously new to flying, he wasn’t familiar with what information the pass contained. After helping him out, he went on to say he worked on diesel engines for the Army, someday hoping to be a diesel mechanic. I marveled at his focus on setting a life goal while also giving his time to his country.

I then explained boarding had begun, and members of the military could board early. He seemed puzzled, but when I explained it was a courtesy, he smiled, thanked me and boarded the plane. Little did he know, though, that what he had said previously will impact me forever…

The second encounter I had was the private who sat next to me on the plane. He had his earbuds in and was relaxing prior to the plane door being shut, but akin to a light switch being turned on, his focus turned immediately to the front of the plane, to the flight attendant, once the door was closed.

For all that have flight experience, flight attendants instruct passengers with a litany of required and necessary instructions. I readily admit that after hearing these instructions on no less than 50 flights last year, tuning out the speaker has been common for me. I own that. Not any more, however.

The army private sat up and gave his complete attention to each and every detail offered by this Delta Airlines flight attendant. Respectful and considerate, no doubt. This soldier had learned to attend to the speaker, listen carefully, and show respect.

Chalk that up as a lesson learned: pay attention to the details, don’t take the simple things for granted.

Now, back to the biggest lesson I learned, from that soldier waiting to board the plane. What did he say that had a profound impact?

“Thanks, sir, for your words of support. But, I really haven’t done anything yet.”

Oh, anonymous soldier, I respectfully disagree.

A soldier just months out of high school who signed up to serve his country, but in his mind, he hasn’t done anything yet. I struggled to find the words to say in response, and simply responded that it was honorable to be serving this great country, no matter how or where.

This same soldier who wasn’t sure how to read a plane ticket, but yet can understand the complexities of military  vehicles.  In his mind, since he hadn’t been in harm’s way, he hadn’t ‘done anything’ to warrant appreciation.

Pretty amazing, to have chance encounters like these have such an impact.

Lessons learned?

Respect, humility and and pride are all around us. Thanks, soldiers, for teaching by example.

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