Great Story from the another site

[Super Dave]

I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 from Atlanta to San
Diego awaiting everyone to hurry and stow their carry
ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure
to be a long and uneventful flight home.
With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking
their time to stuff luggage far too big for the
overhead and never paying much attention to holding up
the ever growing line behind them, I simply shook my
head knowing that this flight was not starting out
very well and although I had a great bunch of meetings
while conducting business on this trip, it was quickly
becoming tarnished with these delays in my getting
home to my loved ones whom I had not seen in several
days.
The meetings although fruitful were long and I had not
slept well, not to mention those blasted new dress
shoes that rubbed a blister on my heel. I silently
complained and wished for the people to hurry.
I was pretty focused on "my" issues and just felt like
standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to
get their act together and focus on the objective. To
overcome the little petty things that was holding up
getting the task at hand done so we could get home!
Knowing I couldn't say anything that would really
help, I just thumbed thru the sky mall widget magazine
from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's
really getting rough when you resort to the over
priced and mostly useless sky mall crap to break the
monotony and inconvenience of the trouble "I" was going
thru.
With everyone finally on board and seated, we just sat
there with the cabin door open and seemingly no one in
any hurry to get us going even though we were well
past our scheduled take off time. The paper work had
not yet come in to the flight deck, the attendants
just stood around talking and I was so engrossed in my
sky mall that I am sure if not for the magazine I
would have let my own feelings run rampant and gotten
thrown off the plane for being so impatient with what
seemed like incompetent people running this airline.
No wonder the airline industry is in trouble I told
myself. Don't they realize we have some place we are
supposed to be? We should be treated with more
importance, after all we are the customers, right?
Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to
inform us all "that we were being delayed"...as she
paused, the entire plane let out a collective groan.
She resumed her announcement, "we are holding the
aircraft for some very special people who are on their
way to the plane and that the delay should not be more
than five more minutes. Their connecting flight had
traveled quite a long way and we would get underway
just as soon as possible."
Now, I have had this happen to me before and more
often than not, I had to catch the next flight or even
go to another carrier to get to my destination. Still,
I was grateful for the times when they waited for me,
so I thought that I would go back to my sky mall pages
and try to forget just how much "I" was being
unconvinced.
As the word came from a scrambling attendant down the
connecting tunnel to the main cabin door I thought
that maybe she had some information that would let us
know why we had been sitting there for over 30
minutes!! Had someone finally given word that after
waiting six times as long as we were first promised
that "I" was finally going to be on my way home?
I lowered my book to listen, hoping the clown
complaining on his cell phone in the seat behind me
would lower his voice so I could hear what the
attendant was going to announce. Were we lifting off?
Were we canceled? Please, I thought, no more delays, I
need my easy chair and ottoman, along with my remote
and a cold beverage.
She lifted the mic to her mouth as I watched her,
waiting on her every word..."the special passengers
have arrived at the gate and are being checked in now,
we will announce when they arrive at the door in just
a few minutes".
What?
What did she say?
Why the hoopla over when these folks get to the door?
Just get their butts in a seat and lets hit the gas, I
thought to myself.
After a few minutes we were all "locked on" when the
attendant came back on the speaker, semi expecting
some celebrity or sport figure to be announced as the
reason the aircraft was delayed so long. Who cares,
let's go!
She announced in a loud and excited voice that we were
being joined by several United States Marines
returning home from Iraq!!!!
Just as they walked onboard the entire plane erupted
into applause.
The Men were a bit taken by the surprise of the 340+
people cheering for them as they searched for their
seats. It didn't stop, they were having their hands
shook and touched by most everyone who was within an
arm's distance of them as they tried to push thru the
aisles.
Whistles, cheering, an occasional "oorrahh", one
elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the Marines as
he passed by her, and the applause didn't stop for a
very long time as they continued toward the back of
the aircraft. Everyone in the front kept it going so
long as the back of the plane was clapping. The sound
told us that the Marines had not yet found their
seats. We clapped and continued cheering without
losing any of our intensity.
When we finally got air born I am sure I was not the
only civilian checking his conscious as to the "delays
in me getting home from my 'hard business meetings',
finding my easy chair and remote, a cold beverage, and
tending to my blister".
In fact I felt pretty stupid as I am sure many did.
After what these Men had done for all of us, and I had
been complaining silently about "me" and "my issues"?
It sure made me realize that as much as I told myself
that I didn't take for granted some of the everyday
freedoms I enjoy and the convenience of the American way
of life and that it sometimes seems like a personal
attack on one of us when things don't go exactly
right...I was doing exactly that.
I was taking it for granted.
I took it for granted when Others who had really paid
the price for my ability to moan and complain (even if
it was just to myself) deserved my seat and for me to
get bumped from my seat had it come to that...let
alone a few minutes delay to me so that those HEROES
could go home to their loved ones.
Well after that, I attempted to get my BHG back in
order and minutes before we landed I suggested to the
attendant something that she followed thru with and
she announced over the speaker a request for everyone
to remain in their seats until our Hero's were allowed
to gather their things and be first off the plane.
The cheers and applause continued until the last
Marine stepped off and we all rose to go about our too
often taken for granted everyday freedoms....
I felt Proud of Them.
I felt it an Honor and a privilege to be among the
first to welcome them home and say Thank You for a job
well done.
I vowed that I will never forget that flight nor the
lesson learned.
I have said it before but I can't say it enough, THANK
YOU to those VETERANS and ACTIVE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN
who may read this and a prayer, everyday, for those
who cannot.

[Super Dave]

A follow up...I had sent this same story out to a couple of other Marine groups, most are marine Mom and Dad groups. About a couple of hours after I sent the email out I received a call from a Veitnam Vet, an Army vet. He called to thank me for sending the story out. He stated how imporntant it was to him to support and thank out troops. I, of course, thanked him for his service to our great country. After a breif discussion about me and my daughter being Marines we said our goodbyes. Just another way that Marines not only take care of ouw on..but all others as well.

Semper Fi