Lincoln

The level of excitement the general public obtains when they see a soldier in uniform out in public never ceases to amaze me . From simple waves of appreciation, to people offering to pay for our meals after we have eaten, the general public has a healthy respect for the men and women that wear the uniform. But it is the youngest of these enthusiasts that always amazes me the most.

We had an unfortunate accident that landed one of our soldiers in the emergency room in Sparta Wisconsin. The injured soldier was fine and therefore the wait wasn't long and before we knew it we were on the road looking for a place to eat. We finally agreed on a local pizza joint, made our way in and sat down. After a few rounds of appetizers our pizza was finally delivered. Our waitress asked us if we needed anything else, in her unmistakable northern accent and then left us to eat peacefully. Just as we began to pass out the first pieces and begin to take our first bites there was a young boy that ran up to our table and with his loudest voice said “THANK YOU” and then froze as though waiting for us to perform a dance number for him. He was probably about 4 years old, blond disheveled hair, bright green eyes and covered in tomato sauce, pepperoni grease and other pizza goop. The three of us sitting there did our best to mirror his enthusiasm. After a round of high fives and the childish smile and silly wave we all seem to give to little children he said “I'm Lincoln” and he was from Sparta Wisconsin. We asked him a few questions that were relevant to his age which he also answered in what seemed to be his loudest voice. After he had exhausted all of our questions following a quick wave and a loud “BYE”, he went back to his table with his family. Shortly there after we saw him trotting towards the door and just before he stepped out he gave us on more big wave good bye and a pizza covered smile.

Of all the noble professions that children elect to hold while dreaming of adult hood, being a soldier is generally at the top of their list. For some, it's the novelty of the uniform and some it's the fact that you can carry a gun and for even more it's because they want the bravery that they associate with a soldier. It's these childlike understandings of what a soldier is about, that makes it the job that I enjoy the most. Because there are so few times that most soldiers get to carry a gun or exhibit their true combat bravery, often times those childhood dreams may never be obtained, however every child that ever becomes a soldier displays their bravery and carries the biggest guns, in the imaginations of the children that admire them.

I don't know much about Lincoln and don't know anything about what his life has in store for him but I certainly hope that he will forever remember the day he met the soldiers at Pizza Hut just as much as I will remember the day I met him and all his energy.

Cup of Cold Water

“...Where even a cup of cold water is given in My name, I am there”

Last Saturday, my day started some where around 3 am. And took me on a journey across the country with 65 other soldiers. After the formalities came some serious circumstance. We were already pushing a time limit to the closest minute, and thirty dreary eyed and groggy soldiers loaded on a bus, became stranded when the bus ran out of the will to run. As we were stranded on the side of I30 just east of 820 we began to wait. When the sun crept into the bus the soldiers began to spill out on to the hillside facing the freeway trying to catch a breeze and some fresh air. The temperature wasn't unbearable but by no means was it comfortable. The sun was shining and there was very little shade.

After enduring nearly an hour of passer byes, wavers and honkers, there was a truck nearly a quarter mile from where we were sitting, cruising towards us on the freeway with his right blinker blinking as the driver slowly eased on his break in preparation to pull over.

He was an electrician, he wasn't very tall, dark skin and muscular. His white shirt didn't have any sleeves on it and his shorts were well worn. He didn't say much, he simply opened the tailgate and said “Would you like some cold water”. He had a box with a liner and 3 cases of water and some ice that he felt we could use. He shook a few hands as the soldiers unloaded the cargo and he left. And with that a long wait just got a little more bearable.

The truth of the matter is that we would have been alright whether this man had stopped or not but he didn't stop to see IF we are all okay, he stopped to see that we STAYED okay.

So as we each go through our days I encourage all of us to pay attention to the “uniforms” that people wear. Whether it's a mother with little ones following her into the grocery store that may need a door held for just a little longer or someone stuck in a situation where a simple cup of cold water can make a bad situation more bearable, lets remember to take the time to offer what “water” we can to those that we encounter.