All,
Every year at this time, friends email me heartwarming stories of the greetings and hospitality received by our US Troops while in transit, to and from the Middle East war zones. Although things were a bit different when I was in that situation 40 years ago, I did have one experience that will stay with me always.
Having just turned 19, I had been in the Marines for about 6 months in early 1969, when I found myself at Dulles International Airport (Washington, D.C.), waiting for a flight to take me home to California for two weeks leave before heading to Viet Nam. All I had was my uniform, my sea bag, a standby ticket and about $4 in my pocket. I found that the next available flight was in the late afternoon on the next day, so I was going to have to spend the night in the airport with little to eat.
A United Airlines manager in a suit recognized my plight, and when his work day was over he insisted upon taking me to his big fancy house in Maryland, fed me supper and provided me with a nice big bed in one of several extra bedrooms to sleep in. (The kind of bedroom that looked like "Washington slept here".) The next day he fixed breakfast for me, drove me to Baltimore Friendship Airport, took my standby ticket and gave me a first class seat on a morning non-stop United flight to L. A.
I will never forget what a complete stranger did for me and I take every opportunity to repay the favor in kind. If you've never been there, you have no idea how much a little consideration means to our men and women in uniform.
Randy Holst
Semper Fi
Every year at this time, friends email me heartwarming stories of the greetings and hospitality received by our US Troops while in transit, to and from the Middle East war zones. Although things were a bit different when I was in that situation 40 years ago, I did have one experience that will stay with me always.
Having just turned 19, I had been in the Marines for about 6 months in early 1969, when I found myself at Dulles International Airport (Washington, D.C.), waiting for a flight to take me home to California for two weeks leave before heading to Viet Nam. All I had was my uniform, my sea bag, a standby ticket and about $4 in my pocket. I found that the next available flight was in the late afternoon on the next day, so I was going to have to spend the night in the airport with little to eat.
A United Airlines manager in a suit recognized my plight, and when his work day was over he insisted upon taking me to his big fancy house in Maryland, fed me supper and provided me with a nice big bed in one of several extra bedrooms to sleep in. (The kind of bedroom that looked like "Washington slept here".) The next day he fixed breakfast for me, drove me to Baltimore Friendship Airport, took my standby ticket and gave me a first class seat on a morning non-stop United flight to L. A.
I will never forget what a complete stranger did for me and I take every opportunity to repay the favor in kind. If you've never been there, you have no idea how much a little consideration means to our men and women in uniform.
Randy Holst
Semper Fi
