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Who's Under that Bandana????

Last post 06-17-2009 12:56 PM by mharicm. 7 replies.
Page 1 of 1 (8 items)
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  • 06-13-2009 1:39 AM

    Who's Under that Bandana????

    Okay, so I'm walking the short distance to the bus stop and I pass the bank on the corner across the street from the stop.  There's a young man working on the landscaping using a hedge trimmer and making a gosh awful lot of noise.  He was wearing a bandana that was kind of neat (guess nobody says neat anymore...lol) and I've been trying to find some to send in care packages.  I had some time before the bus came so I thought to myself, go ahead, ask the guy where he got the bandana.  Then I thought....lordy, with all that noise he'll never hear me so I started down the street.   Something made me stop and turn around and go back....I stood there and patiently waited for him to look up and I motioned to him to turn off the hedge trimmer.  I asked him where he got the great bandana and he said, of all places, Wal-Mart.  I thanked him and said I had been looking for some to put in care packages to soldiers.......well let me tell you....the guy's face broke into the hugest smile I have seen in a long time.  He said thank you, thank you....maybe I got one of your packages.   I told him I send through AS and he had not heard of AS (trust me, by the time we got done talking he knew all about it).   I thanked him for his service and quite frankly in my excitement at realizing he was a veteran in disguise Stick out tongue I forgot to ask him which country he had served in. 

    Anyhow, he said he was so very happy to meet someone who actually supported the troops.  I told him that my family (brother, SIL, and the kids) all think I am crazy for spending money on care packages.   He said so many times he has met people who support the troops and that is where it ends...that simple statement... the don't  actually do anything tangible to show their support.  He once again reiterated that it is not what is in the box but the fact that someone actually believes in what they guys/gals are doing and realizes the blanket of freedom they are providing and cares enough to send a little piece of home, share a little bit of their heart.  He said that he is now considered a disabled veteran because of damage that was done to his knees so he is out of the service  but that some of his fondest memories will be the care packages he and his friends had received.   He said please, please don't stop sending....no matter what you send, how seemingly insignificant, it's value is absolutely priceless to those on the receiving end.

     Sooooooooo that was my warm fuzzy for the day....I rode the bus all the way to work thinking, you just never know whoSmile you might find under a bandana and I really do think Someone had a hand in making me turn around and go back after I'd passed him by the first time.

  • 06-13-2009 2:47 AM In reply to

    Re: Who's Under that Bandana????

     Awwww!!! What a great story! :)

    Helping our heroes keep in touch with home.....
    Operation Write Home
  • 06-13-2009 3:33 AM In reply to

    • VickiV
    • Top 10 Contributor
    • Joined on 05-29-2007
    • Southern California
    • Posts 919

    Re: Who's Under that Bandana????

     Rosepeddles,

    That is a wonderful story.  I am sure it warmed your heart to actually meet a veteran that had been there, wherever it was, and let you know how important the support is.  Thanks for sharing your experience.

    Vicki

    Vicki
    Very proud mother of a deployed United States Marine
  • 06-13-2009 7:15 AM In reply to

    Re: Who's Under that Bandana????

    THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

    Am i  the only one who gets tired- sometimes wondering if the boxes arrive, tired of not having enough cash, thinking about if I am making a difference or not and then...then you share a story like that.

    I have not stopped sending boxes but I was wondering about slowing down. But your story has made me more encouraged then ever.

    The FIVE gals who will get boxes today because of your story will also thank you.Wink

    It's time to show the world that more of us SUPPORT our troops than don't! If you support our troops then stand tall! And if you don't stand behind our troops, then please FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !!!!!!!!!
  • 06-13-2009 8:56 AM In reply to

    • Gran
    • Top 10 Contributor
    • Joined on 05-14-2007
    • rural central Arkansas
    • Posts 1,982

    Re: Who's Under that Bandana????

    I suppose all of us get a little goose-bumpy when we see a person in uniform, but we have no way to know how many strangers we see who are not in uniform have served.  That story is one of the reasons we continue, although less prolifically (is that a word?) to spend money from our very tiny nest egg, spending all our off-springs' inheritance unless the great Lord in his wisdom sees a way for us to win the lottery without buying any tickets - LOL!  It really gives me pangs in the pit of my stomach to think of the troops so far from home and comforts who don't get any recognition from their family.

    Gran
    What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.
    Albert Pine
  • 06-14-2009 8:17 PM In reply to

    Re: Who's Under that Bandana????

    Rose........What a lovely story........and it is truly things like that that give the warm fuzzy.     YES.....someone had a hand in making you turn around and approach him.   And I'm sure you're grateful that you did......chance meeting......or divine intervention........

    Thanks for sharing......we should all take this as a lesson.....if your insides are telling you to do something  (or not do something)......there's good reason for it Smile

    Have a great week everyone.........Love peace and blessings

     

    Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to GOD.

    The picture is a recent one of my precious GRAND daughters (Nevaeh and Shavonne)

  • 06-15-2009 1:04 AM In reply to

    Re: Who's Under that Bandana????

    What a wonderful 'chance' meeting.  It's really good to hear from another source that the packages really do help!

  • 06-17-2009 12:56 PM In reply to

    • mharicm
    • Top 500 Contributor
    • Joined on 06-13-2009
    • tucson az
    • Posts 8

    Re: Who's Under that Bandana????

    that story made me cry!

     

    Crying

    I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~Abraham Lincoln


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