had a humbling experience tonight. met a fine American.

[Ender]

had about an hour to kill, so i headed to the local watering hole, intent on sitting and quietly enjoying a beer. didn't want to talk to anybody, just wanted to relax in solitude.

started off great. i didn't take any cash, and my keno numbers came in. if i would have played, it would have been $144 for me

caught snippets of some people talking, and decided to join in. ended up meeting a Marine. nice enough guy, we got to chatting about everything from school to the Iraq war to politics, etc etc.

found out we had a mutual friend for years, who neither of us have talked to in a while. was kinda weird, but funny.

4 beers on my tab (3 for me, and one i insisted on buying for him), and 3 hours later, and i called it a night after making sure he understood how i feel about people who serve this wonderful country.



i see people in uniform all the time, and feel awkward as hell just going up to a random person and saying thank you, so i don't often do it even though it would probably be appreciated....but i'm glad i got a chance to tonight.

[Car 4]

From a guy who has two kids in the military (maclean and his brother) thanks!


Car 4

[PapaBear]

When I was in (59-63) I had a couple of similar experiences. Believe me, those few moments you spent with that young man will forever be etched in his memory as a positive experience of his service. Thank you for going beyond to make a person feel appreciated.