As the old gentleman neared though, the writing on his hat seized my attention, and I straightened up in a gesture of respect...and reflection. "WWII VETERAN" his hat announced proudly, and I stepped aside quietly out of appreciation for his duty to our country as he slowly made his way toward me.
No doubt my own father’s service in World War II makes
me even more appreciative of this fading generation of heroes. I felt a lump in my throat as the man passed by, thinking of dad, now gone these past ten years. But I was quickly jolted from my moment of sentiment as the man raised up in a moment of realization that something was amiss in his shopping cart.
Like the proud soldier he once was, the old vet did an about-face
and marched directly back to the cash register. Suddenly those once shuffling feet began to lift, right-left-right, in a straight line that would make Gen. Patton proud. I stood and curiously watched, then meandered over where I could hear what could have riled up the man so. I surmised that he must’ve realized that he been overcharged, or perhaps been short-changed.
I saw him reach down in his cart and pick up his cane and begin waving it at the cashier, though I still wasn’t close enough to hear what he was saying. He was obviously distressed over something, and honestly, I thought I might have to come to the cashier’s rescue...
Proverbs 2:7 tells us:
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
"No, ma’am, I don’t think you did," I heard the old vet say with a strong voice to the cashier, handing her his receipt with one hand, the partially raised cane in the other.
The young woman's eyes quickly scanned the receipt. Giving it a thorough once over, she looked up from the paper, with a sense of realization of her own...
"Yes sir, you’re right. I didn’t charge you for your new cane." Then, jokingly she added, "But you coulda just kept going, no one would’ve even known!"
"No, ma’am...I would’ve known," the old veteran replied, "And that just wouldn’t set well with me."
I walked on into the store and smiled to myself, grateful to have witnessed that simple act of integrity...I smiled again as I passed the $7.95 canes on display just beyond the cashier’s line.
Not that long ago, the good deed that the WW2 vet did would not have been given a second look and considered common, now when we witness such an act we are caught off guard and even surprised. Saaaaalute to you sir.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see another WWII veteran's name in the obituaries, I feel that our country has a little weaker and little more vulnerable to those who hate America. When I see a soldier today cashing in on a book deal to tell the story of his "mission accomplished," I think of my Dad who could've written the Guadalcanal Diary himself, yet he never spoke of the horrors he had witnessed at Pearl Harbor or in the battles of the Pacific. I wish I could go back and tell him how the years since his death have elevated his service in my eyes. When I hear people say they slept in on election day, it makes me sad they don't respect our soldiers' sacrifices for us to have that privilege. Some day it may all be taken away because we would rather sleep than stay on the alert.. Thank you, God for allowing us to be children of the greatest generation. Claire P.
ReplyDelete