Our veterans are our heroes. These are the people who stepped up to protect our country when we needed it the most. They sacrificed their time, their health, and even their lives to keep us safe. Unfortunately, many veterans encounter unexpected hardships when they return home.
Unless a soldier has served for a certain amount of time, the benefits they receive after their homecoming are quite limited. It is heartbreaking to watch someone who sacrificed everything struggle to make ends meet. One man’s story is truly touching. When a news crew heard about his plight, they couldn’t help but help him.
It was a sunny day in Las Vegas, and the Fox 5 Surprise Squad headed to the local Albertsons. They wanted to do something special for the residents, so they selected random customers and paid for their groceries. Dave Hall headed the team. He approached several people who were just about to check out. When he asked if he could pay for their groceries, it made their day every time.
The employees watched as the crew assisted several random customers, and they clued them in on the regulars who needed the help the most. One cashier was almost in tears – she was so happy to see these acts of kindness brightening each person’s face.
Finally, Dave introduced himself to a woman named Stephanie. She was a disabled veteran, and she relied on her wheelchair to get around. Stephanie explained that she was buying food for herself and her dogs. Without much financial assistance, she was really struggling. She admitted to Dave that she was down to her last $50. She didn’t know what she would do after that.
Of course, Dave was thrilled to help her. He paid for the entire cost of the groceries, and Stephanie couldn’t have been more grateful. That’s when Dave noticed the man standing behind her.
“Is this your husband?” he asked. Actually, the man was a friend of her husband. This man, named Larry, was another veteran who had been in the same club as Stephanie’s husband.
The club, Bones For Blankets, focused on donating blankets to homeless veterans. Larry had started the organization 16 years previously, after he tragically lost three of his brothers. They had all frozen to death. The experience locked into Larry’s mind just how important sharing resources is.
Larry explained that Stephanie’s husband was a truck driver and that his job caused him to be away a lot. Larry drove the woman everywhere she needed to go. Sympathetic to her struggle, he wanted to do whatever he could to make her life easier. “No vet should be going through what she’s going through,” he declared.
Larry drove Stephanie to the grocery store, even though he himself couldn’t afford to buy groceries. As he stood in the check out line, he only held a bottle of mouthwash and a piece of candy.
Dave couldn’t let this man walk out without any food in his cart. “You served us,” he told the veteran. “It’s our turn to serve you now.”
Larry’s eyes were watery as he walked with Dave back into the aisles. As they shopped, he shared his story. They filled the cart to the brim with food and toiletries. It was much more than the man had expected when he got out of bed that morning.
The veteran admitted that he was overwhelmed with the kindness he was being shown. He had taken care of himself since he was a teenager, and now a stranger showed up out of the blue just to buy him food. He even offered to repay Dave in some way, to which the reporter replied that he had already done his part. “We try to do good things for good people, Larry, so you deserve this,” Dave told him.
When they finished checking out, Larry mentioned that he had never spent that much on groceries before. You could tell by the look on his face just how much this moment meant to him.
Larry thanked Dave wholeheartedly, then he was on his way. He left the grocery store, but the value of the moment is something that will never fade.
It is impossible to tell what someone is going through just by looking at them. When Dave first spoke to Larry, he had no idea that this man had done so much for others. Now the veteran has felt the impact of his good karma coming back to him.
Veterans struggle every day because of limited resources. If you would like to help heroes like Larry, follow this link.
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