It doesn’t take a lot to complete an act of kindness. But as we know though, just one can make a big difference, and sometimes even lead to many more.
A passenger named Denny Kukich had the chance to see first-hand the effects of his random kind act, in a heartwarming story that’s gone viral. It all took place on an aircraft that was headed out east.
The following story was shared by Love What Matters on their Facebook page. It begins with Denny getting situated on the plane like normal, unaware of what was to come.
“I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. ‘I’m glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,’ I thought.”
Before the airplane departed, a group of soldiers came walking down the aisle and sat in the empty seats surrounding Denny.
He decided to spark up a conversation with one of them.
‘Where are you headed?’ I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. ‘Petawawa. We’ll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we’re being deployed to Afghanistan.’
An hour into the flight, there was an announcement that sack lunches could be purchased for $5 each.
Since there were still a few hours to go, Denny quickly concluded that a meal would “help pass the time.” That’s when he overheard a couple of soldiers talking about the sack lunches.
“As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. ‘No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn’t be worth five bucks. I’ll wait till we get to base.’ His friend agreed.”
Denny glanced around and noticed that none of the soldiers were purchasing lunches. So, he got up from his seat.
“I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. ‘Take a lunch to all those soldiers.’ She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. ‘My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it’s almost like you are doing it for him.'”
The flight attendant grabbed ten lunch sacks for the soldiers, but on her way to deliver them, she had a question for Denny.
“She stopped at my seat and asked, ‘Which do you like best – beef or chicken? ”Chicken,’ I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. ‘This is your thanks..'”
The acts of kindness continued on.
“After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. ‘I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.’ He handed me twenty-five dollars.”
Not long after Denny sat back down in his seat, he noticed the Flight Captain walking down the aisle towards him.
When he got to the row, he smiled at Denny and extended his hand – saying, “I want to shake your hand.” Once the passenger stood and took his hand, the Flight Captain had something else to say. Turns out, there was a special reason why the kind gesture meant so much to the Captain.
“With a booming voice he said, ‘I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.’ I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.”
A different passenger also wanted to show his appreciation and contribute towards the soldiers’ meals as well.
The story continues:
“Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.”
Upon arrival, Denny prepared to walk off of the plane. But before he exited, another stranger wanted to perform an act of kindness too.
“Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!”
Denny spotted the soldiers in the terminal getting ready for the rest of their journey.
“I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. ‘It will take you some time to reach the base.. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'”
As the author wrote:
“Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.”
Denny said a prayer for the soldiers’ “safe return” on the way to his vehicle. He also had thoughts going through his head.
“These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little…”
The story concludes with the following:
“A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America ‘ for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.’ That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'”
Since Love What Matters posted the powerful story on Facebook, it’s been shared more than 256K times. Their post also gives the following credit at the end: “Written by Beverly Brass (as told by Denny Kukich).”
https://www.facebook.com/lovewhatreallymatters/photos/a.710462625642805/1038440659511665/?type=3&theater
It’s true, sometimes a small act of kindness can have a big impact and cause a ripple effect. Hopefully, this story inspires others to perform their own kind acts!
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