Stories about kindness offered to complete strangers always restore our faith in humanity.
Travel blogger Johnny Jet has been documenting his exciting travel experiences for more than 23 years. As he has been to almost every part of the world, he knows a lot about different cultures and accepted social behavior, and that includes proper airplane etiquette.
One day, as he was on a plane, he overheard the flight-attendant saying there was a soldier on board. Having had deep respect for the servicemen and servicewomen who do a lot for the safety of our country and put their lives on the line every single day, he decided to give up his first class seat to the soldier.
“I heard the flight attendant say something about a soldier, and I looked up and I saw his uniform and I was like, ‘Oh my God,’” Johnny recalled.
At that moment, Johnny asked the flight attendant whether he could proceed with his attention. As they told him he could, he approached the soldier and told him to take his seat.
The soldier said thank you and shook Johnny’s hand, and that was it.
Johnny completely forgot about his kind deed, but then, around six years later, he got a note on his blog that left him completely surprised. It was from the soldier, and it read:
“I was the solider you gave your seat to,” the note read. “The story of your unbelievable generosity I have shared with my friends and family many times. It was something that I will never forget and although some may say it was just a seat or you may have felt it wasn’t much, for me it was symbolic.
“To this day it remains the only time I ever flew 1st class and I cherish the memory of the time a stranger who loved his service men and women so much that without regard to onlookers reminded me why I was going over to fight for the next year and a half.”
Johnny was touched by the message. He had no idea his deed could have such an impact on that soldier. His reply was: “Wow. Thank you for your service and the kindest email I have ever received.”
For more on the story go to the video below.