I may look happy, but deep down, I feel sad and disappointed.
While Mick and I were sitting in first class, I noticed a young man in uniform walking past us. My first thought was to give him my seat, but I wasn’t sure if he was alone.
After a minute, I went to the flight attendant and asked if we could offer him our seats (and his companion’s if he had one). The attendant teared up—how heartbreaking that such a small gesture touched her so much. I wish things like this happened more often. She said, “I’ll ask him.”
The soldier agreed to switch seats, and it turned out he was alone. Mick insisted he take his own seat instead.
Now, here I am, sitting next to this brave young soldier—a new dad, too—who had never experienced first class before.
What really breaks my heart is that none of the other fourteen passengers in first class (mostly businesspeople in suits) even thought to offer him the chance to sit there. A man like him, someone who serves our country, should be in first class every single time.
Credit: Melissa McAllister