As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support "Red Fridays."
Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference.
While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people
behind me beginning to clap and cheer.
I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts
Of patriotism I have ever seen.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos.
As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost
everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.
When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded
And cheered for, it hit me.
I'm not alone.
I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country
And supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young
unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for
us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years
old, ran up to one of the male soldiers.
He kneeled down and said "hi."
The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her
Daddy for her.
The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself,
said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy.
Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier,
Gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the
cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was
Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and
had been in Iraq for 11 months now.
As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed
Her father, the young soldier began to tear up.
When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation,
All of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second.
Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking
walkie-talkie.
They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on
it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back
Over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, "I spoke to your daddy
And he told me to give this to you."
He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a
kiss on the cheek.
He finished by saying "your daddy told me to tell you that he loves
You more than anything and he is coming home very soon."
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the
Young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom.
I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people
resumed their applause.
As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few
Dry eyes, including my own.
That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around
And blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their
Families and thank God for them and their sacrifices.
At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.
RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people
Wearing Red every Friday.
The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the
"silent majority".,br>
We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country
and
home in record breaking numbers.
We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing.
We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or
our
opinions.,
Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to
recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops.
Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with
Dignity and respect starts this Friday -and continues each and every Friday
until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that..
Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will
wear something red.