Your actions have the ability to make or break someone’s day.
In the story below, a group of young men managed to bring a Vietnam veteran to tears – and it was all because of their acts of kindness.
It started when Lou and his wife Annette went out to dinner one night at their local Cracker Barrel.
As usual, Lou was wearing his U.S. Navy Vietnam vet cap.
Pretty soon a young man walked over to their table and started chatting with Lou.
It was a little strange that someone would walk up to their table and just start a conversation, but what the man said left Lou speechless.
The young man was there with a few of his friends, and they were all Marines.
They had seen that Lou was a veteran and wanted to let him know how much they appreciated his service.
As service members themselves, they know the sacrifice and dedication that Lou had made and wanted to express their gratitude for her service.
“I recognized the military-style haircuts, high and tight,” Lou explained in a video shared by Belleville News-Democrat.
It didn’t stop with just the one interaction though.
One by one each of the Marines went up to Lou’s table interrupting his meal, just to thank him for his service and offer a handshake.
Lou talked for a moment with each of them and wished them well in their future endeavors in the military.
Then he returned to his meal with his wife thinking that was the end of it.
But the kindness didn’t stop there.
The couple went on with their night out, their night already made by the nice young man and his compliment.
However, when they asked their waiter for the check they learned that it had already been paid for.
The five Marines that had expressed their gratitude found another way to show their appreciation.
Completely flattered by the gesture, Lou walked over to the table, put his arm around one of the young men, and said they didn’t have to do that.
Just a thank you would have been enough for the Vietnam vet. But the men insisted.
And still, on their way out they wanted to give one last thanks to Lou for his service, so as one was paying the bill, the other four gentlemen lined up to shake Lou’s hand one last time.
Even a few hugs were exchanged.
Pretty soon the entire restaurant was aware of what was happening and the Vietnam vet began to cry.
“They filed in front of my table, stood in line, and each of one of them again put his hand out, shook my hand, thanked me, hugged me, and walked to my right,” Lou said, tears welling up in his eyes just recalling the event.
The normally chatty restaurant had fallen silent as they watched what was happening at Lou’s table. Some even applauded.
Lou was so amazed by the situation that his wife advised him to sit down and take a breath.
It was a dinner out that the couple will never forget.
There aren’t enough random acts of kindness happening in the world, but it will always bring a smile when a story like this comes around.
The video alone has over 3.6 million views.
Perhaps it’ll inspire more people to show appreciation to our veterans and thank them for their service.
After all, you never know what it could mean to them.
Check out the video below to hear Lou tell the powerful story in his own words!
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