Will You Give This To My Daddy? (KLEENEX MAY BE REQUIRED!)

A story a friend sent me....


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, awaiting my flight home, I heard several people behind me start to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism that I have ever seen. Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers, all in uniform. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) stood abruptly to their feet and began to clap and wave.
When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded, cheered for and all around appreciated, it hit me- I am 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 started clapping and cheering myself for these unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line every single day for us just so that we can go to work, and school and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I couldn't be more proud of our country or service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers and tugged on the sleeve of his uniform. He looked down, saw the little girl and smiled. He knelt in front of her and simply said "hi." The little girl smiled shyly and said "will you give something to my daddy for me?" The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22, said he would try and asked what exactly she wanted to give to her daddy. Suddenly, the little girl threw her arms around his neck, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then promptly kissed him on the cheek. The mother of the girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the soldier that her husband was a marine and had been in Iraq about a year. As the young mother was explaining how much Courtney missed her daddy and that all she wanted was to see him again, the young man began to tear up. When the young mother was done explaining her situation, the soldier told her to wait one second and not to go anywhere. He grabbed some of the other men and they huddled together for a brief second. One of the soldiers rummaged through his bag and pulled out his service radio. After about 20 seconds of talking back and forth on it and sharing with the young soldier, he walked over to Courtney and again knelt in front of her. He reached out his hand and took hers and said, "I just spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you." He pulled her into his arms, picked her up and gave her the sweetest hug I have ever seen, and then proceeded to kiss her on the cheek. He finished this act by looking her in the eye and saying, "your daddy wanted me to tell you that he misses you and he loves you and mommy more than anything in the whole world and that he is coming home very soon." The young mother was shaking with sobs. The soldier stood to his feet, nodded to her and then saluted both Courtney and her mother.
I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this scene. As the soldiers began to leave, heading toward their gate, people resumed their applause, more reverently and through tears. As I stood there, humbled, I looked around and saw very few dry eyes including my own. The young solier, in a last single act of kindness and selflessness turned and blew Courtney a kiss with tears streaming down his cheeks...

We need to remember our soldiers and their families and thank God for them every day. Because although some might not agree with the reason they're there, the point is that they ARE out there. Without question, protecting us. At the end of the day it's great to be an American.

RED FRIDAYS- Soon you will see a great majority of Americans wearing red every Friday. The reason? Americans who supported our troops were called the "silent majority." We are silent no more and are voicing our love for God, our country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We aren't looking for liberal media coverage on TV to reflect our message or opinions. Many Amercans, like you, me and all of 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 continues each and every Friday until our troops all come some. Sending the message that every red blooded American who supports our men and women will wear something red. By word of mouth, TV, press even, let's make the United States of America united in a sea of red every Friday much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If you can wear a color for a football team every Friday night, you can certainly wear red for our troops. It will not be long before our country is covered in red and it will let our troops know that one the "Silent Majority" is now on their side more than ever. When asked "what can we do to make things better for you?" a soldier will simply reply, "we need your support and your prayers."
WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE BUT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE! THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED, SO WEAR RED! MAY GOD HELP AMERICA TO BECOME ONE NATION UNDER HIM.