Langenbacher: Thank a soldier today

“Mommy, is that a real Army man?” my son asked as he pointed to a man headed for a seat a few rows in front of us.

I looked up from my bag, and studied the passengers boarding the plane. Though our children have seen plenty of members in uniform, the desert camouflage Army fatigues the man was wearing were a stark contrast to the usual Coast Guard blues and khaki green flight suits they’re used to seeing when we visit Daddy at work.

Looking at the soldier in front of us, and answering my 7-year-old son’s questions about him, reminded me of a scene at the airport in Atlanta. I was surprised by the number of people we saw in uniform there. They walked together, lounged in chairs and clustered in groups on the floor around available electrical outlets.

Like others in the airport, I looked at them with interest, and smiled when they looked back. I wondered where they had been, or where they were going, and how long they would be away from their families. I was also struck by how incredibly young they all seemed to be.

As I sat in my seat and reflected back on the scene, the flight attendant stopped to thank the man for his service to our country, and asked if he needed anything.

As my children settled in to rest, I picked up the airline magazine, and began thumbing through it. I was drawn to a column written by Adam Pitluk, the editor of the magazine American Way. It was titled, “Our Brave Warriors.”

The column described a one-minute commercial with a powerful message which aired during the 2005 Super Bowl. The scene was a bustling airport, with people going about their business, and rushing to get to their destinations. The sound of a lone clapper interrupts the activity, and the passengers look around to see what’s going on. When they see who is being applauded, the other passengers join in the clapping, and spring to their feet. Soon the entire terminal is filled with everyone joining in the standing ovation.

A platoon of soldiers dressed in military fatigues exits a plane and walks through the terminal as the people look on, and continue the applause. At the end of the commercial, the screen fades to black, and a lone message appears: “Thank You.”

“Some of you are fortunate enough to be sitting next to a person in uniform this very minute,” the editor wrote. He encouraged passengers to put down the magazine, and take a moment to thank that service member for his or her bravery, commitment and love.

“And when you step off this plane, take a moment to cherish the freedoms you enjoy — and be the applause starter.”

When I finished reading the column, my mind returned to the soldiers we had seen in the Atlanta airport. Though people had nodded and smiled at them, their reactions fell short of those described in the article. No one had clapped, saluted, waved, or even said thank you to the men we saw. Looking back, I wish we had.

Kristi Langenbacher is a Coast Guard spouse and writes about military family life.