Airline Lunches

[KBs PensNmore]

A GREAT STORY - THE DIGGERS!
I know it's not ANZAC Day yet. But I feel everyday should be ANZAC Day

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight from Perth . "I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will even get a short sleep." I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of diggers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me.

I decided to start a conversation. "Where are you blokes headed?" I asked the Digger seated nearest to me.


"Puckapunyal. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan ."

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that lunches were available for five dollars.
It would be several hours before we reached Melbourne, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.


As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his mate if he planned to buy lunch.
"No, that seems like a lot of money for just an airline lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Pucka."
His mate agreed.


I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a
Fifty dollar note. "Take a lunch to all those soldiers." She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly.

Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. "My young bloke was a digger in Iraq . It's almost like you are doing it for him."
Picking up ten lunchboxes, she headed up the aisle to where the Digs were seated.
She stopped at my seat and asked, "Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'"
"Chicken." I replied, wondering why she asked.

She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. "This is your thanks."


After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room.
An old bloke stopped me. "I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this." He handed me twenty-five Dollars..

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked. I hoped he wasn't looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled,
held out his hand, and said, "I want to shake your hand.'"
Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, "I was an army pilot a long time back. Once someone bought me lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot."
I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.


Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs.
A kid who looked about 18 was sitting about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.


When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to depart.
Waiting just inside the aeroplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!


Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to up to Puckapunyal.
I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. "It will take you some time to reach Pucka. It will be about time for a sandwich.
God Bless You Blokes. "Ten young blokes left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow Aussies.
As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country.
I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little ....


A digger is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank cheque made payable to 'AUSTRALIA' for an amount of "up to and including my life."


That is Honour, and there are way too many foreigners in this country who don't understand it.
May you have the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone on your email mates list ...

I JUST DID!


LEST WE FORGET!

[Bob38S]

Whether you agree or disagree with the government putting our young people in harm's way, we must always respect, support and thank those in uniform.

Indeed, Lest We Forget.

[MAPLEMAN]

Onya mate :2tsup:
Somehow i am not surprised by your generosity Kryn :)
May you shine bright today as your gesture was terrific :;...MM

[Moti]

I think it was Albert Eistein who said 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet'

Sack Lunches — An Unforgettable Flight : snopes.com (http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/lunch.asp)

[Handyjack]

Story sounded very American rather than Australian.
Also no mention of destination airport raises a flag. Puckapunyal would be at least an hour from any large domestic airport in Victoria.
A flight selling sandwiches is unlikely to be multi class.

[BobL]

The same story was posted back in 2010 by wheelinaround
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f43/airline-lunches-111618
It's even listed at the bottom of this page.

[rustynail]

Its the thought that counts.

[BobL]

Its the thought that counts.

It is, but with all respect to the OP, do we really need to recycle American (insert your own adjective here) to get a point across.

[BobL]

Not a lunch but still an airline story.

Flying Denver to Chicago about 10 years ago and had to make a connection to London in Chicago.
I had bought a Gibson SG guitar for my son and at check in the airline said I could take it on as additional special hand luggage.
I had arrived at the air port early but double security searches and luggage scans were underway as they had a security alert that something might be up.

At the security checks they took me aside for special treatment and went over the guitar and case with a fine tooth comb.
This made me late to the gate and when I got on board I was the last passenger to arrive.
a) The plane was packed, with an elderly woman sitting in my seat near the front of the economy, and the only empty seat was in the back row,
b) There was no where to stow the guitar in the overhead lockers.

I showed the woman sitting in my seat my boarding pass and she went berko, "I asked for a window seat and they gave me an aisle seat and I'm NOT moving - yadda, eider, . . . "
Two flight attendants came over and checked my boarding pass but the woman wouldn't show them her pass and it was clear she was not going to move
A discussion ensued with the woman screaming at the attendants, me, and the other passengers, especially the one sitting next to her who moved away when the woman started kicking the seat back in front of her. The surrounding passengers were of course alarmed at the kufuffle and I could see lots of worried eyes especially given what had gone on in the terminal with the double security checks etc.

Two airport security dudes came on board and the flight attendants again instructed the woman to move but she refused so they took me aside and said I was perfectly entitled to have my seat but to do that they would probably have to forcibly remove the woman from the plane which would take some time and get pretty ugly. The woman had already done enough to be charged with some regulation or other about disrupting a flight and would be detained at the arrival airport anyway.

So it was my choice, hold up the plane and maybe miss my connection in Chicago - or take the seat down the back.
I said fine but could the flight attendant look after the guitar to which she said no problem and she took it and stowed it in the crew luggage compartment
I took the seat down the back while one of the flight attendants made it known over over the plane PA that, "This kind gentleman will allow us to depart etc" to which the passengers clapped and so we took off.
All around me the passengers were turning thanking me in that OTT American way and I was a bit embarrassing to say the least. During the flight a number of passengers going to the loo thanked me as well.

When the plane landed in Chicago, because I was right down the back I was amongst the last to get off and waiting for me at the front of the plane were all the flight crew including the pilot and co pilot, and one of the attendants holding the guitar, and they all clapped me off the plane.
In the terminal, more embarrassment with some dozen passengers waiting for me to disembark to thank me.
Meanwhile crazy woman was being driven past on one of those airport buggys, escorted by a couple of security dudes.

I was just happy to make my connecting flight.

Then there was the time I was carrying another guitar for my son and two middle aged women mistook me for an ageing rocker and were fawning all over me before I got a chance to explain, but that is another story,

[Bendigo Bob]

After reading that one Bob, I'm gonna scout around for an old fender guitar case for any future flights :cool:

(to put my socks and jocks in it i mean :))

[BobL]

After reading that one Bob, I'm gonna scout around for an old fender guitar case for any future flights :cool:

(to put my socks and jocks in it i mean :))

I've brought a number of guitars back from the US like this and also an Oud (lute) from the middle east.

At Kuwait and Dubai Airports the care in handling and respect I got from airport people and other passengers while carrying the Oud was interesting, apparently Musicians are held in high regard - little did they know I couldn't plap.

At Perth airport being made of wood I declared it and had to open the case and take it out for customs and quarantine imspecation. The customs dude looked carefully all over and then went and got another customs bloke to come and have a look. I thought there was a problem but then i realised they were just a couple of musos interested in looking at a nice musical instrument. I said surely you see this sort of thing all the time and he said, "Not a nice one like this"

[A Duke]

Fee fy fo fum, I smell the poo of the male moo.

[KBs PensNmore]

This was emailed to me, so I thought I'd share it with everyone on here. I originally posted it in the jokes, but was asked if I'd mind having it placed here.
Sorry if it mislead people into thinking that I did such a charitable thing, it was not my intention.
Kryn

[Bob38S]

I don't have a problem with that.

So the "story" was a ruse or something that somebody thought should happen. I applaud the sentiments expressed and hope that something like that would happen.

Whatever, I stand by my post #2 and support our troops 110%.

[rustynail]

It is, but with all respect to the OP, do we really need to recycle American (insert your own adjective here) to get a point across.
I had never heard the story before. I happened to like what I read. It concerns me not the origin of a good deed.

[elanjacobs]

I think it was Albert Eistein who said 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet'

Sack Lunches — An Unforgettable Flight : snopes.com (http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/lunch.asp)
Lol Einstein wasn't quite alive long enough for that to be true, but still a good point.
First thing I did was copy/paste the first sentence into google.

[elanjacobs]

I had never heard the story before. I happened to like what I read. It concerns me not the origin of a good deed.
Even when said good deed is most likely fictional and purely designed to elicit an emotional response?

[Big Shed]

Even when said good deed is most likely fictional and purely designed to elicit an emotional response?


Isn't that what good fiction is all about?

[elanjacobs]

Isn't that what good fiction is all about?
Yes, but not when it's being portrayed as factual.

[BobL]

Even when said good deed is most likely fictional and purely designed to elicit an emotional response?

isn't this what most stories and the internet are all about?

[rustynail]

Even when said good deed is most likely fictional and purely designed to elicit an emotional response?
I am not privy to the origin of the story and again I point out my lack of concern for same.
It is somewhat saddening that a cynical view has to be taken from what may well have been a valuable lesson, be it fiction or fact. Why so? What is it about the story that requires trawling through the archives to denounce the tale as a myth?
As stated earlier, "Its the thought that counts."

[Moti]

I am not privy to the origin of the story and again I point out my lack of concern for same.
It is somewhat saddening that a cynical view has to be taken from what may well have been a valuable lesson, be it fiction or fact. Why so? What is it about the story that requires trawling through the archives to denounce the tale as a myth?
As stated earlier, "Its the thought that counts."

The problem with this sort of saccharin patriotism is that it contributes to the Americanisation and militarisation of Australian culture. Once Australians had a healthy disrespect for authority, the military etc. It's only recently that the "my country right or wrong" attitude seems to have been seeping in. Anzac day used to be a low key event honouring people like Weary Dunlop or Simpson and his donkey - it seems to have become (together with Australia Day) a celebration of Australian military prowess and jingoism. "Australia, best country in the world" and so on.

Denouncing this particular instance as a myth and an imported and doctored one does a little to stem the tide. John F Kennedy said "made up stories on the internet are the last refuge of a patriotic scoundrel"

[Big Shed]

Australia was a militaristic nation long before the American influence. It inherited its' militarism from our English forefathers, an ingrained love of uniforms being one of the outward tokens. Uniforms everywhere, Scouts, school uniforms, school cadets, I could go on.
Another very prevalent sign of this militarism is the fact that Australia was able to field a sizeable force in WWI without having to institute conscription. There is hardly an Australian town that doesn't have a very prominent war memorial, mostly erected after WWI, but some after the Boer War (another English war we joined in).

So, patriotism and militarism have always gone hand in hand and it isn't the preserve of our American cousins, it existed in England (and their German cousins) long before that.

Talking about patriotism, it is "the last refuge of the scoundrel" and that wasn't coined by JFK or Albert Einstein.:rolleyes:

This term was actually first coined by another founder of the internet, Samuel Johnson (http://www.samueljohnson.com/refuge.html)

[A Duke]

"What is it about the story that requires trawling through the archives to denounce the tale as a myth?"
It is so blatantly the poo of the male moo.
We get so much of it dished up.
Regards

[elanjacobs]

:aro-u: This

I also just have a low tolerance for stupid bulls*** in general. One of the main reasons I'm not on facebook or any other form of social media

[Big Shed]

:aro-u: This

I also just have a low tolerance for stupid bulls*** in general. One of the main reasons I'm not on facebook or any other form of social media


Of course this forum is just another form of social media, isn't it, and we do get our fair share of stupid bulls***.

You just can't get away from it any more.:no::no:

[BobL]

Of course this forum is just another form of social media, isn't it, and we do get our fair share of stupid bulls***.


One of the reasons I joined these forums was because by and large when wood and metal workers see bullpoo they will go out of their way to point it out.

Unless they do this their work generally won't be successful given that most poo is a pretty poor glue.
Humm . . . . come to think of it, the klingons that stick on the back of my toilet bowl might have other ideas about that.

If a member makes a claim about price, sizes, flow rates, power, source etc and it can be demonstrated to be false or misleading, then it is only to the benefit of others, especially newbies that the calm be disputed.

I also like the way we used the mantra of "Photos or it didn't happen" - of course its not perfect but it helps keeps a lid on spurious claims.

So my take is that by and large WWF is a semi-quantitive low-bullpoo site and I wouldn't like to see it wander too far from this.

Of course there is always room for a joke or story or two, I've posted a few myself.
But like anything else posted It does not surprise me if the origin or sources are disputed and I for one welcome that.

[Moti]

Australia was a militaristic nation long before the American influence. It inherited its' militarism from our English forefathers, an ingrained love of uniforms being one of the outward tokens. Uniforms everywhere, Scouts, school uniforms, school cadets, I could go on.
Another very prevalent sign of this militarism is the fact that Australia was able to field a sizeable force in WWI without having to institute conscription. There is hardly an Australian town that doesn't have a very prominent war memorial, mostly erected after WWI, but some after the Boer War (another English war we joined in).

So, patriotism and militarism have always gone hand in hand and it isn't the preserve of our American cousins, it existed in England (and their German cousins) long before that.

Talking about patriotism, it is "the last refuge of the scoundrel" and that wasn't coined by JFK or Albert Einstein.:rolleyes:

This term was actually first coined by another founder of the internet, Samuel Johnson (http://www.samueljohnson.com/refuge.html)

There is a difference between military and militarism. Militarism = "domination of the military man over the civilian, an undue preponderance of military demands, an emphasis on military considerations" So for eg Prussia and subsequently Germany = militarist society, Japan in the period before the 2nd world war = militarist. Australia has a military but it's not been put on a pedastal above civilian society. All the things that make Australia a good place to live today (free education, health system, universal suffrage, federation etc) have been created without the intrusion of the military into civil society.

Thanks for correcting those quotes. I think it was Thomas Jefferson who said that "the only thing we have to fear is fear of made up quotes on the internet"

[Big Shed]

Thank you moti, you are of course entitled to have your own favourite meaning of "militarism", but this is what the Oxford Dictionary has to say


militarism - definition of militarism in English from the Oxford dictionary

(http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/militarism)

But I fear we are straying rather far away from a simple airline lunchhttp://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net/images/smilies/rolleye.gif

[Sawdust Maker]

not long after Ansett first introduced inflight dining I was flying from Melbourne to Canberra

After eating the dinner serving a hostie took away the leftovers and asked me how it was
I replied "Edible"
she said "It's getting better then"

[rustynail]

The problem with this sort of saccharin patriotism is that it contributes to the Americanisation and militarisation of Australian culture. Once Australians had a healthy disrespect for authority, the military etc. It's only recently that the "my country right or wrong" attitude seems to have been seeping in. Anzac day used to be a low key event honouring people like Weary Dunlop or Simpson and his donkey - it seems to have become (together with Australia Day) a celebration of Australian military prowess and jingoism. "Australia, best country in the world" and so on.

Denouncing this particular instance as a myth and an imported and doctored one does a little to stem the tide. John F Kennedy said "made up stories on the internet are the last refuge of a patriotic scoundrel"
Well I guess if JFK said it, it must be right. Or is that just another Americanism?
Personally, I could not care less what JFK had to say about anything.
As for Anzac day being low key, you must be joking. Thousands have thronged the streets every year since its inception. As for honouring Weary Dunlop and Simpson and his donkey, I think you will find it has been far more a venue for Vets to get together with their ex service mates and drown their sorrows.
There is no such thing as a healthy disrespect. Disrespect is disrespect. What motivates it is what is healthy or unhealthy.