航班上的午餐袋

航班上的午餐袋

收到美国友人寄来的文章，看了很感动。小小的行动却可以达到很大的作用，有时甚至是你所始料未及的 …

    I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.
    我把我的手提行李放上飞机的行李箱里后坐到我的位子上。今天的飞行时间将会很长，「我很高兴我带了一本好书可以阅读，也许我也可以小睡一番。」我心里想着。

 

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan.’
    就在起飞前，一列士兵沿着走道走来，把空位都填满了，就坐在我的周围。我决定和他们聊聊天。「你们要去哪里？」我问坐在我旁边的一位士兵。「倍塔洼。我们要在那接受两周的特种训练，然后我们将被派到阿富汗去。」

 

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time..
    起飞后大约一个小时，机上广播将开始贩卖午餐袋，每袋美金五元。到达东部之前还有好几小时，所以我很快地决定要买个午餐来打发一点时间。

 

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base ' His friend agreed.
    当我伸手去拿钱包时，听到一个士兵问他的同袍是否要买个午餐？「不要啦！一个午餐袋要花那么多钱，也许那根本不值五元。我会等到达基地后再吃。」他的同袍同意他的说法。

 

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 bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'
    我环顾其他的士兵，没有一个人要买午餐。我走向飞机后面拿了张五十元钞票给空服员。「请给那些士兵一人一份午餐。」她把我的手拉过去而且紧紧地抓住，眼眶中泛着泪光，她感激地告诉我：「我的儿子是在伊拉克的士兵，你这样做就好像是为了他而做一样。」

 

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'
    拿了十袋午餐，她沿着走道向着士兵的座位走去，她经过我的座位时停下来问我说：「你比较想要那一种餐，牛肉还是鸡肉？」

 

'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.'
    「鸡肉。」我狐疑地回答，想着她为什么要这样问。她回头向着飞机的前端走去，过了一分钟后端着头等舱的餐过来。「这是为了感谢你所做的。」

 

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
    当我们吃饱后，我再次向着飞机后面的洗间走去。有一个人把我叫住：「我看到你刚刚做的那件事，我想参与一份，这个你收下。」他给了我二十五元。

 

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not 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.'
    我一回到座位，就看到机长沿着走道走过来，边走边看着座位号码，我希望他不是要找我，可是我注意到他只看这我这边的座位号码。当他走到我这排时停了下来，微笑着伸出他的手来说：「我想和你握手。」

 

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
    我很快地把安全带解开站了起来握了机长的手。他用宏亮的声音说：「我以前也是个军人，是军机的飞行员。有一次有人买了个午餐送给我，那件事对我来说是永生难忘的恩惠。」当全机乘客的掌声响起时，我的脸都红了。

 

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.
    稍后我走到飞机的前面去伸伸腿。有个坐在我前六排的人伸出了他的手，等着要和我握手。他也塞了二十五元在我手心里。

 

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane 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!
    我们降落后，我把我的东西收拾好了准备下飞机。有个等候在机门前的人把我叫住，在我衬杉口袋里塞了东西后不发一语转身离去。又是二十五元！

 

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'
    进到航站后，我看到那几位士兵集合要出发前往基地。我向着他们走过去，交给他们七十五元。「你们到基地还要一段时间，刚好可以去吃个三明治，上帝祝福你们。」

 

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. 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.
    十个青年人带着全机旅客的爱与尊敬离开了飞机。当我轻快地走向我的车的时候，我默默地为他们能平安地回来祷告。这些士兵把他们的所有都献给了国家，而我能给他们的却是几份餐而已。

 

It seemed so little...
看起来真的不多 …

 

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'

退伍军人就是，在他生命的某一段日子，开了一张空白支票给「美利坚合众国」，金额是「最高包括我的生命」。

That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'
    这就是荣誉，但是这个国家有太多人现在已经不了解那是什么了。

 

May God give you the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone on your email buddy list....
   愿上帝赐你力量及勇气把这个信传给在你通讯簿上的每个人。

 

I JUST DID
我刚刚已经寄出了。

 

如果有人愿意为不认识的人付出，那就是爱；爱所能引发的效应是无限大的，而且会让其他的人起而效尤。而士兵为了保卫国家而无私无我，甚至付出生命，则是为了保护在后方的所有的人，让大家能安居乐业，这也是最大的爱了。