Military Courtesy

I just got back from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I worked a 10-hour day shift on Monday, got off around 6:30, came home and fell asleep for about 2 hours.

I woke up and packed my Expedition and horse trailer, then drove my wife Lori, our 2-yr old son Cody and her father to Albuquerque for the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Horse Show Championships.

We left at midnight and got into New Mexico at 3:30pm Tuesday afternoon.

I then unloaded everything, got them set up, and raced to the airport to hop a flight back to Bakersfield at 6:10pm. After all, I had to work Wednesday.

I made the connection through Phoenix on U.S. Airways only to be informed my connection home was delayed. Typical.

As I'm sitting by my gate, I see a young man, dressed in his Marine Corp uniform, running through the airport. He's looking for his gate. Mine was switched, so I felt for him.

What I didn't know was he was looking for the gate right across from mine, to catch a flight to Monterrey. I'm guessing he was going home.

The lighted sign said "Doors close at 7pm" and a quick glance at my watch showed it was 7 or 7:01pm.

He realized where he was and bolted for the door that had JUST closed.

He knocked, no answer.

He knocked again, nothing.

He started to walk away, when the door opened, and I'm guessing the woman that emerged informed him that he was too late.

I started looking around in our waiting area, and about a dozen people were all watching this show, mouths open and heads shaking.

I was ready to give up my seat home to help this grunt get a little closer to his home, when he suddenly disappeared as fast as he arrived.

Not many other flights leaving Phoenix at that hour on a Tuesday night.

A moment later, a man walked over from that gate to ours and we asked him about the Marine. He shook his head and confirmed the non-verbal exchange we all witnessed.

Would anyone on the plane complain if they pushed back up to the gate to let this man in uniform get on?

How many times have you missed a connection because your original flight was late? How many lousy hotels have you stayed in, courtesy of the airline, because your flight was delayed again and again until they had to shuttle you off to a hotel and try again the next morning?

I can hear it now, security issues, schedules, etc...

My flight left about 90 minutes late. Our captain boasted about how he was going to make-up for the lost time in getting us back to Bakersfield.

Guess he wasn't worried about the extra fuel cost.

Small price to pay for someones service to our country.