Not just your ordinary man.
Amazing: Obama Helped Stranded Stranger 20 Years Ago
Posted: 06 Oct 2008 09:20 PM CDT
1.jpg "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ97O4D10u-XYTLVuFE5EPWuekVA74nsx6KODQ4OgczutH-FE4gHhCJFxiVlpbaU-RlLe__PdNOcHiGWrpNMvRi_na3AA-ZhPuJPCQiHhcfDuSE1eyvZ2AFomSpGtLaiLbxU6UxNa3fL5/s1600-h/Picture(Metafile)1.jpg")
Oct 05, 2008
The Norwegian newspaper VG has reported a truly amazing story about a newly-wed trying to get to Norway to be with her husband, and the stranger who helped pay an unexpected luggage surcharge. The blog "Leisha's Random Thoughts" has translated the story.
It was 1988, and Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a long flight to Norway to be with her husband when the airline representative informed her that she wouldn't be able to check her luggage without paying a 100 surcharge:
When it was finally Mary's turn, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.
-You'll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, the man behind the counter said.
Mary had no money. Her new husband had travelled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call.
-I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary.
As tears streamed down her face, she heard a "gentle and friendly voice" behind her saying, "That's okay, I'll pay for her."
Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.
-He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was, Who is this man?
Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.
-He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary.
She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.
Who was the man?
Barack Obama.
Twenty years later, she is thrilled that the friendly stranger at the airport may be the next President and has voted for him already and donated 100 dollars to his campaign:
-He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling.
She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university.
Mary even convinced her parents to vote for him:
In the spring of 2006 Mary's parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.
And Obama replied:
In a letter to Mary's parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped 'United States Senate, Washington DC', Barack Obama writes:
'I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I'm happy I could help back then, and I'm delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama, United States Senator'.
The parents sent the letter on to Mary.
Mary says that when her friends and associates talk about the election, especially when race relations is the heated subject, she relates the story of the k ind man who helped out a stranger-in-need over twenty years ago, years before he had even thought about running for high office.
Truly a wonderful story, and something that needs to be passed along in the maelstorm of fear-and-smear politics we are being subjected to right now.
Posts
5 comments:
wow. Great story. I wonder what Rush or Hannity would make of that?
hmm.... a warming story about someone who makes a household income of over $500K giving a distressed traveler a $103 dollars or a man that refused to leave a torture camp where his shoulders were broke, his gentiles stabbed and many other nasty things without the other American soldiers that were also imprisoned in the camp?
That's a tough one.
At the time of this story, Obama was a student. He and Michelle didn't finish paying off their student loans until his first book was a best seller.
Hey Anonymous, as Ralph pointed out, Obama wasn't making much money back then.
Also, not to denigrate McCain's torture - even though the commander of the camp denies it ever happened, which you could argue is what he might say - but the part of the McCain story that has rung false from the start is this notion that he 'refused' to leave the camp to be with the other prisoners.
Since when can a prisoner decide, against his jailers orders, whether or not he's going to stay in a camp? It makes for a good story, but it doesn't ring true.
And don't forget this tidbit, from a vet, that McCain conveniently neglects to mention -
Did John McCain help cover the fact that the US left prisoners of war in Vietnam or to be exact, Laos?
As the ranking member on the commission on prisoners of war, even after proof was introduced the evidence was made "top secret" with John McCains blessing and he berated any family member of lost POW's for questioning his lack of support. Of course he didn't make the decision, he just did all he could to make the claim go away. I don't understand why he did that except to further his political career. He certainly didn't support his fellow prisoners of war.
About McCain's "refusal" to be released early from prison camp, another prisoner who was there at the same time said that everybody was offered "early release" IF they would spill their secrets about the war. And, he said, none of them did.
McCain may have been given an extra opportunity because of who his father was, but to claim that he was more heroic than fellow prisoners because he "chose" to stay is not true.
As with Richard, I'm in no way taking away from McCain sacrifice. But when they start playing it for political effect, then other POWs have the right to set the record straight.
Post a Comment