I work at the Greatest restaurant in the world

I have been at my restaurant for almost ten years. After being in the service industry for 28 years... I know what a good Store is. We always help each other out.. between back-biting and in-fighting.. of course that goes on in my own family just as well. We are very good about caring about our own. One of our servers got a notice in the mail about three years ago. He was in the inactive reserve, and got sent a notice about reactivating his benefits. He freaked out... with the conflict ( I thought that I would be nice and use THAT term) going on overseas. I told him not to worry about it, they would never call him back into service; they want the young guys. At this point , let me say that I constantly forget that I am 47 and EVERYONE that I work with is in their twenties. Of course this was at the beginning of our "TOUR DE IRAQ", and at that point in time, everyone was saying that it would be quick, and over soon. One week later, he got his notice... report in thirty days to Ft. Benning. I was so devastated for him, I had assured him the notice he first received was nothing to worry about, and now he was being sent directly into the line of fire. He was assigned to ride the turret in the Humvee, holding a gun that weighed more than he and I both, and stuck out of a vehicle like a target. I was at that time, an Assistant Coordinator for the after school program at my kid's school ( besides working at Longhorn on the weekends). I got every child in my program to write Kevin ( my soldier) from pre-K to fifth grade. The letters were funny, amazing, some sad, some from kids who had a parent already other there. I decided to get together a small package to send to his unit... just some AA batteries, wet wipes, insect repellent, gum.. nothing but small items. The response from my kids was totally amazing. They brought in DVD's, spices, socks. Two of the boys; precious twins that have Cerebral Palsy, not to mention that their Dad had just died at the age of 43 from a brain tumor, had a yard sale over the weekend, and raised enough money to buy Kevin an IPOD, plus all the accessories. I took the IPOD to Lhorn, and had two of Kevin's closer friends take it home, and they downloaded 400 songs for him, and we shipped it off to the troops, including tampons and cigarettes that I bought without telling the school... Just for the women that I know were in his troop, and for the simple fact that if I was in Bagdad, I would probably want a smoke too. When Kevin (luckily came home from Iraq) I took him up to the school to meet the kids that had sent him not only about 200 letters, but a 70 pound package full of everything you could imagine. He spoke to the kids, answered their questions, and amazingly, called the twins that had bought him the IPOD up to the front of the Cafeteria ( I had told him about them just losing their father, who had been a Sailor). He gave those little boys a Bronze Medal that he had received for pulling soldiers out out a burning jeep that had been hit by a roadside bomb. The twins told their Mother when she came to pick them up, that it was the greatest day in their life. Kevin not only made a difference to America, but to two 6 year old boys, that will never have their Dad back, but remembered another hero as well, and felt so proud to support a member of our Nation's military. Those six year old boys speak VOLUMES for America, their Mother, Father, and the values that those parents instilled in their sons.Kevin is now happily married to a wonderful woman that I know is so totally grateful he is home and healthy, and is still loved totally by our Lhorn staff.. not to mention the entire student population of White Oak Elementary . Later...COTTON