Young Soldier Stuck At Airport For 2 Days Is Overwhelmed When Stranger Buys Him A Ticket Home

Oct 31, 2022 by apost team

If you’ve ever traveled by plane during the holidays, then you know how much of a challenge it can be battling the crowds, not to mention possible delays and cancellations. There's no way to know for sure if each flight will take off or land at the designated times, and you'll likely spend a lot of time waiting at the airport to find out. It can be more than frustrating if you have to go through security and get your bags checked before getting on your flight, only to discover your flight has been delayed or called off.

For Keaton Tilson, who enlisted in the army towards the end of 2016, time away from home had been one of the toughest parts of being a soldier. After first being stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, he was able to see his family for Christmas in 2016, but five long months without seeing his parents, brother and two sisters followed.

However, when Tilson discovered last minute that he would get four days off for Memorial Day weekend in May 2017, he was over the moon. In his excitement, he called his mother, who decided not to tell the rest of the family in case he couldn’t make it back. That was because there was only one way he could get back home to Granite City, Illinois – by flight. And booking an impromptu flight on a holiday seemed like an uphill challenge.

It was indeed a frustrating obstacle. Despite heading to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport that night, Tilson was unable to get a seat on a flight with his standby ticket and spent the night there. The next day, the situation remained bleak as more and more flights took off without Tilson on them.

Tilson's mother, Jennifer, told CBS News her excitement soon turned to gloom.

“It looked good at first. There were open seats. Then something happened, and he kept missing flights and missing flights,” she told the outlet.

Undeterred, Tilson stayed at the airport for hours hoping for good news. That was when a good samaritan showed up to make the young soldier’s day. Upon hearing of Tilson's dilemma, Josh Rainey went up to the counter and asked if he was able to give Tilson his ticket for a flight boarding in 10 minutes. When counter staff told him that was not possible, Rainey did the next best thing – he bought Tilson a ticket on the next flight home.

The stranger’s kindness caught Tilson by surprise, but Rainey said it was the least he could do.

“He shook my hand and walked away and then came back and asked if he could give me a hug. Getting a hug from him was the most payment I could've gotten. … He has chosen to give up at least the next four years of his life. He got the week off. Instead of choosing to travel or see another country, he had to get home to his family,” Rainey told ABC News.

Tilson's mother was also ecstatic about the stranger’s good deed. She said, “(Tilson) called back a few minutes later all choked up and said, ‘Somebody just bought my ticket.’”

On board the plane, the grateful Tilson gave Rainey another hug and the two got to talking. Tilson found out that he lived near his neighborhood and that Rainey's dad had served in the army too. While Tilson's family wanted to do more to thank Rainey, he said the hug was all he needed, as he told Fox News:

“That was worth every penny.”

apost.com

What did you think of Josh Rainey’s good deed for a young soldier in need? Would you have done the same? Let us know and be sure to pass this on to friends and family too.