This soldier went above and beyond to make sure two boys could have a proper dinner.
Lt. Col. Robert Risdon Jr., a U.S. Army Ranger, stopped by a Taco Bell in Mobile, Alabama, along with Jason Gibson, football coach of the Columbus Lions, on Tuesday. Two boys walked into the fast food restaurant, asking if anyone was interested in purchasing some homemade sweets they had with them.
Though neither Risdon nor Gibson had cash on them, the ranger discovered that the boys were hungry and hadn’t eaten dinner so he treated them to tacos. Little did Risdon know that Gibson had caught the ranger’s spontaneous good deed on camera and shared it on Facebook where it was widely applauded.
“I’m kinda embarrassed and humbled by the praise and don’t need it,” Risdon told The Huffington Post. “I am a believer that we live in the best country in the world with the best people and that acts of kindness happen every day.”
Risdon, who is currently stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia, said that he and Gibson had already started eating at the restaurant when the boys, ages 9 and 13, asked if they wanted to buy anything to support their local church. The ranger ― who said the boys looked cold and wet ― asked if they had had dinner yet as it was getting late. That’s when the teen informed him that they hadn’t.
On top of buying tacos and drinks for the kids, Risdon also shared a friendly conversation with them. The younger boy, grateful for what the ranger did for the pair, paid the military man with a huge compliment.
“While eating his taco, [the 9-year-old] told me he wanted to be just like me someday and saluted me when he left the Taco Bell,” the ranger said.
He might’ve gone out of his way to help the kids, but Risdon explained to HuffPost it was really a no-brainer to buy the pair some food.
“Helping them was an easy decision ― more of a reaction. They were cold, wet and hungry. They were great kids, very respectful and smart,” he said. “It was the least I could do for two young Americans. They were happy to get some chow for sure, and very thankful.”
The ranger says his motivation to help lies in the U.S. Army Rangers’ mission statement.
“I think I can best sum things up as to why I did it because of a creed I live up to every day ― the Ranger Creed,” the soldier said. “One line in the creed encapsulates I think why I helped, ‘Never shall I fail my comrades.’ [The boys] were my comrades ... It was my DUTY to help them!”
Also on HuffPost:
Soldier Homecomings In The U.S.
