Since being reminded that my husband will, again, be going back to the sandbox, I thought I'd repost a story about one of the other times he has gone there. This time the travel won't be quite as luxurious, but I couldn't help hoping that if he HAS to be on the advon team, then I hope they at least get to stop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota...
Sunday, October 29, 2006
The Pillow Story....
I have been reminded that I have yet to tell "The Pillow Story." So here it is:
The day DH left home for Iraq was very stressful for all of us. If all the changes to his orders were holes, his final copy would be swiss cheese. So after finally getting to the airport, he and Mr. T (another member of his unit) were treated to 2 1/2 hours of sitting on the runway awaiting liftoff. The bad news was that they only had a 40 minute layover at another busy airport where they were suppose to catch a different flight. The good news was the their tickets had been stamped with some kind of code that told the stewardess that they were servicemen bound for Iraq....so all drinks were on the house...so liftoff was slightly achieved before the plane left the ground.
They get to the next airport and low and behold their transfer plane is still waiting for them! On to the next plane they go....and wait another hour on the runway waiting for clearance (still with free beverages)....HOPING there would be someone on the other end to pick them up at the airport because at this point in their journey they had a Hotel reservation at the Sheraton, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for what was left of their last night on US soil.
Their luck held out and there was someone from the base who apparently deposited gently, two service members seriously in need of a pillow.
At some point DH realized that he had forgotten to pack one thing in his luggage....A pillow. So he got up the next morning intending to find a place within walking distance to find a pillow and get some breakfast. So he asks a Sheraton employee if there was a store close enough to buy a pillow. She suggests he check with housekeeping. She gives him directions to their office and off he goes.
After explaining his dilema to housekeeping, they tell him that will be $60. Ummmm. He wasn't about to pay that much for a pillow bound for a sand pit. So he politely declines the offer and sets out again, once more, for the dining facilities.
Upon reaching his destination he encounters the first employee who immediately asked if housekeeping could help him. He told her of the conversation and thanked her for trying and did she know of any stores nearby who might sell pillows. She said she would ask around as to the best source and get back to him.
So he sat down and had breakfast. Went to gather up his things for the shuttle and then to the front desk to settle his bill. There, behind the counter was a King Size FEATHER pillow with pillow case in a plastic covering. The three ladies responsible for it had 'reallocated' it for the war effort.
Darned if DH didn't squeeze that thing into luggage that didn't even have room to scream. Once he got to Iraq, he wrote the Hotel manager of the wonderful service provided by his hotel and in particular these three ladies. (I don't think he mentioned the pillow reallocation :o)
If you EVER get a chance to go to scenic Sioux Falls, stay at the Sheraton and ask for Pam, Gina or Nikki. Tell them from me...."Thank you!"
The day DH left home for Iraq was very stressful for all of us. If all the changes to his orders were holes, his final copy would be swiss cheese. So after finally getting to the airport, he and Mr. T (another member of his unit) were treated to 2 1/2 hours of sitting on the runway awaiting liftoff. The bad news was that they only had a 40 minute layover at another busy airport where they were suppose to catch a different flight. The good news was the their tickets had been stamped with some kind of code that told the stewardess that they were servicemen bound for Iraq....so all drinks were on the house...so liftoff was slightly achieved before the plane left the ground.
They get to the next airport and low and behold their transfer plane is still waiting for them! On to the next plane they go....and wait another hour on the runway waiting for clearance (still with free beverages)....HOPING there would be someone on the other end to pick them up at the airport because at this point in their journey they had a Hotel reservation at the Sheraton, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for what was left of their last night on US soil.
Their luck held out and there was someone from the base who apparently deposited gently, two service members seriously in need of a pillow.
At some point DH realized that he had forgotten to pack one thing in his luggage....A pillow. So he got up the next morning intending to find a place within walking distance to find a pillow and get some breakfast. So he asks a Sheraton employee if there was a store close enough to buy a pillow. She suggests he check with housekeeping. She gives him directions to their office and off he goes.
After explaining his dilema to housekeeping, they tell him that will be $60. Ummmm. He wasn't about to pay that much for a pillow bound for a sand pit. So he politely declines the offer and sets out again, once more, for the dining facilities.
Upon reaching his destination he encounters the first employee who immediately asked if housekeeping could help him. He told her of the conversation and thanked her for trying and did she know of any stores nearby who might sell pillows. She said she would ask around as to the best source and get back to him.
So he sat down and had breakfast. Went to gather up his things for the shuttle and then to the front desk to settle his bill. There, behind the counter was a King Size FEATHER pillow with pillow case in a plastic covering. The three ladies responsible for it had 'reallocated' it for the war effort.
Darned if DH didn't squeeze that thing into luggage that didn't even have room to scream. Once he got to Iraq, he wrote the Hotel manager of the wonderful service provided by his hotel and in particular these three ladies. (I don't think he mentioned the pillow reallocation :o)
If you EVER get a chance to go to scenic Sioux Falls, stay at the Sheraton and ask for Pam, Gina or Nikki. Tell them from me...."Thank you!"
QOTD: "The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines." Charles Kuralt (1934-1997) Folksy CBS newsman whose reports from the small towns and back roads of America endeared him to millions
