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Morgan Wheeler was leaving a Walmart parking lot when she noticed an old man in a wheelchair that seemed to be struggling to move. Another woman was trying to back out of her parking spot and the old man was in her way. Morgan knew she had to do something.
Morgan says she noticed that the man was missing his right leg and appeared to be wearing old, government-issued combat boots. She guessed him to be in his late sixties and it appeared he stopped to take a break.
When he noticed that the woman was trying to back out her car, he rolled a few feet forward and stopped again for another break and waved a quick apology. Morgan says she put her car in park, turned off the car, and went to check on him.
She walked up to him and introduced herself and asked if she could assist him. Grumpily, he informed her that he was doing fine and said he wasn’t going to be getting much. Being stubborn herself, Morgan insisted on helping him and began pushing him towards the store.
She started telling him a bit about herself, and as they reached the door, he tried to stop her and tell her that she’d done enough. She continued on. When she reached the produce aisle, she asked him to tell her a bit about himself, to which he reluctantly began sharing his story.
He lived in Sod-Lincoln County and had recently lost his wife. When Morgan asked if he was a veteran, with pain on his face, he replied that he was and she changed the subject. She asked if he had a shopping list and he handed it to her. It had only four things on the list: peanut butter, soup, bananas, and bread.
Once they had the items on the list, she asked if he needed a few more essentials, like milk, eggs, and butter. He said he did, but he was afraid he wouldn’t get home without them going bad. She asked how he had gotten to the store. The man stated he wheeled himself part way and managed to hitchhike the other part of the way there.
Morgan quickly called for a taxi for him and grabbed a few more essentials and added them to his cart. After placing a gallon of milk in his cart, the man began crying. She knelt down and asked him what was wrong, to which he replied, “You’re doing far too much for an old man that you barely know.”
She explained to him where she was from and about the family she was raised in and how they help one another. She went on to tell him that she’d never met a stranger and that he was deserving of everything she was doing because he had sacrificed so much for her freedom.
When they reached the checkout line, against his wishes, she paid for his groceries. Next, she wheeled him outside and waited together for his taxi. He thanked her over and over again, and she gave him all the cash she had, $44. When the taxi arrived, Morgan helped him load his groceries and wheelchair and asked the taxi driver to help him into his house with his groceries. One last time, he thanked her and said, “God bless you.”
Morgan says that as she returned to her car she couldn’t help but cry and wonder how many people passed him while he struggled? How many people are willing to give their money to “Vanity Fair” and read about celebrities, but aren’t willing to help a veteran and pay for his groceries?
She says the experience was very humbling for her and she considers her time with the veteran a blessing to her. The opportunity helped brighten not just the day of the veteran, but hers as well. I think we can all learn from her experience. If you agree, share this amazing story with your friends.
