'That's not your seat'; a young soldier gets a first-class welcome home Published Feb. 12, 2008 By Margie Boulé PORTLAND, Oregon -- Unless there's a military base next door, there's not much opportunity for most Americans to come face to face with the men and women serving our country in the armed forces. Living on bases in faraway places, serving abroad, most aren't within easy thanking distance. Except at airports. That's where Americans most often have a chance to see people in uniform -- in the midst of anxious goodbyes or tearful reunions, or waiting quietly between flights, heading to or from home. American airports provide opportunities for quiet acts of gratitude. A stranger buys a drink for the soldier at the end of the bar. Someone else picks up the tab for a group in camouflage at an airport restaurant. Roy Esquivel was in the airport in Dallas, Texas, on Jan. 10. It was getting late; Roy was waiting for a flight to Portland, on his way home to Salem. Roy signed up for the National Guard "back in 2001, eight days after Sept. 11," he says. He was still in high school; he went into basic training after he graduated the following spring. "It was turbulent times," he says. "You pretty much knew you were going to war." And Roy did go to war. In fact, he finished his six years on Monday; half that time was spent on active duty. He served in Kuwait and Iraq. "I'm a mechanic, so I traveled up and down the country (of Iraq), picking up equipment." It wasn't easy work. "It was an experience" is all he'll say. Today Roy is working part-time jobs, delivering pizzas, delivering mail, driving a school bus and looking for full-time work. A month ago, it was 8:55 p.m. in Dallas when Roy rose from his seat in the waiting area to board Flight 2211 for Portland. Roy took seat 19D in coach. Across the aisle and back a row, Elizabeth Ann Arey, who lives in Maine, was getting settled. Elizabeth was flying to Portland to visit her son. Before the plane left the gate, a member of the flight crew made an announcement over the public address system. "They requested that any active duty Marine on board push his call button and identify himself," Elizabeth said last week by phone from Maine. "We noticed the young soldier, and several of us expressed interest in why a Marine was being singled out," Elizabeth says. "We assumed a free drink might be offered." Elizabeth and others sitting around Roy encouraged him to identify himself. "I said, 'I'm not a Marine,' " Roy recalls. "They said, 'Buzz it anyway.' So I buzzed it." A flight attendant stopped to chat with Roy, who explained he was in fact not a Marine. But soon after, down the aisle came a man Elizabeth describes as "a handsome, slim gentleman, in his early 60s . . . with sparkling eyes, an exuberant smile and a gray crew cut. The flight attendant pointed out the young soldier." "He said, 'That's not your seat, that's my seat. You're sitting in first class,' " Roy says. "I was happy to sit back there, but I had an entire plane full of people urging me to take it." So Roy stood, thanked the man and walked forward. "The entire plane had heard him," Roy says. "And as I'm walking up, the entire plane is applauding and cheering." Roy settled into the first class seat and enjoyed his ride home. "Afterwards," Roy says, "when I got off the plane, I waited for him and we had a conversation as we walked back to the terminal." The man had no desire to give Roy his name; he just wanted to express gratitude for Roy's service. Elizabeth, who followed the men to the baggage claim area, was touched by what she saw. "I saw Americans at their best that night," Elizabeth says. "It's clear there are a lot of us who are deeply grateful to the young men and women serving their country and putting their lives on the line every day for all of us. It seems important to let them know how much it means to us that they are out there fighting to preserve our freedoms." Even folks who oppose the war often make a point to thank those who are serving. "They do the job asked of them," Elizabeth says. "They go where they are sent. They serve." "When you're at war, it's a stressful time for everyone in your family and yourself," Roy says. "It's not an easy job. It's not a job you do for the money, and you can't count on getting glory, because a lot of what you do, there's no glory involved. "But when you come back and people show their appreciation, it really makes it worth it. It's one of the reasons I love being in the service. These are the people I would sacrifice my life for, so they can carry on and be the genuine, warmhearted people they are." It cost Roy's benefactor one ride in a comfortable leather chair and a nice meal. But Roy will never forget that flight to Portland, the night he was welcomed home. (Editors note: "'That's not your seat'; a young soldier gets a first-class welcome home" was reprinted with permission of The Oregonian, copyright Oregonian Publishing Co. 2008.)