by JRP Taylor
COPYRIGHT EXISTS
©Brittunculi 2016
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This Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This publication may not be resold or given away to other people without the express consent of the publisher. If you would like to share this publication with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased or supplied for your use only, you should return it to the publisher and purchase your own copy.
CONTENT: The Gold Star Kid and the Dream Angel
Introduction
Copper’s End
Decisions, Decisions
Dreaming
Six Visits
A New Family
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About the author
THE GOLD STAR KID and the Dream Angel
Children’s Fantasy Story and Audio Book
JRP Taylor (Odd Jonathan)
Introduction
Myles Eckert, a boy of just 8 years of age from Ohio, USA, looked down at the tarmac of the Cracker Barrel car-park at the Ohio Air National Guard near Toledo. There on the floor beside him, sparkling upwards in the sunlight towards him, he saw an old twenty dollar bill.
His thoughts immediately turned to the purchase of a new video game, but whilst sat beside his mother awaiting his food and pondering over his options, his eye was drawn to the attention of a soldier. This army man’s name was Lt. Col. Frank Dailey, a member of the Air National Guard. Myles had never seen him before.
Picking up a small, scrap piece of yellow note-paper, Myles decided to write a letter to the soldier who was sat opposite him in the restaurant whilst eating with his own family. “Dear Soldier,” he wrote. “My dad was a soldier. He’s in heaven now. I found this $20 in the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my family. It's your lucky day!”
Frank Dailey reported to CBS news reporters later; “I consider Myles’ act of kindness as an honour. It's incredible being recognised in such a manner. I will remember the gift for a lifetime.” In concluding the letter to the anonymous soldier Myles had ended, “Thank you for your service, Myles Eckert, a gold star kid.” Lt. Col. Dailey, overcome with gratitude for the gift said, “I look at it every day… Myles gave me so much more than twenty dollars. He gave me a lifetime direction, for sure.”
Myles’ father, Army Sergeant Andy Eckert, had died just five weeks after his son had been born. He had given his life whilst serving his country in Iraq. Myles’ mother, Tiffany, drove him to his father’s grave after the gift was made. Myles wanted to be alone with his father. “He wanted to go see his dad, and he wanted to go by himself that day,” she explained to the news reporters. She had never anticipated that his story would now be featured on national television. “Good deeds like this are not out of the ordinary for the Eckerts,” she said. “This is actually something that we do on a regular basis. We pay it forward often. This story just happened to take off.”
The story first aired on the CBS television channel across America, and the little 8-year-old boy from Toledo, Myles Eckert, had now become a local celebrity.
“After church (a few days later) we went to Five Guys (a fast food burger outlet) and we walked in and there were some soldiers from the 180th and we went over there to say thank you for your service,” Tiffany recalled most surprised. “They all knew who Myles was.
While we were there it was like every single person knew who Myles was, and they were coming up to him in tears and giving him $20 and wanting pictures with him,” she added. “I couldn't be more proud, but this is our normal life,” she told the reporters. “Kindness always wins, and that's something I've been teaching our kids forever.”
This story that now follows is based on the true events of March 2014 above. I too believe that kindness always wins; why do we forget to teach our own children this?
JRP Taylor.
THE GOLD STAR KID
Copper’s End