I was recently traveling on a stretch of freeway that goes from two lanes to one to accommodate a bridge repair. I had traveled this stretch just days before but had forgotten about the construction. Stuck between exits, I was angry at myself for the memory lapse because my last trip was delayed by 45 minutes. Delayed because of the people who don’t feel that “lane closed ahead” means they should merge into a single file line. They look at the long line of cars and see this as an opportunity to charge to the front of the line and then just before running into cones blocking the lane under construction, jam themselves into the line causing everyone else to hit the brakes. However, this story isn’t about these jerks. This is about those who serve the greater good.
My second trip through this construction zone was much faster. What happened? I had merged to the right and yet no one was blowing past me. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw a large SUV just behind me in the left lane. This vehicle was not charging past the line. It was just sitting there matching the speed of the long line I was in, preventing the jerks from getting through. ”WOW” I thought, “who in this time of gun-toting-road-rage-induced-nut-jobs would sit there like that?” Then I noticed it, the licence plate on the front of this SUV read “NAVY.” Because of this SUV we approached the construction zone with only a short delay. At the end I slowed a bit and reached out of my window to wave this SUV in front of me. As it went by I got a look at the driver and passengers. They were in dress uniforms and all had fully grey hair. They might have been on their way to a military funeral. Yet they still had time to make a difference, to right the wrong of the jerks who would normally have delayed my trip. They could have charged past the line but the chose to wait and serve the greater good. As they went past, I gave another wave that I hope conveyed, “thanks for making a difference.”
A day later, some of their Navy brothers stormed a compound in Pakistan and killed Osama Bin Laden. A much bigger event but the same sense of honor, duty, and commitment to the greater good. For the members of our military, just another day at the office. Happy Memorial Day.