This Soldier Goes To Order Taco Bell Meal, Stops Cold When He Hears 2 Boys Behind Him
3View galleryIt was a wet, cold evening in January 2016, and Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert Risdon just wanted a quick dinner.
He and his friend Jason Gibson were driving home to Columbus, Georgia, after a trip to Mobile, Alabama. The two men coached the Columbus Lions, an indoor football team, and they had been scouting players at the Senior Bowl. Somewhere along the highway, they pulled into a Taco Bell.
Risdon, a U.S. Army Ranger, was still in uniform. He had no idea that a few minutes later, a video of him would be on its way to more than a million people.
Two Boys With a Box of Baked Goods
While the coaches were getting their food, two brothers walked up. The younger boy was 9, and his older brother was about 13. They were carrying homemade desserts and politely asked whether the men would like to buy some. Every cent, they explained, was going to their church.
Risdon and Gibson didn’t have any cash on them. But something else about the boys caught Risdon’s attention.
They were soaked from the rain and shivering. When he asked them a few questions, the answer he got stopped him cold: the brothers hadn’t eaten dinner that day.
“Order Whatever You Want”
Risdon didn’t hesitate. He walked the boys up to the counter and told them to order anything they wanted from the menu, on him.
The younger brother could barely contain himself and started dancing with excitement. His older brother thanked the soldier again and again. Risdon bought them tacos and drinks, and the boys sat down to eat.
According to Gibson, he had never seen anyone eat so fast. The boys, he said, answered everything with “yes, sir” and “no, sir.”
Risdon later explained that helping them wasn’t really a decision at all. The boys, he said, were “cold, wet and hungry,” and it was more of a reaction.
A Phone Call to Grandpa
The brothers were determined to do the right thing. They didn’t want anyone to think they had spent their church fundraising money on themselves. So they called their grandfather and handed the phone to the coaches, who confirmed that the meal was a gift and the church money was untouched.
Before the men left, Gibson told the boys to remember the moment and pay it forward one day.
The Salute
Then came the moment that made the video go viral.
As Risdon was leaving, the 9-year-old looked up at the man in uniform and told him he wanted to be just like him someday. Then he raised his hand and saluted, at first with his left hand.
Gibson had filmed the encounter on his phone and shared it on Facebook. The clip quickly passed a million views, and national outlets including ABC News, TODAY and HuffPost picked up the story.
“Never Shall I Fail My Comrades”
Asked why he stepped in, Risdon, a father of two, said his own children came to mind. Picturing them hungry and out in the cold on a night like that was enough.
He also pointed to a line from the Ranger Creed he has lived by for years: “Never shall I fail my comrades.” In his eyes, two young Americans who needed a hot meal counted.
It was a small act, a few tacos and a couple of drinks. But for two brothers raising money for their church on a cold, rainy night, it was a meal and a moment they won’t forget. The boy who saluted now has a role model.
