Risdon’s source of inspiration comes from the mission statement of the U.S. Army Rangers….
A uniformed soldier stood at the Taco Bell counter and was about to give an order when he suddenly stopped. When he heard what the two young men were saying, he realized that he wanted to talk to them. He was startled, as were many bystanders, when another diner pulled out a phone to record the interaction.
When Army Lt. Col. Robert Risdon went to dinner at a Taco Bell in Mobile, Alabama, he had no idea he was being watched, let alone videotaped. Unbeknownst to the uniformed soldier, he was noticed by Jason Gibson, a man who was alone eating dinner.
A couple of boys running around outside the restaurant quickly caught the attention of both Risdon and Gibson. Gibson almost choked on his taco when Risdon overheard what the boys were doing and wanted to ask them something. Shocked, he pulled out his phone and started filming.
It appeared that two young boys, aged 9 and 13, were left alone in a fast food restaurant with the intention of selling some goods they had brought from home. They sold their own desserts to raise money for their neighborhood church. Unfortunately, Army Lieutenant Colonel Risdon had no money with him. Risdon had the option of politely refusing, demanding to know where their parents were, or pretending they never existed. However, he was unable to ignore the children.
The soldier noticed the cold and damp appearance of the youths and also that it was getting dark. Then he asked if they had anything for dinner. Not at all. Gibson recorded what happened next because he was so moved by what happened that he felt the need to share the footage on Facebook.
“I was at Taco Bell tonight when two young men came in and tried to extort money by selling homemade candy. The soldier asked the kids if they were hungry and then ordered them to follow him to the counter where he bought them food. I heard Gibson captioning the video, he wrote, “I had to record and share. A kind-hearted soldier called the youths to the register and invited them to order whatever they wanted to satisfy their hunger. He paid for the food.
The boys excitedly danced around and waited for their warm dinners with big smiles on their faces and hearts full of appreciation for this stranger. Risdon not only bought tacos and drinks for the youngsters but also chatted with them. It was a moving sight, to say the least. Gibson wasn’t the only one moved to express his admiration for those bravely serving our nation everywhere. Tens of thousands of viewers were moved by the touching video, and many of them wanted to share it on social networks.
More information about the brave soldier emerged after the video gained popularity. US Army Ranger Robert Risdon, a father of two, was assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia. It was simple to decide to help them; it was more of an impulse. They were hungry, cold, and damp. They were wonderful children who were respectful and intelligent, he claimed. The least I could do for two young Americans, I thought. They were undoubtedly grateful and happy to receive the food.
According to Ridson, his source of inspiration is the U.S. mission statement. Army Rangers. I believe I can best explain why I did this by referring to the Ranger Creed that I follow every day. “I believe the creed, ‘I will never fail my comrades,’ sums up why I took part. He said, speaking of the boys as his comrades, ‘It was my duty to help them.’