Blake Hall
When this Army Ranger noticed that two children did not have the money to spare for a Taco Bell taco, he decided to treat them to lunch.
This fleeting moment of kindness may have occurred without fanfare had a witness not captured the exchange on video.
From a post written by Jason Gibson, who recorded and shared the video on Facebook:
I was in a taco bell tonight when two kids came in trying to sell home made desserts for money. I over heard a soldier ask the kids if they were hungry and told them to follow him to the counter, he would buy them dinner. I had to video it and share. Our troops are always taking care of us. Thank u LTC Robert Risdon please please share this….I heard the little one say I want to be just like u when I grow up and saluted him.
Lt. Col. Robert Risdon Jr and his co-football coach Gibson had stopped in Taco Bell on their way to Columbus, Georgia to get a bite to eat. While inside, Risdon and Gibson were approached by two brothers, aged 9 and 13, who asked if the coaches could buy baked goods to support their church. Unfortunately neither man had any cash to buy homemade treats, but Risdon couldn’t help but notice how thin the kids looked.
Thinking of his own children and his experience roughing it in the military, the Army Ranger instead bought them five tacos each.
“They looked like they hadn’t eaten a meal in weeks and had been out in the rain selling their stuff for a while,” Risdon told TODAY. “I can’t even count the number of times I was cold, wet and hungry in the Army. To sit in warmth and eat some tacos is a big victory for them.”
The children gobbled up their tacos and politely thanked Risdon. Later that day, Gibson posted his video of the encounter online. As of this article, it has been shared more than 36,000 times.
On Youtube, the video has amassed more than 1.5 million views.
“I’m kinda embarrassed and humbled by the praise and don’t need it,” Risdon told The Huffington Post after the video took off. “I am a believer that we live in the best country in the world with the best people and that acts of kindness happen every day.”