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Feeling the best a man could feel in one day from a good deed.

Hello all,

Recently I was staying in my vehicle on a road trip from back home. My father has recently passed away and I drove out to be there for his wife and for the arrangements. While "truck camping" in Needles, CA I was shaving one evening and was approached by a homeless gentleman wearing a 1st Cavalry hat. At first he asked if I could help him with any change for food. I handed him a $20 bill and told him that I was going to be cooking soon and he was more than welcome to join me for a hot meal to which he happily accepted. I cooked this gentleman a New York strip steak on my hibachi and served him his steak with a side of sauteed mushrooms and green beans. This man broke down into tears in front of me which with all I had going on caused me to break down myself. We then spent the next five or so hours chatting near the fire pit I had made. He had made mention of his time in the Vietnam conflict and how it was hard for him to adjust after returning home. I shared with him my story of my time in the Army and we laughed, cussed and reminisced of time gone past. He then started inquiring about seeing me wet shaving while camping. He said how he figured it would have been easier to just use a modern razor or an electric one. I explained to him my fascination and obsession with practicing the old ways of shaving and he smiled and said how glad he was that people still remember things from his past era. The man had looked like he hadn't shaved in months and I asked him if he would like to try it out and he was so happy to give it a try he nearly could not stop smiling. Now, I have seen many people wet shave over the years but this man took my brush, soap and bowl and whipped up a lather that would make soap manufacturers gasp in awe. He then proceeded to stretch and pull his face and glide my Rockwell over his face. This man transformed in front of my eyes and I could see the old soldier come out within him as he gussied himself up. After he rinsed and pat his face dry he hugged me and said it had been many years since someone had even taken the time to have a conversation with him and even longer since someone had expressed even the slightest of a care towards him. We cracked a beer, said a toast and drank one under the stars. Afterwards he told me he had best be on his way as he was unsure where his feet would take him through the night but he wanted to get a good start. Before he left I emptied out my dopp kit and placed my Rockwell, Brush, bowl, Soap and aftershave in it along with several packs of blades and gave it to him as a parting gift. He proceeded to break down again and wrapped his arms around me in a thankful embrace before shaking my hand and saying "God bless you soldier!". I literally watched this man walk off through the brush with tears in my eyes of both happiness and sadness. Knowing now what this man had been through, how he came to be in the situation he is in and knowing I made a good memory for him even if it may be his last great one. However I hold in my heart that I am certain everytime he uses that razor he will likely remember the guy he met in the hell of California known as Needles.

I know this is long but after having been off the forum for a while with all that has happened I thought I should share this as he has been on my mind a lot lately. There is far too little good in this world anymore and I hope that this experience I had and have shared with you will hopefully touch someone else's heart and encourage them to do something great for someone no matter how big or small. Just know that it will be appreciated.

Robert Jordan
A Co. 2nd Batt. 81st Armor, 4th Platoon
Keep up the Great Works!
Hello all,

Recently I was staying in my vehicle on a road trip from back home. My father has recently passed away and I drove out to be there for his wife and for the arrangements. While "truck camping" in Needles, CA I was shaving one evening and was approached by a homeless gentleman wearing a 1st Cavalry hat. At first he asked if I could help him with any change for food. I handed him a $20 bill and told him that I was going to be cooking soon and he was more than welcome to join me for a hot meal to which he happily accepted. I cooked this gentleman a New York strip steak on my hibachi and served him his steak with a side of sauteed mushrooms and green beans. This man broke down into tears in front of me which with all I had going on caused me to break down myself. We then spent the next five or so hours chatting near the fire pit I had made. He had made mention of his time in the Vietnam conflict and how it was hard for him to adjust after returning home. I shared with him my story of my time in the Army and we laughed, cussed and reminisced of time gone past. He then started inquiring about seeing me wet shaving while camping. He said how he figured it would have been easier to just use a modern razor or an electric one. I explained to him my fascination and obsession with practicing the old ways of shaving and he smiled and said how glad he was that people still remember things from his past era. The man had looked like he hadn't shaved in months and I asked him if he would like to try it out and he was so happy to give it a try he nearly could not stop smiling. Now, I have seen many people wet shave over the years but this man took my brush, soap and bowl and whipped up a lather that would make soap manufacturers gasp in awe. He then proceeded to stretch and pull his face and glide my Rockwell over his face. This man transformed in front of my eyes and I could see the old soldier come out within him as he gussied himself up. After he rinsed and pat his face dry he hugged me and said it had been many years since someone had even taken the time to have a conversation with him and even longer since someone had expressed even the slightest of a care towards him. We cracked a beer, said a toast and drank one under the stars. Afterwards he told me he had best be on his way as he was unsure where his feet would take him through the night but he wanted to get a good start. Before he left I emptied out my dopp kit and placed my Rockwell, Brush, bowl, Soap and aftershave in it along with several packs of blades and gave it to him as a parting gift. He proceeded to break down again and wrapped his arms around me in a thankful embrace before shaking my hand and saying "God bless you soldier!". I literally watched this man walk off through the brush with tears in my eyes of both happiness and sadness. Knowing now what this man had been through, how he came to be in the situation he is in and knowing I made a good memory for him even if it may be his last great one. However I hold in my heart that I am certain everytime he uses that razor he will likely remember the guy he met in the hell of California known as Needles.

I know this is long but after having been off the forum for a while with all that has happened I thought I should share this as he has been on my mind a lot lately. There is far too little good in this world anymore and I hope that this experience I had and have shared with you will hopefully touch someone else's heart and encourage them to do something great for someone no matter how big or small. Just know that it will be appreciated.

Robert Jordan
A Co. 2nd Batt. 81st Armor, 4th Platoon
keep up the Great Works RJ! Thanks for sharing.
 
Hello all,

Recently I was staying in my vehicle on a road trip from back home. My father has recently passed away and I drove out to be there for his wife and for the arrangements. While "truck camping" in Needles, CA I was shaving one evening and was approached by a homeless gentleman wearing a 1st Cavalry hat. At first he asked if I could help him with any change for food. I handed him a $20 bill and told him that I was going to be cooking soon and he was more than welcome to join me for a hot meal to which he happily accepted. I cooked this gentleman a New York strip steak on my hibachi and served him his steak with a side of sauteed mushrooms and green beans. This man broke down into tears in front of me which with all I had going on caused me to break down myself. We then spent the next five or so hours chatting near the fire pit I had made. He had made mention of his time in the Vietnam conflict and how it was hard for him to adjust after returning home. I shared with him my story of my time in the Army and we laughed, cussed and reminisced of time gone past. He then started inquiring about seeing me wet shaving while camping. He said how he figured it would have been easier to just use a modern razor or an electric one. I explained to him my fascination and obsession with practicing the old ways of shaving and he smiled and said how glad he was that people still remember things from his past era. The man had looked like he hadn't shaved in months and I asked him if he would like to try it out and he was so happy to give it a try he nearly could not stop smiling. Now, I have seen many people wet shave over the years but this man took my brush, soap and bowl and whipped up a lather that would make soap manufacturers gasp in awe. He then proceeded to stretch and pull his face and glide my Rockwell over his face. This man transformed in front of my eyes and I could see the old soldier come out within him as he gussied himself up. After he rinsed and pat his face dry he hugged me and said it had been many years since someone had even taken the time to have a conversation with him and even longer since someone had expressed even the slightest of a care towards him. We cracked a beer, said a toast and drank one under the stars. Afterwards he told me he had best be on his way as he was unsure where his feet would take him through the night but he wanted to get a good start. Before he left I emptied out my dopp kit and placed my Rockwell, Brush, bowl, Soap and aftershave in it along with several packs of blades and gave it to him as a parting gift. He proceeded to break down again and wrapped his arms around me in a thankful embrace before shaking my hand and saying "God bless you soldier!". I literally watched this man walk off through the brush with tears in my eyes of both happiness and sadness. Knowing now what this man had been through, how he came to be in the situation he is in and knowing I made a good memory for him even if it may be his last great one. However I hold in my heart that I am certain everytime he uses that razor he will likely remember the guy he met in the hell of California known as Needles.

I know this is long but after having been off the forum for a while with all that has happened I thought I should share this as he has been on my mind a lot lately. There is far too little good in this world anymore and I hope that this experience I had and have shared with you will hopefully touch someone else's heart and encourage them to do something great for someone no matter how big or small. Just know that it will be appreciated.

Robert Jordan
A Co. 2nd Batt. 81st Armor, 4th Platoon
Beautiful account Robert.. you nailed it man.. whatever you did for that gentleman.. it'll be forever alive in your brightest of memories..

Enjoy your wet shaves Soldier..
Happy Shaving.. 🖖👍
 
Very well done! We need more of that in this world. God knows the vets could!

I really am thankful you did that. I never could. Honestly, it scares me badly to talk to, or even see, anyone like that. I don't want to think about how close I came (Mrs. Rookie is a better woman than I deserve). So thank you for doing what I can't.
 
Hello all,

Recently I was staying in my vehicle on a road trip from back home. My father has recently passed away and I drove out to be there for his wife and for the arrangements. While "truck camping" in Needles, CA I was shaving one evening and was approached by a homeless gentleman wearing a 1st Cavalry hat. At first he asked if I could help him with any change for food. I handed him a $20 bill and told him that I was going to be cooking soon and he was more than welcome to join me for a hot meal to which he happily accepted. I cooked this gentleman a New York strip steak on my hibachi and served him his steak with a side of sauteed mushrooms and green beans. This man broke down into tears in front of me which with all I had going on caused me to break down myself. We then spent the next five or so hours chatting near the fire pit I had made. He had made mention of his time in the Vietnam conflict and how it was hard for him to adjust after returning home. I shared with him my story of my time in the Army and we laughed, cussed and reminisced of time gone past. He then started inquiring about seeing me wet shaving while camping. He said how he figured it would have been easier to just use a modern razor or an electric one. I explained to him my fascination and obsession with practicing the old ways of shaving and he smiled and said how glad he was that people still remember things from his past era. The man had looked like he hadn't shaved in months and I asked him if he would like to try it out and he was so happy to give it a try he nearly could not stop smiling. Now, I have seen many people wet shave over the years but this man took my brush, soap and bowl and whipped up a lather that would make soap manufacturers gasp in awe. He then proceeded to stretch and pull his face and glide my Rockwell over his face. This man transformed in front of my eyes and I could see the old soldier come out within him as he gussied himself up. After he rinsed and pat his face dry he hugged me and said it had been many years since someone had even taken the time to have a conversation with him and even longer since someone had expressed even the slightest of a care towards him. We cracked a beer, said a toast and drank one under the stars. Afterwards he told me he had best be on his way as he was unsure where his feet would take him through the night but he wanted to get a good start. Before he left I emptied out my dopp kit and placed my Rockwell, Brush, bowl, Soap and aftershave in it along with several packs of blades and gave it to him as a parting gift. He proceeded to break down again and wrapped his arms around me in a thankful embrace before shaking my hand and saying "God bless you soldier!". I literally watched this man walk off through the brush with tears in my eyes of both happiness and sadness. Knowing now what this man had been through, how he came to be in the situation he is in and knowing I made a good memory for him even if it may be his last great one. However I hold in my heart that I am certain everytime he uses that razor he will likely remember the guy he met in the hell of California known as Needles.

I know this is long but after having been off the forum for a while with all that has happened I thought I should share this as he has been on my mind a lot lately. There is far too little good in this world anymore and I hope that this experience I had and have shared with you will hopefully touch someone else's heart and encourage them to do something great for someone no matter how big or small. Just know that it will be appreciated.

Robert Jordan
A Co. 2nd Batt. 81st Armor, 4th Platoon
Outstanding! With all the bull**** going on right now, thanks for a human story. Well done!
 
God Bless you, Robert J. You're a lion-hearted Saint. Vietnam combat vets had it pretty bad when they came home, and I'm both in awe of this 1st Cav soldier's strong will to survive and the size of your heart, sir.

This story warmed my soul and reminded me that there's a lot of good out there still.

Frank A. Barbuto
CLR 25, CLC 119
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Corporal, USMC
 
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