Be Someone's Parachute

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb bailed out and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal. One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!” 

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb. 

“I packed your parachute,” the man replied. 

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.” 

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. He kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. He wondered how many times he might have seen him and not even said Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, Plumb was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor. Plumb thought of the man hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know. 

💡 The Lesson

Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. We all need many kinds of parachutes as we go through life – we need our physical parachute, our mental parachute, our emotional parachute and our spiritual parachute. We call on all these supports as we fall through our journey of life. 

“Silent hands often shape our greatest victories. Never forget to thank those who lift you when you fall.”

📌 Reflection 

“Who’s packing your parachute?” Have you ever taken the time to recognize and appreciate the unseen efforts of those who support you in your journey? How can you express your gratitude to them today?

🔖 Disclaimer

“This story has been collected from various sources over time. The original author is unknown. If you are the rightful owner of this content, please reach out for due credit or removal.”

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