Video: A Little Boy ‘Pays It Forward’ In Memory of His Soldier Dad

What does the average kid do when he finds a twenty dollar bill on the ground? Most would go blow it on toys and candy. To an 8 year old that’s like a million bucks.

8 year-old Myles Eckert found the twenty in the parking lot of a  Cracker Barrel restaurant, and at first, he had thoughts of buying a new video game. Then he spotted Lt. Col. Frank Dailey in uniform, also eating at the restaurant.

 At that moment, everything changed.

“Because he was a soldier, and soldiers remind me of my dad,” Myles explains.

Myles’ father was killed in Iraq when he was 5 weeks old.  He remembers his dad through family pictures.

Myles wrote a note for Daily and wrapped the $20 bill inside.

“Dear Soldier — my dad was a soldier. He’s in heaven now. I found this 20 dollars in the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my family. It’s your lucky day! Thank you for your service. Myles Eckert, a gold star kid.”

 

After lunch that day, Myles asked his mom to make one more stop. He wanted to go see his dad. And he insisted he went alone.

Have a box of Kleenex nearby….