Charlie Plumb was a Navy jet pilot. On his 75th mission, his fighter was destroyed by a missile and he was forced to1. The only thing between him and2was his parachute(降落伞) that he prayed would open. The parachute did open and Charlie made it down to the ground, but he was3and spent 6 years in a prison camp.
One day, 15 years later, Charlie was sitting in a restaurant when he4two tables over was this guy who kept looking at him. Charlie looked back but didn't5him. Finally the guy walked over to Charlie's table and said, "You're Captain Plumb. You flew jet fighters in the war. You6from the aircraft carrier(航母) Kitty Hawk, you parachuted into enemy territory…"
Astonished, Charlie asked, "How did you know?" The man laughed and said, "Because I7your parachute.'
Charlie was8. The man grabbed Charlie's hand and said, "I guess it worked," and walked off.
Charlie lay awake that night, thinking about all the times he had walked through the long narrow room of the9, with the tables where the men packed the parachutes. He wondered how many times he must have walked past this man10saying "hi," or "good job" or "I11what you do."
Think about this for yourself. How many times in life do you12the people who help you out the most? The people who come out of the13corners of your life just when you need them the most? The people who go the14mile, the people who don't look for the15or the achievement medal or even the bonus check — the folks who are just out there packing parachutes?
