Stranger's Kind Gesture For Military Wife Whose Husband Is Deployed Goes Viral

The kindness of one stranger reminds us all there is good in the world

Grab some tissues, because this story will give you all the feels and restore your faith in humanity. Casey Carpenter was grocery shopping one day and was humbled by the gesture of a total stranger. The story reminds us all just how important it can be to reach out to others, especially when you know exactly what they are going through.

“I went to Kroger tonight wearing one of my husband’s sweatshirts. I got in line to check out and the man in front of me asked if the sweatshirt was mine. I said ‘oh no, it’s my husband’s.’ It caught me pretty off guard, to say the least,” Carpenter started in her post, shared on Love What Matters. Carpenter’s husband is deployed in the military and when he heard that, he did something extraordinary.

“The man then, without hesitation started putting my groceries up on the belt with his and told me he was paying for my groceries tonight,” Carpenter said. “I was speechless.”

According to VetFriends.com, the United States currently has over 1.3 million men and women deployed in about 150 countries worldwide. This means hundreds of thousands of families living apart and trying to cope with being separated from the ones they love. Having someone recognize the sacrifice their loved ones are making, and also the ones those they leave behind are making, can mean everything.

“The only thing I could get out was, ‘oh my gosh, are you sure, thank you so much’ almost a dozen times. He said, ‘that place over there almost took me away from my wife and my four kids. Promise you’ll stay true and honest to him while he’s gone and love him like you’ve never loved him before when he gets home,” she wrote.

The post is resonating with people all over the world:

“Wow!!!! This was a beautiful story!!!! God bless the man who served and KNOWS what it is “like” over there and stepped in to do that incredible kind deed for you, and for your own sweet hubby…may he return soon…and hug him for all of us for his service!!! God bless you all!!”

“This is so beautiful. As military wives, we just wear their shirts to feel close to them, and hopefully still smell their scent on it. I’d wear my husband’s USMC pt sweatshirt not realizing that what it meant for me meant so much more to many others that are in the military. Semper Fi, God Bless and praying for you and your husband.”

“I love this so hard. I took a care package to the post office a few years ago for a friend who was deployed and while filling out that silly customs form, a man at the counter next to me told me he was paying for it because he never got mail while he was in Vietnam and wanted to make sure no one else went through that.”

“My 4 young children and I just got back home from the send off ceremony for my husbands first deployment. People have been more than kind, and we are so grateful for all the support we receive.”

Carpenter ended her post by sharing how she gets through these tough times without her spouse. “There’s still so much good in the world and we need to start focusing on that rather than focusing on all the bad.”