Helpful Airman Declines Title of Hero

            My VIP for this week is Jibril Jennings, an airman at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is a radio operator on the Airborne Warning and Control System. He is considered a hero because he saw an elderly woman and stopped to help her. The temperature was about 100 degrees when he noticed that cars were swerving to miss the woman, but none were stopping to help. 

Janice Hall, age 71, was struggling with several heavy bags and had her walker loaded with others. He stopped to offer her a ride home, and she accepted. She says that she enjoys the two-mile walk between Wal-Mart and her home, but she was grateful for the ride and the help with her groceries.

No one would have known about Jennings’ good deed except Amber Roy came upon the scene as he was loading Hall’s groceries into his car. She recorded the experience and uploaded it to Facebook where it has been viewed 3.3 million times. Jennings was unaware that he was being watched and was surprised to be called a hero.

There are thousands, maybe even millions, of elderly people in our nation, and many of them are live in difficult circumstances. There is a multitude of people willing to take advantage of older people. Some are robbed, while others are beaten and otherwise abused. Some are even killed, like the elderly man who was pushed out of bus. 

It is good to know that there are people like Jennings around who are willing to stop and help when they can. Hall reminded Jennings of his grandmother, and the two became friends on their short ride together. Jennings saw other ways that he could help Hall when he arrived at her home. He plans to recruit some of his friends in the Air Force to help him fix the broken ramp outside Hall’s home in order to make her life easier. 

            Hall may not fit the title of “hero,” but he certainly is a man to be admired. He stopped to help Hall out of the goodness of his heart. He did not film himself doing the good deed, nor did he expect to become famous for his service. He seems to be a genuinely good man who cares about other people.