- ALL RIGHT, WELL, MAYBE YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS STORY.
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BOY FOUND $20
IN THE PARKING LOT OF A RESTAURANT IN TOLEDO, OHIO,
AND WHEN HE SAW A SOLDIER
HAVING LUNCH WITH HIS FAMILY INSIDE,
HE GAVE IT TO HIM AS A THANK-YOU FOR HIS SERVICE.
PLEASE WELCOME MYLES ECKERT.
HI, MYLES. I LOVE WHAT YOU'RE WEARING.
I LOVE YOUR OUTFIT. I LOVE YOUR BOOTS.
I LOVE YOUR TIE. - [sighs]
- LOVE WHAT YOU'RE WEARING. - OKAY.
- OKAY.
[laughter]
LISTEN,
YOU'RE HERE BECAUSE YOU DID SOMETHING
REALLY, REALLY SWEET.
YOU FOUND $20, AND, OF COURSE, $20,
YOU COULD DO STUFF WITH THAT, RIGHT?
DID YOU THINK TO YOURSELF,
"HEY, I'M GONNA BUY..." LIKE, WHAT?
WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU COULD BUY?
- UH, THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEO GAME.
- THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEO GAME.
INSTEAD, YOU SAW A MAN SITTING INSIDE THE RESTAURANT,
WHO IS IN THE AIR FORCE, RIGHT?
AND YOU WROTE A NOTE AND WRAPPED UP THE $20.
AND CAN I READ PEOPLE WHAT YOU WROTE IN THIS NOTE?
- YES.
- "DEAR SOLDIER, MY DAD WAS A SOLDIER.
"HE'S IN HEAVEN NOW.
"I FOUND THIS $20 IN THE PARKING LOT
"WHEN WE GOT HERE.
"WE WOULD LIKE TO PAY IT FORWARD IN MY FAMILY.
"IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE."
AND GAVE IT TO HIM.
[cheers and applause]
I MEAN...
THAT'S-- THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING.
HOW OLD ARE YOU? EIGHT?
- YES.
I'M GOING TO BE NINE IN A FEW WEEKS.
- NINE IN A FEW WEEKS.
IT'S REALLY SOMETHING TO DO THAT.
AND YOU SAY YOUR DAD IS IN HEAVEN NOW.
HE WAS A SOLDIER.
I BET YOUR DAD IS VERY PROUD OF YOU.
I BET YOUR DAD THINKS--
[cheers and applause]
THE SOLDIER THAT YOU GAVE THE MONEY TO
IS HERE TODAY.
I'D LIKE HIM TO COME OUT RIGHT NOW.
FRANK DAILEY, COME ON OUT.
[cheers and applause]
- NICE TO MEET YOU, ELLEN.
- GOOD TO MEET YOU.
- MYLES, MY MAN.
- SO LOOK AT THIS.
SO OBVIOUSLY, YOU DIDN'T KNOW EACH OTHER.
- NO. - HE JUST CAME UP TO YOU.
YOU'RE COLONEL FRANK DAILEY.
AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN--
IT'S THE AIR FORCE, AM I RIGHT?
- IT'S THE AIR FORCE. AIR NATIONAL GUARD NOW.
- UH-HUH. - YES.
- HOW LONG?
- NEXT MONTH, IT'LL BE 27 YEARS.
- 27 YEARS.
[cheers and applause]
SO...
SO HE FIRST WALKS UP TO YOU,
AND OBVIOUSLY, YOU DIDN'T KNOW
WHY HE WAS WALKING UP TO YOU,
AND WHEN YOU READ THAT NOTE, WHAT DID YOU THINK?
- I WAS BLOWN OVER WHEN I READ THAT NOTE.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU COULD SEE THE REACTION FROM THE AUDIENCE.
JUST, UH, HEART-TUGGING. - YEAH.
- YOU KNOW, LISTEN, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ME
OR MILITARY INGRAINED IN ME,
BUT MY EMOTIONAL PENDULUM JUST DOESN'T SWING
BACK AND FORTH VERY WILDLY.
WELL, IT DID THAT DAY. - YEAH.
- AND, LISTEN,
IT TOOK JUST A COUPLE ATTEMPTS
JUST TO GET THROUGH THE NOTE,
AND I HAD TO STOP TO GAIN MY COMPOSURE,
AND MY WIFE, LISA, YOU KNOW, SHE'S DOING ONE OF THESE.
[laughter]
YOU KNOW, AND PLAYING WITH OUR GRANDSON
SO, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, SHE'S NOT CRYING.
- YEAH. - AND--OH.
- AMAZING.
I MEAN, IT REALLY, REALLY IS AMAZING.
AND I KNOW-- IT'S TIFFANY, RIGHT?
MYLES' MOM IS IN THE AUDIENCE. HI, TIFFANY.
- HI.
- I MEAN, REALLY, WHAT AN AMAZING YOUNG MAN HE IS,
THAT HE SOUGHT TO DO--
- I'M SO PROUD.
- YOU HAVE TO BE SO PROUD OF HIM.
- I AM. I'M SO PROUD.
- AND SO-- WELL, FIRST OF ALL,
WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE $20?
- WELL, I TOOK THE ORIGINAL $20 BILL,
AND I MADE COPIES-- SEVERAL COPIES, ACTUALLY--
OF THE NOTE ITSELF.
SO I TOOK ONE OF THE COPIES.
I GAVE IT TO A LOCAL CHARITY,
BUT ON THE PIECE OF PAPER,
I WROTE A FURTHER EXPLANATION OF WHAT IT WAS ABOUT
AND I WAS TAKING MYLES' INSPIRATION--
"WE'RE PAYING IT FORWARD, SO HERE IS THE $20,
AND THANK YOU FOR PUTTING IT BACK OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY."
ANONYMOUSLY.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SO ANONYMOUS ANYMORE.
- NOT ANYMORE. - NO.
- BUT--SO YOU PAID IT FORWARD. YOU PAID IT FORWARD.
AND NOW, TIFFANY, YOU'RE STARTING A--EXPLAIN.
IT'S, UH, SNOWBALL EXPRESS, RIGHT?
- YEAH, SNOWBALL EXPRESS
IS A PROGRAM FOR OTHER GOLD STAR CHILDREN
LIKE MYLES AND MY DAUGHTER MARLEE.
[laughs]
IT'S A-- ONE TIME A YEAR,
THESE KIDS ALL COME TOGETHER FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY,
AND WE USUALLY MEET IN TEXAS.
THEY GIVE THEM FIVE DAYS OF FUN.
THEY LOAD THEM UP ON SUGAR.
THEY GET TO HANG OUT WITH THEIR FRIENDS.
THAT ARE JUST LIKE THEM--
ALL KILLED IN ACTION, ALL SERVICE-RELATED DEATHS.
SO IN AN ATTEMPT TO ORGANIZE THIS ORGANIC MASS CHAOS
THAT HAS TRANSPIRED AS A RESULT
OF MYLES JUST BEING MYLES,
WE'RE TRYING TO HIT A GOAL OF RAISING $10,000
FOR OUR OTHER FRIENDS,
TAKING THIS PAY-IT-FORWARD
TO PAY IT FORWARD BACK TO OUR FRIENDS.
AND I'M JUST-- MYLES, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU.
I ALWAYS TELL THE KIDS, "KINDNESS ALWAYS WINS."
AND YOU GET BETTER, NOT BITTER.
AND THIS JUST SHOWS THAT YOU'RE LISTENING.
I LOVE YOU.
[applause]
- SO...
FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO GIVE YOU A GIFT,
BECAUSE KINDNESS DOES PAY OFF,
AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T PAY OFF RIGHT AWAY,
BUT IT REALLY ALWAYS COMES BACK TO YOU.
SO HERE IS YOUR LEGO MOVIE GAME.
- OH.
- SO THAT IS YOUR FIRST PRESENT.
AND THEN WHENEVER YOU WANT TO COME BACK TO CALIFORNIA,
YOU'RE GONNA GO TO LEGOLAND
AND HAVE ALL THE FUN YOU WANT TO HAVE.
ALL RIGHT?
[cheers and applause]
AND, TIFFANY, WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS
TO HELP SNOWBALL EXPRESS,
SO OUR PARTNERS AT SHUTTERFLY, WHO LOVE
HELPING PEOPLE SHARE THEIR STORIES THROUGH PHOTOS,
ARE GIVING SNOWBALL EXPRESS A CHECK FOR $20,000.
[cheers and applause]
- THANK YOU!
- WE'LL BE BACK!
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE BACK WITH MYLES
AND LIEUTENANT COLONEL FRANK DAILEY.
AND WE WERE TALKING DURING THE BREAK
AND HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS TO SHARE THIS STORY,
BECAUSE HOPEFULLY, IT INSPIRES SOME OTHER KID
OR ANYONE TO PAY IT FORWARD AND TO DO THINGS LIKE THIS,
'CAUSE IT REALLY--IT--
YOU CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENS
BY ONE PERSON DOING A KIND GESTURE.
SO WE--YOU PROBABLY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE
TO GO ON A VACATION FOR A WHILE--
FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD-- WITH YOUR WIFE.
SO WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR YOU.
AND EXPEDIA.COM IS PAYING IT FORWARD TO YOU
BY GIVING YOU A SIX-NIGHT TRIP TO HAWAII.
YOU'RE GONNA STAY IN A FOUR-STAR HOTEL.
- [speaks indistinctly]
- YOU'RE GONNA RELAX ON THE BEACH
IN HONOLULU, OAHU.
[cheers and applause]
I WANT TO THANK GEORGE LOPEZ,
LUKE BRYAN, AND JESSE METCALFE.
I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW.
BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. BYE-BYE.