Greater than the fear of flying, is the fear of who will be sitting next to you on a long flight. Since having children, I am usually surrounded by “my own.” But on our Thanksgiving trip to Hawaii, we were spread out (my husband boldly took the seat next to the kiddo’s, leaving me in the seat across the aisle from them).

My travel companions were a delightful couple. They were an Alaskan Native couple originally from Wales, Alaska (about 111 miles NW of Nome, Alaska). They spoke to each other in their Native language and to me in English. Every detail they shared was amazing and sweet, alternately.

Married 61 years, the couple was on their 59th trip to Hawaii. They were going to be there for 2 months, a short stay for them, but their trips have been short fir the past few years due to the fact that they are raising their 17-year old grandson.

Somewhere in the conversation, I found out that the gentleman had been in the Army in WWII. He was part of the force that went to take back Attu, one of the two islands in the Aleutian Chain that were attacked and held by the Japanese during WWII, the only American land ever taken and held by another country. The other island was Kiska. Reclaiming Attu cost 3,929 American lives. It was a bloody battle, The Japanese fought to the last man. The US counted 2,035 among the Japanese losses, but acknowledge that it was probably higher considering the bombing that went on. The man sitting next to me then said that he spent the rest of the war in an ice hole on the island. “Miserable,” he said. All I could say was, “thank you for your sacrifice.” But I knew it wasn’t enough.

His wife was very proud of him and told me that he had been an invited guest on the USS Missouri for the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. She had been a nurse during the war. After they married they lived in Nome, then Fairbanks, then finally, Anchorage. “I know everybody,” she said, “and everybody know me.” Went she went forward to the restroom, she stopped in first class to chat with someone. “I can’t go anywhere without running into friends,” she repeated when she got back. It was easy to see that it was true. These friendly, lovely people must have friends everywhere. How could they not?

I wish I’d gotten their names. They made me want to follow up somehow… and find out how they are doing. But I know that they’ve got lots of people watching their backs.