Photo: Southwest Airlines
After hearing about his pilot’s incredible story of patriotism and survival, one young airline passenger received the ultimate surprise visit from his hero.
Seth fell asleep on the flight and was unable to get Udell’s signature, but his mom didn’t give up. After doing everything she could to find the pilot, she was able to find Udell’s wife — who also works for Southwest as a flight attendant — on Facebook, where she messaged her and asked for the autograph.
When Udell heard about his young passenger, he decided to hop in the car and hand-deliver it himself. The pilot along with his two adult sons drove to Seth’s house in St. Louis, Missouri, where he gifted the boy an autographed picture of Southwest’s latest livery, Freedom One.
In a video of their meeting, which was included in Southwest’s Facebook post, Udell knocks on Seth’s door and introduces himself, asking him, “Do you remember me?”
When Seth says yes, Udell tells him, “I heard you wanted something,” before giving him the autographed photo and asking if hethought it was “pretty cool.”
In response, Seth tells the pilot, “It’s not pretty cool, it’s extremely cool.”
After the surprise, Udell stayed with Seth to answer all of his questions about his Air Force career.
“When I was told about Seth wanting an autograph, I saw it as an opportunity to make a positive impact in a young person’s life. I would have done this for anyone, but what made it so rewarding for me was that Seth is such an amazing young man with great parents,” Udell said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
“I also saw this as an opportunity to show my sons how a small act of kindness can make a big difference,” Udell added. “I teach my kids that the best leader is a servant leader with a servant’s heart and I felt this was a good way to demonstrate that.”
source: people.com
