Trucker buys dinner for a bus full of veterans

A trucker recently picked up the tab at a restaurant to show a group of veterans how much he respects them for their service.

The incident took place on September 11, 2018, when Ohio-based truck driver John Meiring stopped for a bite at the Robbie’s Spaghetti House restaurant in Ottawa.

Meiring noticed a bus outside the restaurant labeled “Vets on Wheels” and was moved to act to show the group of veterans a sign of respect.

Meiring approached the table and told the the group, “I want to pay for the meals for all the veterans.”

The veterans were stunned by the kind gesture from a total stranger. “I said, ‘Are you kidding?” veteran Phil Lepage recalled.

“It put a smile on everybody’s face. It’s going to be one of my greatest memories of my life. It warmed my heart immensely that I could do this for them,” Meiring told CTV.

Meiring says that he was moved to pay for the dinners in part because of his son, who is serving in Afghanistan. He also pointed out that he wanted to give them something back in honor of soldiers who lost their lives in service to their country. “A lot have made the ultimate sacrifice and never came home. I want people to think about that,” he said.

Robyn Orazietti, a staff member with the Perley and Rideau Veterans Health Centre said that Meiring’s act of kindness will be remembered for a long time to come. “I think every outing we go on, we’ll always be thinking about our night at Robbie’s and a truck driver from Ohio,” she said.