I certainly didn't mean my comment as nasty or negative. I was just surprised that they used a bus to bring them home. 15 hours of bus travel is a lot, when you have a very limited amount of leave.
The donation could have been privately done, but it became a public story. I find it curious that King (or his people) would comment to the media.
"An
overnight, 15-hour bus ride from Camp Atterbury, Ind., ended at the Brewer Armory late Wednesday morning. (Another bus carrying soldiers stopped in Portland earlier Wednesday morning.)"
They traveled mainly overnight.
Also, "The unit will return to Indiana on Jan. 1." That's not that brief, though I'm sure it feels brief to them. What if they'd been given plane tickets, then the trip to the airport took ages, then they were delayed by no-flying weather, etc etc etc. Might have taken longer than 15 hours...
There were two groups, two buses.
I don't know how many people are in a unit, but...I just don't think that there are enough available flights/seats for those places, on 12/23, last minute, for all of them. Seems a whole lot easier to do it that way to me!
The guy who runs "Operation Community Support a Bangor-based military assistance nonprofit agency ... solicited the Kings for money." I would bet that THEY brought it to the attention of the media. That or the people at home waiting for these military members...
I agree with this poster. My thought was, well if he doesn't like 13,000 why go 12,999? Why not 13,001? And I'm sure he does many charitable works, but I think military families should far outway a library at this time of year. And let's not forget that charity can and often is claimed on income tax returns.
Steve is such a numbers person, said Julie Eugley, one of the authors personal assistants. When we were approached for $13,000, he thought that number was a little unlucky. He didnt want any bad whammies associated with these troops.
They asked him for a specific amount for a specific thing, and he made it happen, it seems.
That was nice of him. I'm a HUGE King fan, but couldn't help but think he could have easily sent them home on a plane. He certainly can afford it.
You'd also think that their employer could have afforded it, but the article stated that they couldn't this time (though it says they try to get them home at other times)...
He spent $12,999 on the bus trip. He didn't like the way 13,000 seemed unlucky, so an assistant pitched in $1.
Interesting how the same quote can be "heard" in such different ways...