A group of eight veterans get together every other Wednesday morning for breakfast at Riley's Smokehouse in Marion, Illinois. On Jan. 8, the group met at their favorite hangout. The place was packed with lineworkers assisting with the electric restoration efforts in the aftermath of an ice storm that affected Williamson and surrounding counties in southern Illinois.
When the last group of Ameren Illinois lineworkers left the restaurant to start their day of restoration work for customers, who were still without power, the lineworkers approached the table where the veterans were sitting to thank the veterans for their service. They also picked up the breakfast tab for the veterans. The group did not know their tab had been picked up until the lineworkers were already on the road, and their waitress informed them of the random act of kindness.
The veterans at the table included: Ken Hilliard, U.S. Air Force retired; Charlie Kemp, U.S. Air Force retired; Debbie Brooks, U.S. Air Force; Art Ambos, U.S. Navy retired; Dan Fruge, U.S. Navy; Gene Broombaugh, U.S. Navy; Herb Robinson, U.S. Marine Corps; and Ron Philips, U.S. Navy.
One of the veterans, who asked to remain anonymous said, "We greatly appreciate everything the Ameren Illinois lineworkers did for us, restoring power in our community, thanking us for our service and buying our breakfast. Hopefully, someday we can meet up with them to say thank you very much."
