A man about forty walked into the enlistment office — in dirty, torn clothes, with long unkempt hair and a thick beard. He smelled of the street and rain. The soldiers at the entrance exchanged glances and grimaced.
— Documents, — the duty officer said sternly.
The homeless man took a worn but neatly folded passport out of his pocket and proudly handed it over. Then he confidently stepped inside, straight into the office where the officers were sitting.
— I want to join the special forces, — he said firmly.
Laughter filled the room. One of the officers, without lifting his eyes from the papers, smirked:
— Special forces? Maybe the kitchen would suit you better — peeling potatoes? Or you wanna be a janitor?
— No. Only special forces, — the man stubbornly repeated.
— Boys, throw him out, — the major said irritably. — He’s probably crazy.
Two soldiers grabbed the homeless man by the arms and dragged him into the hallway. The door slammed behind him.
The man stood by the exit, clutching his passport to his chest, silently crying.
At that moment a general walked down the corridor. He was about to pass by, but suddenly stopped, staring closely at the homeless man — and froze in shock at what he saw 😱🫣 Continuation in the first comment 👇👇
— Captain? — he said in shock. — Is that… you? Why are you like this?
The man wiped his eyes and quietly replied:
— After the last operation I came back wounded. I spent a long time recovering, used up everything I had. My wife left, took the children. I had to sell the house… Ended up on the street. But now I’m healthy and I want to return. Service is the only thing I have left.
The general fell silent for a moment. Then he took a step forward, placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and said:
— I remember what you did for the Motherland. You saved more people than any of us. Come with me. Let everyone see who you really are.
And when they entered the office together, the officers who had been laughing just moments ago stood up from their desks. For the first time — not because of an order, but out of respect.
