A Harley-Davidson dealership owner, Dennis Packee, was reaching out solely from the heart when he did something incredible for one military family.
He never could have imagined that his letter to a stranger would make its way to millions of people on the internet who would then reach out and thank the man for his good deed.
Christopher Walters is a military veteran who was sent overseas, and ended renting a storage space for his motorcycle at Mr. Dennis Packee’s store, Reiman’s Harley-Davidson while he was away.
During his deployment, his wife Jaime was left with the overwhelming responsibility of their two small children, and Jaime absentmindedly fell behind on the Harley-Davidson payments.
Immediately after realizing her mistake, she sent the late check in the mail with a long note to Dennis explaining why it had happened.
After receiving Jamie’s letter, Dennis turned to his employee and shouted:
“You send that money back to her, I never, ever!”
Accepting Jamie’s money was not only a problem for Dennis, it was against a policy Dennis instituted more than 18 years ago.
He wrote back to Jamie, returned her check, and explained the dealership policy:
“Enclosed, you will find the check you mailed to us regarding the account of Christopher,” Dennis’s letter read. “It is the policy of Reiman’s Harley-Davidson to waive storage fees for our active duty service members who are deployed. It is our honor to keep your bike safe and secure while you provide us with our freedoms.”
According to sources,
Decades ago Dennis was almost drafted into the Vietnam War. But when he had his medical examined, he was discharged. Since then, he has understood the sacrifices the men and women who serve America make on a regular basis.
Dennis has always been looking for creative ways to give back. When he saw Jamie’s letter and late payment, he knew this was one of those opportunities.
After some time went by, Dennis’ was unaware that something MAJOR was brewing.
Little did he know, Jamie had posted his letter online..and people couldn’t get enough.
Slowly, random people began to thank him.
Then, a flood of support came in.
“It was impossible to answer them all. I got to thinking, this is America and people DO care. They care about their soldiers and they’re expressing that,” Dennis said. “America is still America. I was a little worried about how our country was going, and to see people step forward in this way, it’s just enlightened me. A small effort like this, and look where it’s gone. Maybe more will do the same thing.”
Here is the letter that is making headlines.
God bless, Mr. Dennis!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!