The Costco angel: How one woman thanked a soldier for his service

Army Sgt. Ben Hanses was shopping at a Tacoma Costco last week when he was taken by surprise and ended up, gladly, losing an argument with a woman in line.

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Hanses was about to report for field practice so he was thinking ahead and picking up some necessities for his family, along with some camping gear for an upcoming family trip.

“I was standing in line with everybody else … I had my card ready to swipe and then I felt a tap on my shoulder,” Hanses told KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don. “I turned around and there was about a 60-year-old, sweet looking lady standing there. She just said, ‘I got this.’ I wasn’t ready for that and you don’t expect that to happen.”

The woman offered — actually insisted — on paying for Hanses’ items and thanking the soldier for his service. But Hanses kept trying to give her a way out — after all, he was buying more than just groceries.

“She didn’t even flinch,” Hanses said. “I tried to give her a couple chances to graciously back out because it was coming out to be about $400.”

“What finally got me to shut my yap is she told me, ‘My husband was in Vietnam and I was without him for a year,'” Hanses said. “And this was in an age without Facebook or cell phones; we had letter writing and that was it. We ended up chatting a bit back and forth while I was trying to get my wits about me. My dad was also in Vietnam.”

The woman told him to keep himself safe and swiped her card. They both went their separate ways. Hanses calls her his Costco angel.

“It blew me away,” he said.

Feeling grateful, Hanses posted his experience on Facebook which quickly went viral.

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