Just as a crowded jet is about to take off, the quiet is broken by a five-year-old boy who picks that exact moment to throw a hysterical tantrum. No matter what his embarrassed and frustrated mother does to try to calm him, the child continues to scream and kick the seats around him.

Then, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man wearing the uniform of an Air Force General slowly walks up the aisle. Stopping the flustered mother with a simple upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken General leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy’s ear.

The boy immediately calms down, gently takes his mother’s hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.

As the old General slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve. “Excuse me, General,” she asks quietly, “but could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?”

The old man smiles serenely and confides, “I showed him my pilot’s wings, service stars, and battle ribbons, and explained that they entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door on any flight I choose.”