Texas Army Veteran Moved By 11-Year-Old Girl Young Who Recognized He Served & Saluted His Home

Even the smallest gesture can leave a big impact.

If you are in need of a feel good story, this right here is it. An Army veteran living in Midland, Texas had his day, month and year made when a young woman stopped at his door and saluted. 11-year-old Zaireaa Robertson was handing out business cards for her father’s business (Ground Maintenance Wizards) when she came across veteran Billy Miles’ home.

Miles, an Army Ranger veteran of the 1st and 75th Ranger Battalion, wasn’t able to get to the door, but his Ring camera captured the young woman saluting his household before dropping the business card and leaving.

Why did she salute Miles’ house? Probably because the veteran proudly flies the Stars and Stripes next to a POW/MIA flag for all to see. There’s also a playful sign in Miles’ window that reads “Warning: U.S. Army Ranger Lives Here – Does Not Play Well With Others.” So it seems as though Zaireaa Robertson was able to use those context clues to know that an American hero lived in the home, and she wanted to pay her respects with a salute.

That meant the world to Billy Miles:

“I cannot tell you what it means. Because it’s that powerful. For a small child to understand what she’s saluting. It made me proud.”

The Army veteran became overwhelmed by emotion when he checked his Ring camera feed and saw the young woman saluting. He knew right away that he wanted to thank her in some way for the small-but-important gesture:

“I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing from an 11-year-old child. It’s a lot of respect and it means a lot to a veteran. When I saw her saluting I thought, ‘I have got to get ahold of these people.'”

Fortunately, the business card that Robertson dropped off came in handy.

Miles called the number of the ground maintenance business and got in touch with Zaireaa Robertson’s father. All he wanted to do was share how much respect he had for his daughter, and tell him why he felt as though he had no choice but to reach out and extend his thanks and gratitude:

“That’s how it happened. I just called him up and talked to him … And I said, ‘Your daughter’s amazing.’ (Then I got to meet with Zaireaa and) I hugged her neck and told her how proud I was of her… while I was bawling.”

As you can see, the least we can do as Americans is recognize and thank those who have served our great country. A small and brief salute might seem like nothing, but to veterans who put their life on the line for the United States, it means everything. Billy Miles certainly appreciated the salute from Zaireaa Robertson, and he hopes that a) people are inherently good and b) the 11-year-old one day gets a chance to salute the flag as a servicewoman:

“There’s great in everybody. And there’s a whole lot of great in that young lady right there. A whole lot of great. And I hope she, maybe one day, can salute the flag in a uniform.”