While waiting in line to receive autographs from Boston Red Sox players at Fort Myers on Saturday, seven-year-old Makenna Woodburn got off line and asked for an autograph from a U.S. Army soldier instead.
Woodburn was waiting in line to receive autographs from Red Sox players, but noticed U.S. Army Reservist Olyvia Russell standing off to the side of the line. As opposed to waiting in line and getting autographs from some of the players, she got off line and asked the soldier for an autograph instead.
Makenna’s mom, Angie took a photo of the moment and put it up on social media to let others know how proud she was of her daughter.
She said in her Facebook post that one of the Red Sox players walked up to her and said, “you should be proud mom, you are raising them right.”
“She’s the hero instead of baseball players,” Makenna told CBS Boston.
The Woodburn family connected on social media and are hoping to meet up in the future.
“She has shown that ball to everyone she has seen today and she is honored to have a real hero’s autograph!! She can’t wait to take it to school on Tuesday and show all her friends. You totally made her day!!,” Angie Woodburn said in response to Russell’s comment on her Facebook post.
“This little girl, she proved to me that what I’m doing in life is OK and I’m doing something that’s good enough,” Russell told the news outlet.
“It’s crazy that she gave up meeting a celebrity just to talk to a soldier,” Russell told WINK News. “And I mean I’m in the Reserve, so what I do is important, but there’s men and women overseas who are risking their lives every day, and it’s just really nice that she recognizes people like them. I’m just truly thankful for that.”
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