FORT LEE, Va. -- We now know the name of the mystery soldier whose act of kindness at a Petersburg Hardee’s went viral last week.
The tale began when a stranger sat and watched the Iraq War veteran buy lunch for a woman he met outside the restaurant on Tuesday.
As one of the people inside the restaurant was leaving, he asked to snap a picture of the soldier and the woman he bought lunch for.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Sibley
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Sibley, a husband, father of three with 16 years of service in the Army, said it all started when he left Fort Lee a quick lunch at a nearby Hardee's.
"I was going to lunch at Hardee's and as I came in, a lady approached me and asked if I would buy her a meal. And I said, 'Yes,'" Sibley told CBS 6 News senior reporter Wayne Covil. "I asked her if she wanted to sit down, our meal would probably come together [and] if she wanted to have lunch together."
The photo that went viral.
The thirty-minute lunch caught the attention of other patrons who witnessed the soldier's act of kindness. One woman even surprised the soldier when she paid it forward.
"A lady came by and gives Ms. Edwards $10 and asked her to buy a dinner meal," Sibley explianed. "I was really taken aback by that."
After accepting the cash, the woman turned and tried to repay Sibley. But he refused the money.
Before the pair left to go their separate ways, another stranger asked to take a picture and then posted it on social media, praising the soldier's selfless act.
The rest they say, is history because that social post went viral.
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Sibley said the next day he got a call from his wife telling him a neighbor had seen the post on social media.
In the seven days since, Sibley has received messages and calls from around the globe from friends who seen what he did.
Sibley maintains that he is not a hero and did not do anything any other soldier would have done given the situation.
"I think most people in the military not only serve their country, but serve the community. And there are a lot of acts soldiers do and it just happens that an opportunity where somebody took a picture of me," Sibley said.
