A retired Georgia mailman has been offered the dream trip of a lifetime thanks to his neighbors and Delta Air Lines.
Jennifer Brett, a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, caught wind that beloved postal carrier Floyd Martin was retiring after two decades on the same route in Marietta, Georgia. On his last day, the whole neighborhood (literally) turned up to wish him goodbye. Tearful hugs were exchanged, postal boxes were decorated, and a neighborhood block party in Martin’s honor occurred at the conclusion of his shift.
But that wasn’t all. Neighbors started a GoFundMe campaign to send Martin to Hawaii. Catching wind of the campaign, Delta chimed in with an offer to cover Martin’s airfare:
A trip to Hawaii is the perfect way to celebrate a wonderful career. We’d love to to take care of Mr. Martin’s flight. Let’s connect on the details in DM.
— Delta (@Delta) May 24, 2019
Thus far, the campaign has raised $32,522 of its $5,000 goal. I think Martin should stay at the Kahala and fly first class on Delta’s 767 ATL-HNL route!
You can check out more details Martin’s last day here:
THREAD: Floyd Martin retires after nearly 35 years as a mailman tomorrow. I went with him on his route today. pic.twitter.com/qZhUVY7Sz8
— Jennifer Brett (@Jennifer__Brett) May 22, 2019
CONCLUSION
Martin spent 35 years as a postal carrier and could have pivoted to easier routes over the years, but developed such a deep bond with residents on his route that he stuck to it. I admire that so much. I grew up with the same mailman for many years, but now it seems like there is a new one each week. Longevity is almost always a sign of diligence and dedication. I wish Martin a happy retirement and aloha as he travels to Hawaii.
My mailwoman in ATL screwed up my Priority Mail package this weekend. Not even to mention her attitude and all MS messed up.
I am sending her (one way ticket) to meet the Tasmanian devil:)
Its nice to have a feel good story. It’s also a reminder of how lucky we are to get to travel to places around the world and honestly, how much better the world would be if more people had a chance to experience different cultures.
Stories like this restore my faith for a moment in the inherent good of people.
My carrier when I lived in Mississippi refused to close my mailbox. For the four years I lived there neighbors were always bringing me mail the the breeze carried into their yards. Good days were when it would rain and I could find my mail stuck to my drive or the garage door. Repeated calls to the Post Office only strengthened his resolve and by the end, I think he was just throwing my mail out the window as he passed my house. Nice to hear stories like this though. Enjoy your retirement good sir.