"We really didn't talk that much," Garavaglia says. "It was emotional for her. She was probably 30, and she had her 2-year-old daughter with her. It was the first time I have seen it. I hope she comes back again so I can thank her."

The trend, which is a bit more militant than pouring a sip on the concrete, is likely not as new as recent media attention suggests. But thanks to cell phones and viral social media, gestures like these reach many more people than a few bartenders and patrons. OK, turning the snark machine back up to eleven now. Carry on.

UPDATE: The mystery woman has come forward and contacted us, and it turns out that we had a few details of the story backwards. Her name is Angelia and she is fortunately NOT a widow of one the names written on the bar napkin. She was the buyer of the Crown, but simply wanted to let others know how important these men were. The following is an excerpt from her e-mail:

"I wrote those names of those men to honor them and to let others know how important they were. I did have my daughter and I did cry. My husband was in the same unit as those men and I want to make clear of the real details. I'm sure if I went into Big Tonys they would recogonize me as the one who paid for and left that there for them."

Although we regret the misprint, we wish to emphasize that the sentiment is still the same and we thank Angelia for sharing her kind act. We hope and expect to see others continue this honorable bar behavior.