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For Private Davannie Jones, finding a good Samaritan in Jamaica felt like a rare blessing.

When he met a kind-hearted bus driver who helped him during a pivotal moment, it changed the course of his life. Recently, however, Jones learnt of the man's passing, leaving him deeply saddened. A graduate of Lacovia High School in 2018 with just one City and Guilds certification, Jones admitted he struggled to find direction early on.

"When I left school, me a bad boy. Mi neva a really do nothing wrong, but police used to torment me. Ride all your one bike weh nuh license, [and] them run you down and do all kinds of things to you, so I decided to change that," he said. Despite the challenges, he always had a clear goal.

"From I was going to school, on career day I was a soldier. It was a dream to fulfil," he added. After leaving Lacovia, Jones tried unsuccessfully to enlist in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) multiple times. The pandemic further delayed his plans of doing anything else without CSEC subjects. However, in 2020, his luck seemed to turn around when he was called to sit an exam at the JDF headquarters in Kingston. There was just one problem -- he didn't have the bus fare to get there.

"My mother and father always support me, but when mi get call, nobody never know, so I was on my own. I didn't tell them because them always a cuss me fi go do something, so I just wanted to do it on my own," he explained.

Determined not to let the opportunity slip away, Jones decided to break open his piggy bank, though it only had $600.

"So mi decide say mi a bruck the piggy bank because mi haffi go a town. It don't matter how mi a come back down; I just wanted to get into Kingston," he shared.

In Middle Quarters Square, a bus stopped for him. As the driver began collecting fares, Jones hesitated, embarrassed to pay with his coins.

"Mi wait till everybody come off the bus. Mi tek out my silver them and put pon the seat and start count," he recounted. The driver noticed and asked if that was the only money he had. When Jones told him yes, the driver did something unexpected -- he handed him $2,000.

"Him say a fi mi lunch and carry me go straight up a the base," Jones said. "While there, I did what I had to do; and when I heard my name call in the group that should come back, water run out of my eyes. Before all of this, me a try long time, and mi finally get through when mi meet this man."

Later that same day, Jones spotted the same bus driver preparing to head back to Savanna-la-Mar.

"Him say, 'Man, you again? You get through?' And mi say, 'Yeah man, mi get through.'"

The driver bought Jones a meal, even though he still had the $2,000. Jones was incredibly grateful but never saw the driver again.

After enduring the lengthy JDF recruitment process, Jones finally started training in 2023. Not long after, he was devastated to learn of the bus driver's death.

"I never remembered his name, but I could never forget the bus or his face. I saw the bus on the Internet involved in a crash, and when I went to the park and asked everyone, they knew exactly who I was talking about and confirmed that he died," Jones said.

The young soldier, who also briefly shared his story on TikTok, struggled to express the depth of his sadness.

"That one act of kindness helped me so much. I was so glad for his help, and I'm glad that I told him thanks. Since I can't repay him, I continue to pay it forward. I help who I can help," he said.

Jones credits the kindness of the good Samaritan and his career in the JDF for turning his life around.

"I have made my family proud. I have made my mother proud, because a lot of times people said they would have killed me. Now I can help my siblings if they ask me," he said.

Jones is committed to honouring the legacy of the Samaritan, striving to work hard and advance in the army, while being an example of kindness in the country.