A World War II veteran said he had one of the “best days of his life” when he was surprised with a touching tribute on the ship he once served on.
Ernest Thompson, a Navy veteran in his late 90s, once served aboard the USS Tennessee, followed by the USS Missouri during World War II. These days, the veteran lives in Gardena, California just a few miles from the location of the war memorial at USS Missouri, the battleship where the Japanese surrendered and the war came to an end.
“When he lost my grandmother, the one thing he wanted to do was visit his ship (the USS Missouri) again. We visited his ship together in 2000 and I was able to experience what these museum ships meant to veterans,” Williams wrote on Facebook.
Thompson’s grandson, Jonathan Williams, says that a bad fall and failing health has prevented him from walking, so he hasn’t been able to visit the decorated battleship. The Pacific Battleship Center’s volunteers soon heard and decided to bring the memorial to the Navy veteran.
In the following video, chief selects from Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center perform the navy marching song “Anchors Aweigh.” When the Navy heroes surprise him, the elderly veteran did something incredible he hasn’t been able to do in a very long time — stand up and salute the chief selects.
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[Featured Image: ABC]
Touching Tribute For WWII Vet Goes Viral is an article from: LifeDaily