89-Year-Old Veteran Escapes Nursing Home To Attend D-Day Commemoration Ceremony
There’s a reason why we refer to the men who served in World War II as the Greatest Generation. Without a doubt, they are heroes. They put their lives on hold to defend the world and secure liberty for others. To do what they did, you’d have to have some serious balls. Even now, as many of them are in their nineties, they still do.
An 89-year-old man living in a nursing home in England wanted to attend a ceremony commemorating the invasion of Normandy. However, he wasn’t permitted to. Being the badass that he clearly is, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
On the night of Thursday, June 5, the man was reported missing. The folks who run the nursing home were probably freaking out, because, you know, usually it’s not good when elderly people just go missing. A short time later, the nursing home received a phone call from another elderly man who said that the man who’d escaped the nursing home was alive and well. In fact, not only was he in good condition, but he was in a hotel in Ouistreham, a town in Normandy, France.
The two men, both World War II veterans, had gone to Normandy together to honor the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord.
“We have spoken to the veteran who called the home today and are satisfied that the pensioner is fine and that his friends are going to ensure he gets back to Hove safely over the next couple of days after the D-Day celebrations finish,” a Sussex Police spokesman told the BBC. “Once the pensioner is home we will go and have a chat with him to check he is OK.”
How awesome is that? This man just wouldn’t take no for an answer. All he wanted to do was honor the sacrifices he and many of his friends made. When he was told he couldn’t go, he proceeded to do so anyway. Just as he’d done 70 years earlier, he left England clandestinely, told nobody where he was going, and headed for the shores of Normandy. Thank God for men like him.
[via UPI]
Image via Twitter
Makes me damn proud.
10 years ago at 3:43 pmA damn fine American.
10 years ago at 4:49 pmDid you just not read the article?
10 years ago at 5:58 pmWow….laps taken.
10 years ago at 1:17 amWNBA action distracted him.
10 years ago at 5:09 pmUndoubtedly his exploits in Normandy were similar to those of Woodhouse after watching Reggie Thistleton die
10 years ago at 6:50 pmNot taking no for an answer. TFM.
10 years ago at 10:02 pmThis makes me feel like such a pussy
10 years ago at 10:04 pmMany people think sharks consider “the shot heard ’round the world” to be the single most important occurrence in American History but actually they keep Operation Overlord and Pearl Harbor at the top of the list as well.
10 years ago at 9:37 amThe “Shot heard around the World” is a reference to the American Revolution. Know your BASIC United States history, guy. You’re dropped.
10 years ago at 10:25 am….The first shot of the American Revolution is definitely “Basic United States history” big guy.
10 years ago at 1:24 pmHe never said it was related to anything other than American history. Don’t try so hard.
10 years ago at 5:08 pmLove you grandpa Julie. We are forever in your debt. You were a TRUE hero and the guys of Total Frat Move should know your name.
10 years ago at 9:42 pmThe greatest generation
10 years ago at 10:06 pm