After WWII Vet's Passing, Veterans Lined Hall To Pay Their Respects in Touching Video
Our U.S. veterans can teach us all something about resolute courage. Every year on Veterans Day, grateful Americans pause to salute the sacrifice of these brave soldiers.
Collectively, their proud military service extends back numerous decades. In fact, according to military.com, Veterans Day was originally conceived as a legal U.S. holiday honoring the conclusion of World War I.
That global battle was officially ended on Nov. 11, 1918. Subsequent legislation passed in 1938 initially christened the commemorative date “Armistice Day.”
But in 1954, the 83rd U.S. Congress chose to amend that prior act by replacing the word “Armistice” with “Veterans.” The military.com website explains that this change was instituted so Americans could choose to venerate brave soldiers who had served in all wars.
But these selfless warriors have friends and family who understand a much deeper truth. For these proud loved ones, Veterans Day goes well beyond its official name because it symbolizes a level of indebted reverence that’s extended all year long.
Claudia Primos knows something about this; her own father served in World War II.
A retired school teacher who resides in Mississippi, Primos recently explained on her Facebook page that her father was a lieutenant. He was stationed behind enemy lines in China, training Chinese guerrilla fighters who would help support Allied forces.
An essay and online brochure prepared by U.S. Army Center of Military History Mark D. Sherry explains China’s significant role in World War II. Essentially, its combatants helped deter Japanese troops that may have otherwise been deployed to attack Allies fighting in the Pacific.
The war itself was waged for six strenuous years on land, in the air, and over the sea. This grueling global battle still represents one of the biggest and most aggressive armed conflicts in history.
On many fronts, World War II has actually been called “the mighty endeavor.” And proud daughters like Primos realize its many veterans waged a mighty battle indeed.
That’s likely one reason Primos turned to her camera phone on the tragic occasion of her elderly father’s death. She wanted to record the final leg of the journey for the man she affectionately called “Daddy.”
“As Daddy was carried out of the VA last night, his body was draped with the U.S. flag,” Primos wrote in her Facebook post. The corresponding video, which has quickly gone viral, shows a respectful aide wheeling the swathed stretcher out of an empty room.
Primos explained that she mainly recorded the brief snippet for her brother and sister, who were unable to be there in person. But it has since become a stirring expression of national patriotism across social media.
This is because Primos’ deceased father wasn’t merely wheeled down hushed and empty hallways to a waiting hearse. Instead, those halls were lined by veteran residents and staff members who held a respectful salute.
Some stood; some sat in wheelchairs. But all turned their full attention toward the red, white and blue stretcher while “Taps” reverently played in the background.
Primos was deeply moved by this outpouring of esteem. As her Facebook post proclaimed, “Such honor and deserved respect shown there for our men who fought so valiantly for our country.”
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