This story will not only touch you because it is so wonderful to see a World War II veteran get his dying wish, but it will also give you faith in the younger generation!
Veteran Paul Sonnier told Jessica Moreau, a social work intern at SouthernCare Hospice Services, about his final wish to dance with a beautiful woman when she spent time with him. Little did he know that those conversations would turn into something bigger than the Pearl Harbor survivor ever imagined.
“He’d always ask me if I wanted to go to Ropers, the local bar,” Moreau said. “He says I’ll teach you how to jitterbug and the Waltz.”
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Moreau is a member of Phi Mu at the University of Southern Mississippi. She told her sorority sisters about the World War II veteran’s wish and they hatched a plan that most men can only dream of! They decided to have a dance just for Sonnier!
“We as a chapter always like to get involved with the community,” Phi Mu President Cameron Ponder said. “Since one of our members is a social work major at the University of Southern Mississippi, we just found this to be a great way to honor someone that has done so much for our country.”
Since Sonnier is so ill, he arrived at the dance with the help of an ambulance and a gurney. He danced from his hospital bed with his numerous hosts. He held the sorority sisters’ hands, moving them to the music as he sang some of his favorite songs that were being played.
A video from the event is below. As you can see, this veteran was enjoying the attention from all of these women! They provided quite the spread for this occasion and even had his favorite lemon cookies!
The dying veteran’s family was incredibly appreciative of this remarkable event that was hosted for the hero. As you can see from the picture shared on the sorority’s Facebook page, Sonnier was surrounded by many beautiful and kind young women!
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“What we appreciate the most is that our greatest generation member, my father, is happy that this younger generation appreciates everything that he did and sacrificed so they can sit here and have fun and have the freedoms that they have,” Sonnier’s daughter Ida said.
His granddaughter Samantha Owen added, “We’re super grateful because he hasn’t been out the house in so long. All these ‘pretty women’ get to come around him. He gets to hand out flowers and just be himself. He hasn’t been himself for a while. So, he’s super happy.”
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Very often, we hear negative stories about young people not appreciating sacrifices made by the older generations. These sorority sisters show that there are plenty of college-aged students who understand the importance of respect and thoughtfulness. They went well beyond this dying veteran’s last wish and provided a lot of inspiration to other people.
Share this if you are happy that this veteran got his final wish!
Source: Western Journal