A World War II veteran who visited the Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday to make a surprise trip to his wife's grave got an extra lift from an employee, literally.
George Boone, 96, came to the cemetery on an Honor Flight from North Carolina, where groups typically make the trip to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Boone requested to visit the gravesite of his late wife, Alma, who passed away in 2007.
In the rush to get over to his wife's final resting spot, Boone's wheelchair was accidentally left behind.
"I just sort of gave up on the whole thing and thought I would have to visit her from that distance," he told FOX5 over Skype on Sunday.
But that's when a volunteer and Arlington National Cemetery employee stepped in to help, offering to carry the 96-year-old on his back to visit Alma's grave.
"I thought carry me at my age, size and weight?" Boone said.
The employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, did just that. Boone's son, Jon Boone, documented the scene as the employee brought him to his wife's gravesite.
"He was such a caring young fellow, I felt like a toy in his arms," he told FOX5.
Boone served as a B-25 pilot during World War II, and became a prisoner of war when he was shot down over Romania in 1943. The cemetery, located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., was established during the Civil War in 1864. It includes the Tomb of the Unknowns, honoring U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified.
Boone told FOX5 the special moment on Saturday would not have been possible had it not been for that employee going the extra mile.
"I would like him to know how greatly I appreciate what he did," he said. "His kindness was overwhelming."
