NAPLES, Fla. — On a day when Americans honor veterans, a Florida man got a double treat -- a parade to honor his military service and his 90th birthday, which fell on Memorial Day this year.
Vincent Delmore, who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, was expecting a quiet birthday since most of his family lives in his native Connecticut, the Naples Daily News reported.
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Photos: Veteran receives 90th birthday parade on Memorial Day https://t.co/ybw2wq2VJC
— Naples Daily News (@ndn) May 25, 2020
Family and friends had different ideas, organizing a parade of patrol cars and friends through his neighborhood. Family members showed up, too.
“It was a complete surprise,” Delmore told the Daily News in a telephone call. “I don’t know how many (patrol) cars there were with lights on.”
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Family members living in Tampa and Orlando made the drive to southwest Florida to visit.
It was exciting for the 90-year-old man, who joked about his age to the Daily News.
“Make sure not to put my picture in the obituary section,” he told the newspaper.
Cox Media Group