Florida's oldest known World War II veteran will reach a milestone Tuesday, and the news has sparked an explosion of online reaction.
Chief Petty Officer William “Bill” Montfort prepares to celebrate his 108th birthday at home in a care center in Clearwater, 11 years old reported Wednesday.
Several years ago, nurse Lisa Weaver honored Bill Monfort's life by sending a card addressed to Bill Monfort, 3260 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater, FL 33761. I decided to call on people to do so.
Now he wants receive According to a recent social media post from WFLA journalist Jennifer Lee, there will be more cards celebrating his milestone birthday.
When 11 Alive Posted The report about Montfort's birthday caused a great reaction from internet users. As of Sunday afternoon, the post had 122,000 reactions, more than 43,000 comments and more than 4,000 shares.
Despite his advanced age, Mr. Montfort, one of the first radiomen to receive the call for the attack on Pearl Harbor, recently said: People ask me all the time and I tell them it's probably 50. ”
According to 11 Alive:
Bill joined the Navy when he was only 19 years old. He survived a kamikaze attack and was one of the first responders to the attack on Pearl Harbor, as the destroyer was off the coast of Hawaii.
“I had two days off. I left Pearl Harbor on Friday and it got bombed on Sunday,” he said.
…
“We shot down a lot of planes,” Montfort recalled. “Over the years, many people have asked me if I've ever been scared, and I say, 'I don't know. Maybe I was, but I had a job to do. That's why I did it.''
Social media users were quick to congratulate him on his big day. write“Happy birthday. May God bless you with many more blessings.”
“Happy birthday and thank you for your service. I appreciate it so much!” another user said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican) also I hoped Happy birthday, Mr. Montfort:
“Thank you for your service to our country. The state of Florida celebrates and salutes you,” he wrote.
