BEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - A new Army cadet showed respect to this veteran grandfather by asking him to take part in a special tradition.
Second Lieutenant Tommy Hanafin was forced to part in the first salute ceremony with his grandfather in a very non-traditional way. The emotional scene was made all the more so by his grandfather’s battle with coronavirus.
The first salute honors the enlisted service member who has had the most impact on the cadet.
“For me, it was an easy choice picking my grandfather,” Hanafin said.
But, his grandfather, a Korean War veteran, is still recovering from COVID-19 at a V.A. home in Bedford, the ceremony looked a little different than it usually does.
With the help of some staff members, Hanafin and his grandfather exchanged the salute through a glass door.
“You could just see on his face what it meant to him and how proud he was,” Hanafin said.
Under normal circumstances, the new lieutenant shakes hands with the service member who then passes them a silver dollar and some words of advice.
“That’ll have to wait, unfortunately, but we were at least able to have the salute,” Hanafin said.
His whole family, especially his grandfather, have been looking forward to this moment since he expressed an interest in joining the military.
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