A bedridden 98-year-old Army veteran donned his uniform one last time and gave a final salute just hours before dying, and a photo of the moment garnered swift and emotional reaction.
Justus Belfield was too sick to attend Veterans Day celebrations last week, but wanted to dress in uniform as he had done each year since he and his wife moved into a New York nursing home several years ago, the Daily Gazette of Schenectady reported.
So he asked the staff at the Baptist Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Glenville to help him into the garb, Christine Camp, a worker at the nursing home, told the newspaper.
“I could see him breathing and I leaned down and I looked at him and I said, ’Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service,’” she said.
In response, he raised his right hand and offered a somber salute, while prone on his hospital bed. He died the next morning, the Gazette reported.
The poignant moment, which was photographed and provided to the press, quickly went viral and resonated with viewers.
“Godspeed Sarge,” one Gazette reader wrote. And another: “God bless and rest you, sir. Thank you for your service.”
Commenters at The Huffington Post expressed similar sentiments.
“That’s a powerful picture and it exemplifies everything about that generation,” wrote one. “RIP.”
Mr. Belfield served for 16 years in the Army and participated in the Battle of the Bulge, The Associated Press reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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