I am not the original poster. This is a repost.

Originally posted by u/ilze09 11 years ago across r/AskReddit & r/pics.

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Reddit, a lonely but awesome WWII veteran needs help! [Dec 10, 2010]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ejsvp/reddit_a_lonely_but_awesome_wwii_veterans_needs/

So, here's the rundown.

I met the guy through a class I took in which I drove him to the airport for Honor Flight, which is a program that flies WWII veterans to Washington DC for free so that they can see their much-deserved memorial before they die. Basically, the guy is awesome and super friendly and has lived an amazing life, Reddit would love him.

However, he's lonely these days and doesn't have many friends or family left. He lives alone in a large house, as his wife died a few years ago, something he still gets extremely emotional about. Ever since I met him, I've tried to visit a few times a month as he's a really great and interesting guy. He's just lonely as fuck.

Anyways, the main problem is that Winter is fast approaching, and Ohio winters in the north can get pretty rough. The veteran has trouble driving as is, he's 88 years old after all, and he's obviously worried about surviving the winter since he really has no one to help him. He can't drive in the snow and has trouble seeing. I'm pretty concerned, as I won't be around all winter to help him out.

So, what I need is some help! Does anyone know any good organizations or anything that help elderly veterans like this? He could use both help in getting food and such as well as company.

tl;dr: I know an old veteran, winter is coming, he needs help. Anyone know any organizations that can help?

Here's the lowdown on the guy: He served in the 8th Air Force flying bombing missions over Germany. He lives in northwest Ohio. He's 88 years old and lives alone.

Please help, Reddit. Any advice would suffice.

EDIT: My first submission to AskReddit and I made a typo in the title. Have at me, Grammar Nazis. =(

EDIT #2: So many positive responses, this is really great. A lot of people have expressed interest in getting in contact with the vet, but I'm reluctant to give out his contact info out of respect for his privacy. I'm going to call him first thing tomorrow and let him know about how much the Internet is interested in him. Really, this is amazing!

As for an AMA, I've been thinking about it. I'll talk to him tomorrow and see what he thinks. I think the massive amounts of interest the people of Reddit has shown will really heighten his spirits. As I said, he's pretty depressed lately. Maybe this can help him out.

Edit #3: I just gave him a call and he's very welcome to both the ideas of setting up a PO Box and doing an AMA! When I told him that there were people online from all over the country that want to send him cards, he got pretty emotional. This could be awesome, Reddit. It'll really give this old hero a great Christmas. I'm going to go set up a PO Box today so I'll get back to you all with the address as soon as possible. Thank you all so much for the great response.

Update: Alright, I got a PO Box to send the cards and stuff to! Also, Del said he's all for doing an AMA for Reddit, which I'll start planning for as soon as I can. Here's the address:

[editor's note: Redacted because this is 11 years ago, though yes, I am aware that y'all could easily click through to see it. It felt weird to leave it up.]

Tell your friends, family, and anyone you know who'd be interested. This could really make this guy's Christmas!

Also, if any of you guys are handy with photoshop or anything, maybe we could get a infographic or something with the info for the card sending to post in r/pics or somewhere in order to get more people involved.

Also, here's some pics of Del so you all can see the guy you're helping:

Del in Washington

With his plane during the war

Relevant Comments:

• Commenter suggests getting him hooked up to use Reddit and make friends. OOP: He has a computer, but feels as though he's past the point of learning the ways of the internet. I don't think I could convince him to think otherwise, unfortunately.
• He was based near Peterborough, England.
• He wasn't a pilot, actually. He was the radio operator/mechanic/gunner, but he flew 23 missions over Germany including places like Dresden and also flew a mercy mission in which he flew 30 French POWs back to their homes after the war. He's got some killer stories. I'm going to give him a call here in a minute and discuss this.
• Here's a link to his bomb group's Wiki page. and this was his airfield, RAF Glatton.

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UPDATE: Christmas cards for a lonely WWII veteran. [Dec 15 2010]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/emlj0/update_christmas_cards_for_a_lonely_wwii_veteran/

For those who didn't see it, the original thread can be found here.

Alright! A lot of people expressed interest in sending WWII veteran Del Christmas cards to brighten his holidays. Well, I set up a PO Box the other day and things are all set. All that's left is for those interested to ship their cards.

Here's the address to send cards to. Note that the PO Box is under my name so I included that in the address but the veteran's name is Del.

[Redacted again]

Tell your friends, family, and anyone that you think would be interested. Del is a great guy, but has been left pretty lonely after the loss of his wife and most of his friends. I know that all this support will really brighten his holidays.

Also, I talked to him and Del said he'd be all for doing an AMA! He's got some amazing stories. He was a radio operator/gunner/mechanic on a B-17 and flew 23 bombing missions over Germany in WWII, as well as some mercy missions flying POWs home. He's traveled nearly everyone in the world, adopted a Phillipino kid with polio and raised him in the States, and has remained absolutely humble and gracious the entire time. I'll be setting up the AMA as soon as finals are over and things settle down.

Let's make this guy's Christmas great! Message me if you have any questions or need more details.

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Reddit, thank you so much for brightening this WWII vet's holidays. He was ecstatic over your cards! [Jan 17 2011]

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/f43tm/reddit_thank_you_so_much_for_brightening_this/

Photos of Del with his cards: https://imgur.com/a/EU3cA

Relevant Comment:

Del was so happy for these cards, he was shocked that so many people from all over the country would send him Christmas cards without even knowing him. He told me to tell Reddit that "I'm at a loss of words, and that's saying something for someone who talks too much like me." A lot of the cards actually made him pretty emotional, it was touching to watch and listen to him read through each and every one.

In particular, the cards from the fourth grade class in New Jersey really hit a soft spot. There were tears in his eyes as he read through everyone's cards.

For those of you who asked for him to write back, he's definitely going to. Del's kind of lonely and he's super excited about all the new people he has to write to.

Another funny thing, Del was actually talked to me about getting a computer and the internet. Haha, we might be getting an 88 year old Redditor soon!

Again, thanks so much to everyone who wrote. This really brightened this great guy's Christmas and once again shows just how amazing of a community Reddit is. Expect a AMA from Del soon!

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Final Update:

Del’s obit

Del passed on June 18th 2012 at 90 years old. Thank you to u/herdofcorgis for posting the obit to be added.

Reminder: I am not the original poster. This is a repost.

Originally posted by u/ilze09 11 years ago across r/AskReddit & r/pics.

Editor's note: Del did not do an AMA to my knowledge; OOP did not make any posts after this one. I choose to believe it's because Del got an especially special Christmas card from some lovely lady and they rode off into the sunset together. Y'all have a happy holiday if you celebrate and an awesome Saturday regardless.