Opinion
A touching video is going viral this week showing a 101 year-old World War II veteran meeting his great-great-granddaughter for the first time.
WWII Vet Meets Great-Great-Granddaughter
“To me, he is the definition of a true American hero,” Lexie Fowler, 25, of Asher, Oklahoma, told Fox News about her great-grandfather, Dewey Muirhead.
“Just to be able to watch your great-grandfather hold your own child is something I’ll never forget,” she added. “A lot of people don’t get to have that opportunity and we are very fortunate for it.”
Muirhead is a veteran of the Army Air Corps who served his country during World War II and lives in Wewoka, Oklahoma. Fowler and her husband Hunter had scheduled a newborn photo session when their professional photographer suggested including Muirhead.
“When I told her that I was having a baby, she immediately jumped on it and said, ‘We have to get photos with your great-grandpa because this makes five generations,’” Fowler said, adding that they blindfolded Muirhead to start with.
“The reason we blindfolded him is so that we could kind of get next to him and get his full reaction,” she explained. “So we sat down next to him and took his blindfold off and that’s when he looked over and got to meet Millie.”
The viral video shows Muirhead break down in tears as he meets his baby great-great-granddaughter for the first time.
“Sweetie,” he can be seen saying as he reaches out to kiss the infant. “What in the world are you doing? … Oh, isn’t she pretty? Look at her.”
Related: WWII Veterans Mark D-Day’s 79th Anniversary In Powerful Way
‘He’s Been Through More Than I Can Imagine’
“It was honestly the coolest experience,” Fowler recalled afterwards. “Watching my great-grandfather cradle her in his arms — and she was just soothed. It’s almost like that’s what he has long held on for, for so long.”
Fowler went on to say that her great-grandfather served in the Army from 1942-1945, and that he was stationed in Germany, France and Belgium. He married his wife Inez before he left the states during World War II, and they remained together for 79 years before she died back in 2021.
“He’s been through more than I can imagine,” Fowler admitted. “I’m sure when he went to war, he didn’t even know if he would make it back home to his wife, let alone meet his great-great-grandchild. This is the first great-great-grandchild [in the family], so it was very, very special for him. There’s a photograph where he’s holding her and you can just see the look in his eyes, and he’s got tears.”
Related: Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Accused Of Disrespecting 88 Year-Old U.S. Navy Veteran Neighbor
‘This Is Something We Will Cherish Forever’
Despite being 101 years of age, Muirhead is still quite independent, according to his great-granddaughter.
“My grandparents actually live about 10 minutes from him and then he has a son that also lives there as well, but he does live on his own,” Fowler said. “He still gets up and makes his breakfast, eats his lunch, and he’s in bed before the sun goes down, I think.”
Fowler concluded by expressing her shock that this video has resonated with so many people online.
“The reason we recorded it was so we can show it to Millie some day,” she said. “But if I could just spread one message to anyone, it would be to cherish those moments with your family and that God is very good for allowing us to give this opportunity to him and our family — and be able to spread it across the whole world.”
“This is something we will cherish forever,” Fowler concluded.
What do you think about this video? Let us know in the comments section.
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”
