WWII Vet Celebrates His 100th Birthday By Taking His Very First Ride In A Fire Truck

World War II was the conflict that many people referred to as the war to end all wars. More than 50 million people died in that conflict, and many of the men who fought have also passed away.

There are still some individuals alive from that war, and that includes Jim Lynch. According to Tampa Bay 10, he lives in North Carolina and recently turned 100 years old.

Not only does he have the privilege of being one of the few WWII veterans still alive, but he also had an opportunity to ride in a fire truck to celebrate his 100th birthday. Firefighters with the Winston-Salem Fire Department strapped him in the back of the truck and chatted with him on the drive. The city then shared about it on Twitter.

Lynch has lived in Winston-Salem since he moved there in 1939. He was only married two weeks when he enlisted in the Army during World War II.

After enlisting, he was sent to the South Pacific where he served in a heavy artillery unit. After the war, he worked as an electrician until retiring in 1985.

For his 100th birthday, Lynch received 80 birthday cards and the fire department visited him.

They got up to take a picture with him and they couldn’t help noticing how much he was admiring the fire truck. They offered to take him for a ride.

At first, he hesitated but then he said he changed his mind.

Happy Birthday Mr. Jim! He turned 100 years old April 24th. He served the heavy artillery unit in the South Pacific in WWII. After serving in the armed forces, he worked at Salem Electric until he retired in 1985. Today was his FIRST ride in a fire truck! #WSFire pic.twitter.com/a0b1yc7iXx

— Winston-Salem FD (@cityofwsfire) April 25, 2023

Firefighters helped him into the truck and drove him around the block. He said it was the first time he had been in a fire truck in 100 years.