10-year-old surprised, honored by WWII veteran in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A fifth grader at Chet’s Creek Elementary was surprised by a WWII veteran at a special Veteran’s Day ceremony.

Dozens of elementary students learned about WWII Thursday morning. They also watched one of their classmates be honored by a veteran.

Over the summer, Connor Stevens, 10, spent time at the Naval & Maritime Museum in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, fueling his passion about naval history.

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“It makes me feel really good to remember those who fought and died for our county,” Conner said.

Connor said he wrote a letter and drew a picture of an aircraft carrier and sent it to the museum so people would never forget how successful the USS Yorktown was during the war.

The museum wanted to show their appreciation for his interest by inviting WWII veteran Merald Wood, who served on the USS Yorktown, to present an award to Connor and speak about his time in the military.

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“There is not too many of us left, and a youngster like him interested in it means a lot,” Wood said. “Because that means someone else will carry on when we’re gone.”

“They served and fought and died for our country, and we should really, really thank them,” Conner said.

The letter given to Connor is a replica of the one on display in the museum.

Cox Media Group