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95-Year-Old Fort Worth WWII Veteran Gets A Cool Surprise

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Tony Maples Photography

 

When both his central air and window air conditioning units broke down on Thursday, June 8, 95-year-old Julius Hatley contacted emergency services and received some unexpected help from Fort Worth police officers. His home was becoming unbearably hot, and in an interview with CBS 11, Fort Worth Officer William Margolis explained “This wasn’t a regular 911 call. We’re not A/C techs.” So, together with his partner, Christopher Weir, the pair purchased Mr. Hatley a new unit.

95-Year-Old Fort Worth WWII Veteran Gets A Cool Surprise

Photo: Wikimedia

Officer Margolis had said, “When we got there around 8:30 a.m., his house was 85 to 90 degrees already. In Texas, it gets hot.” In the meantime, Mr. Hatley had determined to sit on his outdoor porch to try to keep cool, which is why Officers Margolis and Weir chose to use their own funds to purchase him a replacement window unit.

95-Year-Old Fort Worth WWII Veteran Gets A Cool Surprise

Photo: Maxpixel

When employees of the hardware store that the Fort Worth officers went to for the unit heard the reason behind their purchase, they were so impressed that they contributed $150 towards the sale. And in an article by the BBC, it was noted that the story, having gained a fair bit of local media attention, generated offers from other Good Samaritans to fix Mr. Hatley’s air conditioner, as well as paint his house, and proceed to offer to purchase his groceries each week! Said Officer Margolis: “He’s 95 years old and he’s a World War II veteran. He’s a hero. In our eyes, he’s our hero.”

Source:

BBC