Officers Dale Anderson and Doug Lofthouse were out on their traffic patrol one day when they noticed an elderly man […]
Officers Dale Anderson and Doug Lofthouse were out on their traffic patrol one day when they noticed an elderly man by the side of the road, attempting to change his own tire.
There they found that a 91-year-old man, Bill Mountfield, had collided with a truck and ruined the front left side of his vehicle.
Mountfield was unharmed and found not to be at fault. But his vehicle was unsafe to drive — still, he was adamant that he be able to continue on his journey.
The officers offered to drive Mountfield home. But Mountfield would not accept their offer. Instead, he pleaded with the officers to let him go on.
Mountfield explained that he was a veteran of one of Britain’s most elite paratrooper regiments during World War II. And this year, he was slated to reunite with his former comrades in Holland and stay with them for five weeks during the Christmas holidays.
Mountfield was alone in the world — his family members were all dead; he outlived his wife and son, and there was no one left look after him.
After learning they had a true hero in their midst, one who now needed their help, they had no choice; they simply had to make certain that Bill got to his reunion on time.
They started calling around to various rental companies, but because of Bill’s age, no one would rent him a car, especially since it would be for five weeks.
So, the officers decided to visit a rental place in person, and just their luck, a personal appearance was enough to convince them to make the five-week car rental happen for Bill.
It took some discussion, but Lofthouse and Anderson were able to secure Mountfield a vehicle for his trip to Holland.
And the old man was incredibly grateful.
Likewise, Lofthouse and Anderson were also pleased with the impact they made in Mountfield’s life.
From there, his story took a bit of a bittersweet turn.
Mountfield made it to Holland and to the reunion with his regiment. And then, in the presence of friends and loved ones, the only ones left to him in the whole world, he passed away.
Sometimes helping another person might be a little inconvenient, but we all need each other. And if we even do just a little bit, we can truly make an incredible difference.