World War II veterans who are unable to travel, are getting the opportunity to visit their war memorials through virtual reality for the very first time.
Veteran Joseph Cook, 92, from Texas, wanted to visit the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., but is physically unable to make the trip. So by looking through goggles and seeing the monument in 3D, the memorial was brought to Cook.
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“I’ll remember this the rest of my life,” Cook told CBS in tears.
He’s seen a lot in his 92 years; The World War II veteran flew dangerous missions in the Army Air Corps ahead of the Battle of Okinawa.
“We’ve had some scares up there,” he said.
But more than 70 years have passed and Cook said the memories haven’t faded.
“It’s really sad in a way because we as a nation waited far too long to build the World War II memorial and we’re losing our veterans at a rate of 500 a day nationwide,” Sarah Hill, the co-founder of Honor Everywhere, told CBS.
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Hill started the non-for-profit to give veterans like Cook the chance to pay their respects at the memorials.
“This is a way that they can feel like they were there,” Hill said.
Cook’s family told the station that the virtual reality also made them emotional.
“This memorial is for him and to have him see that, and to see the expression on his face, I know it meant the world to him,” Cook’s son Joe Cook told CBS.
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