Written by Michael Palomba
The COVID-19 lockdowns have begun to ease up just in time to celebrate the 100th birthday of local World War II veteran Eldon Garretson.
Garretson served in the United States Army Air Force from 1942 to 1946. He was honorably discharged in 1946 as a Staff Sergeant, having spent much of his career as an airplane mechanic for the B25/26 Medium Bombers.
A birthday celebration had been in the works for weeks, finally coming to fruition yesterday. Cars paraded down Mr. Garretson’s street early Wednesday afternoon and a crowd formed outside his home to wish him a Happy Birthday.
Eldon is definitely playing it safe with the coronavirus, and so was everyone else. He took his mask off only briefly, and nearly everyone in attendance had their masks on for the duration of the celebration. Attendees also stayed a safe distance from Eldon as a precaution.
May 27, 2020, was also declared “Eldon Garretson Day” by the City of San Diego. This declaration was a wonderful way to honor Eldon and his role not just in our county, but in our country.
Garretson has lived an incredible life and served our country admirably during one of the most important times in history. He put his life on the line for the freedom that we enjoy today.
We are unbelievably fortunate to have heroes like Eldon willing to sacrifice everything for us. Likewise, we are lucky to be able to honor and celebrate the lives of our heroes. Eldon Garretson is an inspiration to all of us.
