90-yr-old vet hit Police Captain’s patrol car and then THIS happens!

A car accident isn’t often an occasion for celebration for most people. But after the kindness shown to one World War II veteran, it might be for one person.

Captain Bryan Howard of the Burien Police Department aimed his flashlight over his driver’s side rear fender and then he paused.

“You can see the green paint from his car,” he said.

Captain Howard has been through a few scrapes and accidents in his 20-plus years in law enforcement.

Just few cases like this.

This was his own patrol unit and it was hit at some point Monday afternoon. He found it after a meeting at city hall.

“I saw the card on my window and I thought it was somebody trying to sell something,” Howard said.

The captain called the man and learn he was 90 years old and had been driving for 80 of those years.

“He was a very nice older man. He told me his age right away,” Howard said. Eventually the two men met the next day and Howard learned the bill for repairs was going to be more than $2300.

“He was embarrassed and he was very apologetic and he didn’t make any excuses for his behavior,” the captain said.

Then everything changed.

“He told me he was a World War II veteran,” Howard said.

The man told stories of fighting in Italy for two straight years and the combat he had seen.

“He’s already paid a debt to society and it just didn’t seem fair or right that he should have to pay to fix a police car that he inadvertently dented,” Howard said.

He was touched and followed a friend’s suggestion to make a GoFundMe page to make sure the veteran driver didn’t have to pay a dime for the repair.

The captain doesn’t want to reveal his name just yet so the donation can remain a surprise (despite the television news exposure of course).

In 24 hours, the project had already raised half the money need and any extra proceeds are going to go to the Wounded Warriors project.

It’s great to see a police officer that not only has a heart, but went out of his way to help a veteran who, as he said, has already done so much for us. If only more people were so generous and appreciative of military service.

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