HATTIESBURG, Miss. — A Mississippi sorority helped fulfill a 92-year-old World War II veteran’s dying wish of dancing with a beautiful woman, WDAM-TV reports.

The ladies of Phi Mu Sorority at the University of Southern Mississippi held a dance in Navy vet Paul Sonnier’s honor on Monday.

Jessica Moreau first met Sonnier working as a social work intern at SouthernCare Hospice Services in Hattiesburg.

“He’d always ask me if I wanted to go to Ropers, the local bar,” said Jessica Moreau. “He says I’ll teach you how to jitterbug and the Waltz.”

During a visit, he said his final wish would be to “dance with a beautiful woman.”

Phi Mu chapter President Cameron Ponder said the dance was a great way to “honor someone that has done so much for our country.”

Family members told WDAM that Sonnier was in the Navy during the Pearl Harbor attack and served during the war.

“What we appreciate the most is that our greatest generation member, my father, is happy that this younger generation appreciates everything that he did and sacrificed so they can sit here and have fun and have the freedoms that they have,” said his daughter, Ida Sonnier.

Link to original and pictures:

http://myfox8.com/2018/04/25/s...h-a-beautiful-woman/

Not all college students are dumb asses. Good on those gals!
Rod

Sail on, sailor! Sail on!

Refreshing!

Now that sorority actually has "young ladies," as opposed to ... well...

Good on you, ladies!

Nice to read a positive story for a change. Good for those young ladies. Thanks for posting.

This is a great story but the math doesn't add up He was 16, in the navy in 1942? IDK, prior to the attack we weren't at war. I don't believe you could join the Navy at 16, Prior to the Pearl Harbor attack.

quote:

I don't believe you could join the Navy at 16, Prior to the Pearl Harbor attack.

I had a couple great uncles from that era who claimed they were 16 at the time they enlisted pre-Pearl. Unconfirmed story or sloppy bookkeeping? Who knows.

At least this vet gets a little proper respect.

Well done Sailor, true to our proud tradition!

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
I don't believe you could join the Navy at 16

Didn't a lot of guys lie about their age and join during that era? Remember it was The Depression and the Navy meant 3 meals a day and a place to sleep which they may not have had otherwise.

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
This is a great story but the math doesn't add up He was 16, in the navy in 1942? IDK, prior to the attack we weren't at war. I don't believe you could join the Navy at 16, Prior to the Pearl Harbor attack.

My father in law enlisted not long after Pearl Harbor with no clear documentation about how old he was. (He was born of an American father in Mexico.) He claimed he was 17, but might have been 16. They sent him off to flight school. His photo in his flight gear from then makes him look about 15.

Great thing those sorority sisters did.

Classy sisters no doubt at all.

Fine young women, doing a fine thing.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
I don't believe you could join the Navy at 16

Didn't a lot of guys lie about their age and join during that era? Remember it was The Depression and the Navy meant 3 meals a day and a place to sleep which they may not have had otherwise.

My grandfather joined the Navy right after Pearl Harbor and he was 16. He lied about his age and his mother signed off on it. He was the youngest of seven siblings and the only boy, and was "eating them out of house and home" so they figured it was best for all involved. So the story goes, anyway. I would've thought that was common enough that people wouldn't be skeptical about it today.

Wonderful story, unfortunately, from the picture, it doesn’t appear that Mr. Sonnier is up to it.

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
This is a great story but the math doesn't add up He was 16, in the navy in 1942? IDK, prior to the attack we weren't at war. I don't believe you could join the Navy at 16, Prior to the Pearl Harbor attack.

I know that a number of 16 YOs enlisted in the military back then. Record keeping was not all that great, and record checking by the enlistment offices was also kind of sloppy.

I have not doubt this old gentlemen did exactly as he said.

Story sounds plausible.

My grandpa dropped out of high school his junior year in 1930 to join the Navy. He would have turned 17 in May 1930 so its reasonable. Good on these ladies for making this gent feel like a king in his final days.

My grandpa got out in 36 and joined back up a few weeks after Pearl in 12/41. He was a hard hat diver and was in a terrible accident off in 42 in the SF Bay. A training plane had crashed off treasure island he went down to cut the pilot out and the fuselage rolled back over on him and the brought him up too fast and he got the bends. He told my uncle he bled from every orifice, was medically discharged shortly later. They think it may have led to an embolism that killed him a week before his 46th birthday, 59 years ago next week.

Wow, that brought tears to my eyes thinking of those women as a group decided to honor an old veteran.

Good on everybody involved.

Awesome bunch of young gals, good for them.