WWII Vet Celebrates His 100th Birthday In NYC, Meets With Gov. Cuomo As Part Of Nationwide Tour
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A remarkable man is on a remarkable mission.
World War II veteran Sidney Walton is celebrating his 100th birthday here in New York City Monday.
Walton's been traveling the country on his personal 50-state "No Regrets" tour.
He's one of the country's oldest living WWII veterans, and his birthday wish is coming true.
His "No Regrets" tour has Walton traveling the country with his son Paul and other members of his family. Their goal is to visit all 50 states, and meet the governor of each one.
"The country really is here because of them. It's not just my dad, it's everyone. My dad represents everyone who served in World War II," Sidney's son Paul told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge.
Andrew Cuomo is one of the 19 governors Sidney has met so far on his tour. It's all to raise awareness of the diminishing number of WWII vets, and reminding people of the sacrifices made for freedom.
"The terrible man who was here at that time was Hitler. I wanted to fight Hitler," Sidney said.
There are 31 more governors to visit, but his next stop is Washington, D.C., where he'll have one more big birthday bash and meet President Donald Trump.
Walton himself missed a chance to meet some of the last Civil War veterans in New York City back in 1941 before he joined the Army and served the entire war. Now he wants the chance to meet as many people as he can, so they can never forget.
To help support Sidney's tour, you can click here or here to reach his GoFundMe.