GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) – A 97-year-old Ohio veteran said it’s a letter of thanks from a 10-year-old that’s most special to him on Veterans Day.
The letter is from a girl veteran Ray Ruoff doesn’t even know. It was given to him two years ago after going on an Honor Flight to D.C.
“You are my idol,” it reads. “I want to be just like you when I grow up. I have a place for you in my heart.”
Ruoff said he carries the letter with him and reads it all the time. He said it’s special to have a person so young understand the sacrifices he made to serve our country.
Ruoff served in World War II and Hiroshima. He then came back to Ohio and spent more than two decades working as a police officer and captain.
Mike Lanese, another Ohio veteran, said Veterans Day is also about honoring families of the men and women who serve.
“When I deploy, everything, all the responsibility fell on my wife to run the household, run the kids around, to do all that stuff,” Lanese said. “As hard as it is on us when we are deployed, it’s hard on the families and I don’t think that gets out enough.”
Lanese served in the United States Navy onboard USS Sterett (CG-31) as a Surface Warfare Officer. He currently serves as a Civil Affairs Officer in the United States Army Reserve.
