Drive-by birthday party held for 95-year-old WWII veteran

Click here for updates on this story

    SCOTT TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — He is one of the last surviving combat veterans of World War II.

This weekend, Bernie Hoffman turned 95 years old. He was given a COVID celebration — military style.

Hoffman is a member of the greatest generation and a decorated World War II combat veteran.

And at 95, Hoffman is having a hard time understanding a birthday with coronavirus restrictions.

“Everybody’s wearing a mask. How are you gonna recognize me without my mask?” Hoffman said.

Mask or not, Hoffman had a birthday fitting for a Marine who saw action in Guam, the Marshall Islands and Okinawa — where he earned a Purple Heart.

This weekend, he was saluted with a parade. The parade featured a color guard and some grand old memories.

He is truly one of the few, the proud. But he finds it hard to accept the honor. It seemed like the parade would never end, with cars continuing to keep coming.

For Hoffman, a tribute like this was a long time coming — 95 years to be exact.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.