Watch A World War II Veteran Get Surprised By A Group Of Sailors

After being shared on social media, a touching moment captured on video has gone viral showing U.S. sailors honoring a World War II vet at his home.

The video posted on August 13 shows the Chief Selects from the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center singing “Anchors Aweigh” in front of veteran Ernest Thompson’s house. 82-year-old Thompson stood on the porch in salute as the neighbors came out of their homes to watch the heartwarming scene.

Members of the Chief Selects worked with a USS IOWA volunteer coordinator to plan the surprise for Thompson.

“When they found out that my grandfather was unable to visit the (USS IOWA) lately due to health reasons, they decided to take it to him,” Thompson’s grandson Jonathan Williams wrote on Facebook. Williams posted the video on social media, and mentioned that his grandfather called it one of the best days of his life.

“I witnessed an 82-year-old man become 18 again and a flood of emotions that affected all that were present tremendously,” Williams wrote on Facebook.

Ernest Thompson served on the USS Missouri during World War II, which is now a ship serving as a museum at Pearl Harbor. After an emotional tour of the USS Missouri, Williams was motivated to help preserve the USS IOWA, and he has now become the CEO of the Battleship IOWA Museum in San Pedro.

Williams’ original Facebook post has already received more than 5 million views, and over 100k likes.

In a statement released about the event, Williams said, “I am so surprised and overwhelmed at the attention that it has received. I was so incredibly impacted by this that I felt other veterans should be able to experience this too.”

Check out the video above to see this incredibly touching moment.

[H/T Facebook: Jonathan Williams, NBC Los Angeles]