A disabled man has shared a heartwarming tale of Anzac Day spirit after elderly veterans put aside their canes and helped him stand at a dawn service.
The man, whose leg injury requires him to wear a heavy splint, sat at the back of a dawn service with his wife.
When the congregation was called to stand for the ode, she tried to help but struggled to lift him.
Several elderly veterans in front of them saw this happening, cast aside their canes and helped him stand. The man said they made him ‘shed a tear.’
A disabled man has shared a heartwarming tale of Anzac Day spirit after kind-hearted elderly veterans put aside their canes and helped him stand at a dawn service. Pictured: Other veterans on Anzac Day
The man, whose leg injury requires him to wear a heavy splint, sat at the back of a dawn service with his wife. Pictured: Veterans on Anzac Day
The man, who did not reveal his name or specify which service he was at, wrote on Reddit: ‘So I have to share this.
‘Today I took my wife to visit the Dawn Service for her first time. We arrived two hours early, padded in thick clothes and with a supply of drinks and a portable charger.
‘We sat in the back. I have a disability that makes it very hard for me to sit, stand or walk easily, so we picked a spot where she had room to assist me if needed.
‘People showed up. Transcripts were read. We spent the whole time in silence. Then the speaker called for us to stand for the ode.
‘I went to stand and the mixture of the low chairs, a heavy leg splint and the injury stopped me. My wife started helping but she is a few feet shorter than me.
‘Then a group of elderly gentleman in front noticed what was happening. They put aside their canes, moved their chairs and grabbed my arms and lifted.
This is the heartwarming post which the man shared on Reddit after the veterans helped him
‘These men were at least 50 years my senior. They had chests full of medals, had been openly weeping and were suffering from the cold. But they did not hesitate to come to help me.
‘At one point a speaker had said that they believed that if the fallen could walk with us again and see our country now they would be as proud of us as we are of them. That we have upheld the honour, selflessness and compassion that led to them laying down their lives for our country. I think they would too.
‘When I got home I shed a tear or two.’
When the congregation was called to stand for the ode, the man’s wife tried to help him up but struggled to lift him. Pictured: Veterans on Anzac Day