We had the honor and privilege this week to meet Joe McCarthy, a 101-year-old WW2 veteran from Burlington, Mass. and winner of our annual Veteran's Day giveaway of a year's supply of cheese.
Joe has seen things that for us exist only in history books. As a young boy he saw Babe Ruth hit a ground rule double at Fenway Park. While serving on the front lines under General George S. Patton, he remembers exchanging a salute with the hard-driving commander as he and his brothers in arms drove deep into Nazi territory at the end of the war.
When we read Joe's story, submitted to us by his loving granddaughter Angela, we knew we had to take the trip to meet him personally. As we met with Joe, his family, and his friends from the community, it became clear what an immense legacy of kindness and gratitude he has built in his long life.
When we asked Joe how it felt to live through and see so much, he humbly told us "it was 100 years, but in another 100 years it'll all be forgotten." He's wrong. Legacies like his live on forever.
In addition to the year's supply of cheese, we will be donating 15% of all sales this Veteran's Day in Joe's name to the Disabled & Limbless Veterans, a Burlington-based non-profit providing meals, clothing, and shelter to local veterans. You can donate directly to the foundation at www.dlvets.org.
Watch our tribute video for Joe below: