ROMULUS, Mich. (WWJ) -- The oldest living sentinel of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was given a hero's welcome Wednesday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after an excursion to the nation's capital to receive his due honor.
Jack Eaton, a 100-year-old Army veteran, stood guard by the tomb from 1938 to 1940 but had not been formally recognized for doing so. Eaton flew to Washington, D.C. Wednesday morning for a ceremony to see a recently erected plaque recognizing his service at the tomb.
Upon his return to the airport, Eaton was greeted by jubilant and emotional scene, where dozens of cheering veterans, public servants and civilians celebrated as "America The Beautiful" played.
Eaton, who lives in Burton, Mich., flew to D.C. with the help of the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight. He had done so in 2018, only to realize a plaque in his honor was not present. This time around, the trip was sweeter for the former Army sergeant.
"The first time was pretty nice, but this is much better because this time I know it’s in a permanent position.," Eaton told WWJ's Stephanie Davis.
He had paid a visit to the tomb in 2017 and toured the back barracks, where plaques of every living soldier who guarded the tomb are displayed and that's when he first noticed there was not a plaque with his name on it. After proving he did in fact stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -- official records do not date that far back -- the plaque was finally erected.
