The 94-year-old guy lived alone and had no close relatives. So, when his son learned that his father had intended to drive from Arizona to Florida by himself, he realized he couldn’t let it happen. His son decided to make a police report against his father. But he hadn’t considered how shocked the officer would be when he finally met the 94-year-old battle veteran.
A police officer and a World War II veteran become good friends in the most unusual way, and the entire country is fascinated by their story. Howard Benson, 94, is a resident of Glendale, Arizona. He served his country honorably when he was younger. Howard was strong-willed and motivated, so he intended to relocate from Glendale to a Florida assisted living facility on his own. He loaded his belongings into a tractor-trailer and prepared to hit the road. He was never defeated in anything.
Howard was a determined man, but his son was concerned about how safe it would be for an elderly man to travel across the nation by himself. Howard’s son called the Glendale Police Department to express his concern about his father’s health and to request that someone go check on him. Someone would go, according to the department. Sergeant Jeff Turney was immediately identified as the best candidate for the job by the Glendale Police Department.
Sergeant Turney previously served in the military. He was a member of the United States Air Force. Because of his military background, Sergeant Turney is frequently assigned to situations involving veterans and former members of the military by the Glendale Police Department.
Sergeant Turney told KTAR-FM reporters that he knew Howard would be a difficult case the moment he met him. Sergeant Turney stated that after speaking with the World War II veteran, he was unable to persuade Howard to postpone or cancel his 2,200-mile excursion, which was scheduled to begin the following day. Sergeant Turney agreed to accompany Howard on the 30-hour trip to Florida as a precautionary measure to ensure his safety.
Despite the fact that Howard and Sergeant Turney didn’t know one other at the start of the journey, they became fast friends.
The police sergeant remembers Howard telling stories from his long life and talking about how he wanted to take one last trip across the country that he loves. To honor him, Jeff often posted updates on their adventures to Facebook Live and thanked the man as Howard for giving him the chance to help. As they got to know each other better, Turney gave the old veteran a new name: Hurricane Howard. He got this name when they had to fight Hurricane Dorian together.
People were waving American flags and singing patriotic songs to welcome the couple to his new home when they got to the assisted living facility in the Sunshine State. Sergeant Turney was on his way back to Arizona when he thought about how lucky he was to have met a man who had lived such an interesting and full life. Sergeant Turney hopes that his experience will show other people how to help people in their community and do the right thing.