Dozens of humbled runners stop mid-race to shake the hand of a WWII vet, 95, in spontaneous mark of respect

  • Joe bell served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946
  • He fought in World War II
  • During Pat's Run, Bell wore his Army uniform and runners stopped to shake his hand out of respect
  • Pat's Run is in honor of Pat Tillman, an Army Ranger who was killed in Afghanistan
  • Tillman gave up an NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 20:21 EST, 4 March 2014 | UPDATED: 04:29 EST, 5 March 2014

On Sunday, a 95-year-old World War II veteran suited up in his decades-old Army uniform to cheer on the runners in a race held to honor an American hero who gave up an NFL career to serve his country as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. 

Joe Bell - who was a corporal in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946 - didn't expect to become the star of the show. But that's exactly what happened.

During the Pat's Run event in San Jose, California, Bell looked on and cheered as the runners passed him by. Out of nowhere, the runners stopped passing him by - rather, they stopped one-by-one and thanked the 95-year-old vet for his service.

Respect: 95-year-old Joe Bell served in the Army during World War II and wore his uniform during Pat's Run on Sunday

Respect: 95-year-old Joe Bell served in the Army during World War II and wore his uniform during Pat's Run on Sunday

Pit stop: In the middle of the race, runners began leaving the race route to shake hands with Bell, who watched from his front lawn

Pit stop: In the middle of the race, runners began leaving the race route to shake hands with Bell, who watched from his front lawn

Inspiring: Bell says he decided to wear his uniform during the race to inspire the runners

Inspiring: Bell says he decided to wear his uniform during the race to inspire the runners

Bell was stunned by the support and gratitude he received from people who in most cases were about 50 years his junior.

'They showed a lot of love to me, and they recognized me,' Bell told ABC News. 'I liked that.'

A reporter for the San Jose Mercury News happened to live on the same street as Bell, and went outside to watch the runners pass.

'When I got outside, the parade of well-wishers had waned, but when Joe started clapping for the runners, they started cheering back at him,' reporter Julia Prodis Sulek wrote in an article published on the newspaper's website. 'I started the video running, and then one runner pulled off the street and over to the sidewalk.'

Sulek's video has since achieved viral status on the Internet, and the story was featured on several morning news shows, including NBC's Today Show.

Neighbors: Bell's neighbor is a reporter for San Jose Mercury News and caught the touching moment on video

Neighbors: Bell's neighbor is a reporter for San Jose Mercury News and caught the touching moment on video

Pat's Run is an annual race to benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation, which provides scholarships to military veterans and their spouses.

Tillman played high school football in the San Jose area before heading to Arizona State University for his college ball.

Tillman was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 1998 and excelled as a safety - at one point in his career, Tillman turned down a $3.6 million contract to play with the St Louis Rams out of loyalty to the Cardinals.

In 2002, Tillman left the NFL at the height of his career to join the Army, and served several tours of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq as an Army Ranger, an elite group of soldiers tasked with some of the U.S. military's most dangerous missions.

 

More...

Hero: Pat's Run is in honor of Pat Tillman, an Army Ranger who gave up a career in the NFL to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan

Hero: Pat's Run is in honor of Pat Tillman, an Army Ranger who gave up a career in the NFL to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan

On April 22, 2004, Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. The circumstances surrounding his death have been heavily scrutinized by his family and military officials.

It was the memory of Tillman that inspired Bell to wear his Army uniform on Sunday.

'It was an amazing thing,' Sulek says. 'I think he was surprised and touched. I asked him, why was he in uniform? He said he just wanted to inspire the runners.'

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Change the name to Joe and Pat's Run. Thank you runners for giving this gentleman and veteran some of the respect all veteran's the respect they earned and deserve.

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touching. respect to you, sir!

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Pat Tillman... thought the war was a disgrace..... was an atheist killed by his own teammates. They shot and killed him and the brass covered it up.

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They still refuse to explain why Pat's personal belongings including his journal were burned.

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If our government was smart, they would truly honor our military soldiers with honorable dischages, by not cutting back on their servcies and pensions. Why anger someone and create dangerous mercenaries?

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God Bless you, Corporal Bell and thank you for your service, sir. Thank you to the runners who paused to thank this man.

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My hometown, I'm so proud! I know a few people who ran the race and shook his hand. The Pat Tillman Foundations is a wonderful institution that helps so many in need.

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Lovely story. Thanks need to be given to all the 'Joe Bells' out there in many countries who fought alongside each other to save the world from a mad dictator.

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The World War II vets are one the greatest generations. They were beyond brave and they put my pathetic generation to shame.

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I watched this segment on the news last evening. The man said he just wanted to congratulate the runners, but it turned out They gave something to him he didn't anticipate, gratitude. It was lovely to watch.

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this is what makes my country great.

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