The night before his 100th birthday, World War II veteran Gaston Pettigrew put on his Royal Canadian Navy uniform and enjoyed a birthday celebration in the dining hall with the friends, family, and staff of the Maison Paul-Triquet home in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. All he wanted for his birthday was 100 cards for him. He was greeted with a box full of 1,700 cards and more are still on the way from around the world.
Weeks prior, Pettigrew’s request was posted on a Facebook community group dedicated to military history by Jordan Proust. Since then, among the hundreds of likes and reacts the post got, the birthday cards kept coming in. Pettigrew’s residence expects him to receive over 2,000 cards by the end of his birthday week.
According to the CBC, Pettigrew enlisted in the Canadian Navy in April 1943 when he was just 18 years old. He was assigned as a seaman to HMS Ettrick, a ship that was a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. Pettigrew and the others made 11 crossings between North America and Europe to provide supplies back and forth. He recalled that he and his crewmates had to keep quiet to not alert any German submarines when they approached the European coast.
"We were never supposed to make any noise,” said Pettigrew. “We got used to hearing a pin drop because there was so little noise.”
While time on the ship was stressful, Pettigrew said the whole crew celebrated the announcement of Germany's surrender on May 8, 1945.
Many of the cards thanked him for his service, including several classrooms filled with children that wrote their appreciation in their cards along with birthday well wishes. One card even came from a French person, Myriam Marty, who decided to send it to Pettigrew when Proust’s post showed up on her Facebook feed. She greatly appreciated his service during a time when France was occupied by the Germans.
"I've always had a very deep respect for these people," Marty said to CBC. “Thanks to them, we're French today."
Getting up to 100 years of age is quite the feat, but the flood of cards is more than a nice gesture. Studies are showing that small gestures and gifts can truly boost a person and their mental health, curbing depression and anxiety. Being a much older man can make someone like Pettigrew more prone to loneliness and depression, which could lead to physical health problems such as heart disease. So, many people taking the time to write a card didn’t only provide a lovely and wonderful 100th birthday, but increased Pettigrew’s chance to see his 101st birthday, too.
@addiesspamaco This is the way to my heart. Writting is a big part of me and receiving someome elses writting fills my heart with love. #handwrittennotes #thewaytomyheart #meanstheworldtome
If you haven’t reached out to a loved one in a while or just plain want to extend a kind gesture to a friend in general, writing them a “just because” card to say hello and wish them well can do a lot of good. It not only reminds them that they aren’t alone, but also boosts their health as a bonus.
