PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (NBC) – A 90-year age gap couldn’t keep two Illinois neighbors from becoming best friends.
For the last couple of years, 4-year-old Nicky Corbett and 94-year-old World War II veteran Bob Alt have worked side by side in Alt’s yard mowing the grass.
“Since the day he was born, since the day he was born… he’s been my helper,” Alt said.
While the littlest lawnmower may be pretend, the friendship is very real.
“The second he started walking and we got him that lawnmower … he would watch Bob do it,” Nicky’s mom, Gianna Corbett, said.
Bob enlisted in the Navy at 17 and was in officer candidate school during world war two. He served again in the Korean war.
At 94-years-old, Alt s lost many of his friends in the service, making Veterans Day challenging.
“We had at least 11 guys in the poker club and guess what? I’m the only survivor,” he said. “They are all gone.”
Nicky may not understand Bob’s military service now, but he will. Nicky’s mom has taken dozens of photos and videos like these, so one day he can appreciate how rare it is to have a World War II veteran as a best friend.
“I couldn’t ask for a better role model for my son,” Corbett said.
Truly, a 90-year age gap is no match for these two.
