Ed Bray, 89-Year-Old World War II Veteran, Finally Learns To Read (VIDEO)
An elderly veteran who stormed the beach at Normandy during World War II has finally won his longest-running battle: a struggle with illiteracy. Ed Bray, 89, lives alone in Cookson, Okla., reports CBS News. The veteran has two purple hearts, but his hidden secret — that he cannot read or write — is “the toughest thing that ever happened” to him.
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For decades, Bray covered up this fact. A coworker helped him with documents in his job on an Air Force base, and his wife helped him at home until she died in 2009. But last week, with the help of Northeastern State University professor Tobi Thompson, Bray read a book for the very first time. It was a grade-school biography of George Washington.
In 2011, an elderly Connecticut man wrote a book two years after he wrote his name for the very first time. James Henry learned to read at 96 years old — and at 98 he wrote his autobiography, “In A Fisherman’s Language.”
These stories inspire us in the work we do at the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council. Won’t you join us is changing lives. Learn more: https://icanread.org/tutor-resources/volunteer/
