How ready are you to go on a spontaneous road trip?
Every policeman can agree that youāll never expect what will happen once the phone at the station rings.
So when Sergeant Jeff Turney responded to a dispatch, he found himself packing his bags.
He was taking a road trip.
It all started with a phone call from one of Howard Bensonās children.
His son called the cops on him.
What happened next was truly hilarious yet heartwarming. Sergeant Turney knocked at Bensonās home after the call.
Apparently, the 94-year-old veteran was planning to drive his way across the country to Florida to be closer to his family.
As stubborn as they come
You canāt blame his worried children for calling the cops because Benson was just too stubborn. They were hoping the police officers can talk sense into the old man.
When Sergeant Turney walked into Bensonās home, he saw the man sitting as if no plan of a great adventure was being hatched.
“When I arrived, Howard was sitting there with his WWII hat. He was extremely proud of his service,” explains Sergeant Turney to ABC.
Like talking to a brick wall
As hard as Sergeant Turney tried, it felt like convincing a mountain to move.
But he also knew that he couldn’t leave Benson alone. For one, heās wheelchair-bound which means he canāt drive.
Second, he was planning on driving all the way from Glendale, Arizona to Florida where his new nursing facility was located.
Weāve seen a lot of police officers go above and beyond for their community.
Sergeant Turney isnāt a stranger to going out of oneās way to help, but this time, he truly went the distance.
There was no help for it.
He came back to Benson and helped him load a towed trailer. Benson beamed and asked if the Sergeant would also help him find a driver to finish his last mission.
Sergeant Turney said no before telling the old man that he was going to do it himself.
“I thought about it for a second and knew he was going to go anyway. I had the next three days off and I just asked him, ‘how about I take you?’ He had a big smile on his face and he said – ‘You?!'”He told ABC.
A gift from the heart
With his own vacation time and own money, Sergeant Turney joined in this great adventure.
They spent the next three days talking about Bensonās 94 years of life ā from his service in the Navy during the Second World War, to his anxieties about moving into his new nursing home.
He also conceded to Sergeant Turney that it was possibly the last journey heāll make, so he decided to drive so he can see America for one last time.
Thankfully, Benson met Sergeant Turney.
After their great adventure, Benson passed away peacefully. The Glendale Police Department shared a short obituary via Twitter:
āHe got to see his United States one more time. He got one more birthday and one more Veteran’s Day. But sadly, Howard Benson passed away yesterday.ā The police station said via Twitter.
āIāve never seen a person so dedicated to helping people in my life,ā Benson said in an interview with CBS, āI canāt thank that gentleman enough.ā
Watch how a police officer decided to drive a veteran from Arizona to Florida.
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