World War II veteran receives 50,000 cards for his 96th birthday

Wanting her father to receive more than just bills in the mail, Sue Morse went online and asked friends if they would send him a card or quick note for his birthday.

Duane Sherman, a World War II veteran living in Southern California, turned 96 on Dec. 30, and the well-wishes started flooding in before his birthday, and have yet to let up. He's received more than 50,000 cards and letters, from 10 countries and every U.S. state. The Pittsburgh Steelers sent him a card, as did the Secretary of the Navy, and the band Foreigner mailed him a signed CD. Elementary school students and prison inmates have written Sherman letters thanking him for his service, and several Navy officers came by his house and took him out to lunch. Gift cards tucked inside cards have been donated by Sherman to people affected by the California wildfires.

Sherman told The Orange County Register he's "amazed, shocked, and appreciative. All the good comments people made, it just brightened my day." After Pearl Harbor, Sherman enlisted in the Navy, and he still has shrapnel in his back from an attack against his ship by a kamikaze plane. The Purple Heart recipient is legally blind, so his daughter is reading the cards to him, and she doesn't expect to finish any time soon — there are still bins filled to the brim with cards, waiting for Sherman at the post office. Catherine Garcia

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