Derek Schwendeman, a young man from Pennsylvania, shared a photo of his grandpa on Reddit. The photo was taken back in 1952, just before his grandpa, Thomas, who is now 86, was about to be deployed to Korea.
Little did Derek know that his grandpa’s photo would go viral. So far, it has been seen by over three million users. If you wonder why, most of the comments are that he looks extremely handsome. People can’t help but comment his looks and white teeth. Many even dubbed him the “Hot Grandpa.”
Thomas can’t believe the black and white photo from his old days attracted that much attention. But he loves it, that’s for sure.
One other person who finds all the stir about the photo flattering is Derek’s grandmother, Fleecie. She and Thomas have spent a lifetime together. The two got engaged even before he started his training. A year later, after his training was over, they tied the knot.
She says he didn’t have much of a chance to ‘sow his wild oats’ considering the fact they married when they both very young. According to Derek, she also says that he has “‘women fussing over him all of the time, but she got him first.’”
After deployment, Thomas started working for the Bell Telephone Company. He was with the company for 30 years, until he retired. However, after that, he continued working as a bus driver for some more years.
“My grandfather is, and always was, a very hard-working man, and he passed that work ethic onto both my father and me,” Derek told People. He is described as a very devoted man who always puts his family first.
Asked if there is something he wanted to change about the way he lived his life, Thomas answered with a resounding “no.”
“He was always loyal and has taken very good care of me,” Fleecie told her grandson.
For more on this sweet story go to the video below.