GREELEY, Colo. (KDVR) — You can learn a lot about Algie Boone from the display shelf just outside of his Greeley apartment. On it, a collection of mementos dedicated to the family, faith and fearlessness that helped get him through life — and helped him survive World War II.

“I was 18 years old when I got drafted,” Boone, 99, told FOX31.

He served in the Pacific with the Army in World War II, from Australia to the Philippines. He was an Army medic who treated the wounded.

“Wherever they got shot, we had to go and pick them up on the front lines,” Boone said.

While he was serving his country as a young man, he had a bible with him the whole time, tucked in his pocket. He said faith got him through. He often read Psalm 91.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,” Boone said, quoting the verse from the Old Testament.

FOX31 Hero of the Month

Those who meet Boone quickly recognize his accent isn’t that of a native Coloradan. He spent his life in Mississippi, raised a family and was married to his wife Ruth for 62 years before her death a decade ago. A little over a year ago, he moved to Greeley to be close to his daughter.

He immediately made an impact on the northern Colorado veteran community. He even took part in an honor flight to Washington, D.C., last spring.

In May, friends and family threw him a 99th birthday party. They say it was the least they could do to honor a man for his lifetime of service.

It’s because of that service that Boone is being named the FOX31 Serving Those Who Serve Hero of the Month. Along with a plaque, Boone receives a $500 Visa gift card from our sponsors at Ford and the Leo Hill Charitable Trust.

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Boone said when presented with the plaque last week at his home.

It is a well-deserved honor for a man who put his life on the line for his country 80 years ago and has spent every day since leading by example.

“He gets up and sees the brightness in every day, and not the struggle in every day. And when I think of that, that’s what got him through those war years,” his daughter, Rose Alison, told FOX31.

To nominate a veteran or active-duty service member for our Hero of the Month honors, visit the Serving Those Who Serve nomination page.