(CNN) George Boone figured that 70 yards away was the closest he could get to his late wife's grave site during his visit to Arlington National Cemetery. At 96, the WWII veteran lacked the strength to make the trek from the car on his own.

But then two observers stepped up to help him.

Boone, a former B-24 pilot who was shot out of the sky and held as a prisoner of war by the Nazis during his service, traveled to Washington, D.C. from North Carolina on an Honor Flight . Although his wife Alma's grave deviated from the planned tour, volunteers wanted to make sure Boone could visit his beloved, who was laid to rest in April 2008.

As the group rushed to the site on Saturday, Boone's son, Jon, realized they'd left a crucial thing behind.

"I said, 'Dad, I forgot the wheelchair. Do you think you can walk with assistance?'" he told CNN.

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