99-year-old WW II vet meets George H.W. Bush on 'No Regrets' tour

President George H.W. Bush, left, shook hands Sunday with 99-year-old World War II veteran Sidney Walton at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. President George H.W. Bush, left, shook hands Sunday with 99-year-old World War II veteran Sidney Walton at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Photo: Courtesy Paul Walton Photo: Courtesy Paul Walton Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close 99-year-old WW II vet meets George H.W. Bush on 'No Regrets' tour 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Rodeo Houston fans spotted a familiar face in the crowd: President George H.W. Bush had a front-row seat for Sunday night's bareback riding competitions.

While he was there, the former president, 93, shook hands with a 99-year-old World War II veteran who's on a mission to visit all 50 states on a "No Regrets" tour.

Sidney Walton, one of the oldest living World War II vets, started his yearlong adventure just a few days ago with his son, Paul Walton.

They started Wednesday at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, then shook hands with the governor of Louisiana Friday in Baton Rouge.

On Sunday, Walton was a special guest at the rodeo - and the Army vet shook hands with Bush, who was an aviator for the Navy during the war.

Walton plans to visit all 50 states by the time he turns 100 in February.

The trip stems from a nearly 80-year-old regret: In 1940, just before he joined the Army, he had an opportunity to meet one of the last living Civil War veterans in New York. Walton missed that opportunity, and he never got another chance to meet a Civil War vet.

That's why Walton and his son are calling this trip the "No Regrets" tour. Walton's on a mission to shake hands and take photos with anyone along the way who would like to meet a World War II veteran.

That opportunity, by the way, is shrinking. Last year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported that just 558,000 of the 16 million American who served in World War II were still alive.

This week, Walton plans to meet Gov. Greg Abbott in Austin, then drive to Dallas before flying to California for his next adventure.

You can follow his adventures at the website his son maintains, Go Sidney Go. There you'll find a history of Walton's adventures - and photos of the near-centenarian with Tom Hanks, the Dalai Lama and Steven Spielberg.