When you are a child, it’s not unusual for you to find friends that do not necessarily fit into your age group. Sometimes, they may even be generations away from your age, and that is what happened with a little girl in Pennsylvania.

The little girl had a best friend and that friend wasn’t somebody you would expect at first. He is a World War II veteran and is 100 years old. Joe Gagliardi has become friends with 7-year-old Layla Leuthy Peck and it is a beautiful thing to see.

The little girl isn’t the first member of the family to befriend the centurion. Joe has been a part of the family since before she was born. When the little girl’s father, Sean, was just a little boy, he was also friends with Joe.

A most special day occurred when Joe was about to turn 100 years old. Leila wanted to make sure that he had the best day, so she got all of her classmates together and contacted the police and local fire departments.

She then came rolling up to the house in a fire truck on his 100th birthday with the sirens and lights going. Police cars were following close behind to make it as special as possible.

After Layla arrived, she ran up to Joe quickly and they gave each other a warm hug. All of the officers then lined up to shake Joe’s hand.

One of the people who was there for that special occasion was Layla’s father. He is a policeman and has been friends with Joe since he was very young.

In order to thank Joe for his service in World War II, they gave him a flag that was flown over the Capitol building in Washington DC. His smile was genuine.