What was one the one thing that scared you most when you were a kid? (You know, besides ghosts, monsters under the bed, or your super mean first-grade teacher, Ms. Adams?) For us, it was the idea of jumping into the public pool without our trusty water wings on! It’s embarrassing to admit it, but we probably donned those inflatable suckers until we were pushing middle school age–not exactly the coolest look in the world, especially considering we were old enough to have our first crush!

Yep, our fear of swimming “unprotected” went on far too long; but now that we’re older, we recognize that we might not have had the right role model in our corner to encourage us. In fact, we could have definitely benefited from knowing the star of today’s viral video, a 95-year-old veteran who took it upon himself to show a scared neighborhood kid that jumping off a diving board into an awaiting pool of cool water is not something to be afraid of.

Now, it’s important to note that the kind-hearted WWII and Korean War veteran didn’t just give the frightened kid a pep talk and leave it at that; he actually jumped into the water himself! It’s an incredible feat to observe considering that the guy has been on earth for almost a century.

The sweet display just goes to show you that bravery can be instilled in the most unexpected of places–even at a pool with help from a nonagenarian!

More details on this heartwarming poolside act of bravery

The senior featured in the now-viral video is none other than Daniel Bliss, an Air Force Veteran who turns an incredible 96-years-old soon. As we mentioned, he is part of the ever-lessening number of folks still living who served in both WWII and the Korean War. And, as it turns out, his wife of 72 years (yep, 72 YEARS!) is also a veteran who served as an administrative aide in the Coast Guard.

Bliss’ famous diving display was captured on video by his daughter, Christine Ross who, in an interview with USA Today, described her dad as being “full of amazing stories.” She also added that he “has a song for every situation.” Sounds like a fun guy!

Bliss’ grandson, Kevin Ross, told the paper that he was surprised to see his grandfather actually go through with his display of courage, but everyone was glad when he actually did. According to Ross, the elderly Evel Knievel told everyone who was there that day that he wanted the video “to be seen around the world.”

Luckily, the veteran got his wish. Since being posted just a couple of weeks ago, the inspiring clip has been shared thousands of times and has even been featured by some of the biggest news organizations in the world. Impressive!

Now that you know all about the background behind Daniel Bliss’ heroic backyard dive, it’s time for you to watch the video for yourself. To see this intrepid veteran bravely dive into a pool, be sure to watch the clip below.

We’d love to hear your take on this sweet video! Were you surprised to see a 95-year-old jump from a diving board? Do you know someone of a similar age who could do this? Would you like to give a shout-out to a brave veteran that you know?