{"id":2607614,"date":"2026-05-27T20:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T00:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/high-school-students-throw-100-year-old-veteran-a-prom-after-he-missed-his-for-wwii\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T20:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T00:05:25","slug":"high-school-students-throw-100-year-old-veteran-a-prom-after-he-missed-his-for-wwii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/high-school-students-throw-100-year-old-veteran-a-prom-after-he-missed-his-for-wwii\/","title":{"rendered":"High School Students Throw 100-Year-Old Veteran a Prom After He Missed His for WWII"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhigh-school-students-throw-100-year-old-veteran-a-prom-after-he-missed-his-for-wwii%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2607614&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>eighty-two years after World War II-era service kept him from attending his original <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-school-board-hosts-retirement-party-for-superintendent-though-senior-prom-remains-canceled\/\" title=\"Arizona School Board Hosts Retirement Party For Superintendent, Though Senior ... Remains Canceled\">high school prom<\/a>,100-year-old Illinois veteran Ray Svejnoha was welcomed to his first prom at Metea Valley High school in Aurora.With help from the school\u2019s Tech Connect club-lead by adviser Carey Peterson and a group of six students-Svejnoha\u2019s \u201cpromposal\u201d included patriotic decorations and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mexico-refuses-to-take-migrants-under-remain-in-mexico-policy\/\" title=\"Mexico refuses to take migrants under \u2018Remain in Mexico\u2019 policy\">sign reading<\/a>, \u201c82 years late, but right on time.\u201d Sponsors also paid for details like a haircut, manicure, and a tux. Students cheered as he arrived, and Svejnoha expressed deep gratitude, saying the experience was even better than he expected.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Illinois resident Ray Svejnoha never thought much about missing his high school prom, what with the distractions the U.S. Army Air Force offered during World War II.<\/p>\n<p>But 82 years later, students and staff at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois, made it all up to him, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/GMA\/Living\/100-year-veteran-attends-1st-prom-80-years\/story?id=133214627\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ABC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Carey Peterson, an adviser for the school\u2019s Tech Connect club, worked with a group of six students to ensure Svejnoha made it to this year\u2019s prom.<\/p>\n<p>The students started with a \u201cpromposal,\u201d comprised of red, white, and blue balloons; American flags; and a poster saying, \u201c82 years late, but right on time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot tell you how much I appreciate this, and I love you all,\u201d\u00a0Svejnoha told prom-goers at the event.<\/p>\n<p>Svejnoha, 100, said that choices were different in 1944, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nctv17.org\/news\/naperville-100-year-old-world-war-ii-veteran-attends-first-prom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Naperville Community Television<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDuring my younger age, I had a choice of going into the service. And I took two exams, one for the Navy and one for the Army Air Force, and I passed both of them, and I didn\u2019t expect them to be until after I graduated, but \u2026 the Army come before that, so I didn\u2019t have too much choice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was supposed to report for duty, so that is what I did. I never made my prom, so it was sort of secondary in a way, but that\u2019s the way it was at that time,\u201d Svejnoha said.<\/p>\n<p>Peterson said she learned about Svejnoha when he interacted with the school\u2019s club that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >helps seniors resolve technology issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s where my little light bulb went on, and I thought, \u2018I think we can help him out with that,\u2019\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were all very excited about it,\u201d sophomore Ela Kshirsagar said.<\/p>\n<p>Sponsors pitched in to get Svejnoha a haircut, manicure, and tux.<\/p>\n<p>Svejnoha insisted that the girls who helped him get a sweet reward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said, don\u2019t you think that would be nice if the girls got some flowers? Because they\u2019ve gone through a lot more than I have, and I think that was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/geraldo-rivera-call-virus-vaccine-the-trump-to-credit-him\/\" title=\"Geraldo Rivera: Call Virus Vaccine \u2018The Trump\u2019 to Credit Him\">nice gesture<\/a>. And the gentleman or company that donated the flowers, I really like to thank them personally, because I would have bought them anyway too,\u201d Svejnoha said.<\/p>\n<p>Svejnoha was greeted with cheers as he arrived.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cWhy them girls were more excited than I was,\u201d Ray Svejnoha said, \u201cbut after I heard them, well, I was just about as excited, too, but it was so nice of them to even think about it.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lue0NqZBED\">https:\/\/t.co\/lue0NqZBED<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Naperville Community Television (NCTV17) (@NCTV17) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NCTV17\/status\/2055049323717566792?\">May 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so beautiful to see the connection between generations, and I love that Ray is rightfully getting his prom. Words can\u2019t describe it, honestly,\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt never approached me that the prom was that important in my lifetime. But when they approached me about it, and the way they said it, why them girls were more excited than I was, but after I heard them, well, I was just about as excited, too, but it was so nice of them to even think about it,\u201d Svejnoha said.<\/p>\n<p>Asked if the event was what he expected, Svejnoha replied, \u201cNo. It was better!\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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