William “Willie” Lashua turned 90 on September 4, 2010, in Ashburnham, Massachusetts.
His family wanted to make it a big day. They reserved the American Legion hall and put up a sign at Stop & Shop in Gardner, with his photo and a simple headline: “People wanted for birthday party”. It was a local notice, meant for neighbors and acquaintances. Willie, a World War II veteran, had seven children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and had been a foster father to dozens of children.
But someone photographed the sign and uploaded it to 4chan. Within hours, thousands of strangers decided to write to him. The effort was called “Operation: Birthday Boy” and cards began arriving from all over the world. At the American Legion, bar manager Linda Lehman received about 300 calls from people who wanted to know how to help.
Willie wasn’t alone that day. But the whole world wanted to be by his side, and that’s what makes this story so special.
