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94-year-old World War II vet cheered by fellow voters as he casts a ballot
(Brendan Smialowski /AFP/Getty Images)

94-year-old World War II vet cheered by fellow voters as he casts a ballot

World War II veteran Harvey Erwin was cheered by fellow voters at his polling place in Joplin, Missouri, on Tuesday as he cast a vote for president.

Erwin, 94, was in line to vote alongside his daughter, Janine Erwin Johnson, when a fellow voter spotted his his Air Force hat and thanked him for his service, according to CNN.

The Joplin Globe reported that Erwin stumbled slightly as he shook the man’s hand. A fellow voter suggested that Erwin should be permitted to move to the front of the line, a request poll workers accommodated.

Voters applauded Erwin as he went to cast his ballot. He voted beside his 3-year-old great-granddaughter Violet Marquez.

Erwin told The Globe he has voted in every presidential election since 1940.

"It's my heritage to vote," he said during an interview with the paper through Johnson, with whom he lives. "You can't criticize if you don't vote."

Johnson said she was moved by the gratitude voters showed her father.

"People turned and started clapping all the way to the front of line and saying ‘Thank you for your service,’ Johnson told CNN. "It made tears stream down my face because of the recognition to my sweet dad."

CNN reported that Erwin served as a tail gunner in the 781st Bombardment Squadron during World War II.

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