Captain Sir Thomas Moore was a war veteran just like any other British military man. Having served in the military during the Second World War, in India, and in the Burma campaign, he was living a quiet life in a village called Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire with his younger daughter Hannah, and her small family. Captain Tom, a moniker he earned in the twilight days of his life for the unprecedented service he did to humanity during a time when the world was in dire need of it. The year 2020 was calamitous in more ways than one for the entire world. A single-celled microorganism had laid siege on the world, leaving the masses defenseless and vulnerable. Millions have died so far and though vaccines are now available within a year after the pandemic commenced, the virus is far from gone. It is mutating at rocket speed and new variants that are manifold times more infectious than the original one. The healthcare systems were inundated with patients and healthcare officials, doctors, paramedics had to work around the clock to meet with the mounting casualties. People were dying like flies and there was an unprecedented fear among the masses because here was an unheard-of virus that was a super-spreader, and the death toll reached new heights despite the relatively low mortality rate. The fear of death was exasperated by the fact that no cure or vaccine was available at that time because it was a new virus.Amidst all the chaos that ensued following the pandemic, stringent lockdowns, closure of airports, and the overall lugubrious milieu, one man emerged as a beacon of unconditional love and selfless compassion. Captain Tom didn’t climb Everest, nor did he conquer the English Channel, Captain Tom simply walked into the hearts of the people by taking 100 steps on his garden, an act meant to raise money for the harried healthcare workers. He was profoundly touched by their service, dedication, and commitment to care for the sick even when they knew they were jeopardizing their own life and the lives of their family. Walking up and down your garden is not a remarkable feat but Captain Tom was a 99-year-old veteran whose 100th birthday was fast approaching and he couldn’t simply sit and warm his seat when the world was in a shutdown.
