Young history buff's wish granted on Patriots' Day

0 0 April 16, 2018 Edit this post

WCVB Boston

On this Patriot’s Day, one teenager’s dream came true on the Battle Field of Lexington Green.

John McConnell led the pack of minutemen reenacting the march to Concord 243 years after the battle was fought. The 14-year-old is a revolutionary history superfan.

“It's a really cool story about how certain groups were able to beat the British and become their own country,” said John.

John has a type of muscular dystrophy. He traveled all the way from Alaska to participate in Monday's reenactment thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“It's been amazing,” said Jackie McConnell, John’s mom. “It's been such a heartwarming experience. The minutemen and the guys from the British side the 10th and the 4th have just surrounded John.”

John’s wish was to combine his two loves: the American Revolution and playing the drums.

“It's something that I could do that my friends didn't want to do because they could play sports and I couldn't,” said John.

Monday, everyone is marching to the beat of John’s drum. He said he’ll never forget this very special gift, all thanks to Make-A-Wish.

“It feels really awesome,” John said. “Thank you for helping me make this wish possible.”