BEAUMONT, Texas — A Korean War veteran is spending his 90th birthday in Beaumont and surrounded by loved ones.
While serving in the war, John Ardoin was deployed for the world's first thermonuclear weapon test, code-named Mike, according to a relative.
The relative said the weapon test was carried out by the United States at Enewetak atoll in the Marshall Islands, on November 1, 1952.
Ardoin was married for 64 years to Marry Ardoin who preceded him in death. The two raised five girls together.
Ardoin's family described him as a strong man who's "usually outside mowing his grass." Recently, his health took a turn. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and lung cancer and is now under the care of nurses at the Spindletop Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
That didn't stop his family from showing up to wish him a happy birthday.
About a dozen family members paid a surprise visit to Ardoin on Saturday at the center in Beaumont.
They decorated the room with balloons and lit the candles on his birthday cake as they wished him more years to come.
One family member who paid him a visit was his great-grandson, Andrew Dugas, who's a senior at Nederland High School. His father, David Dugas, and others were also at the facility Saturday singing "Happy Birthday."
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
Also on 12NewsNow.com...