Disney Celebrates WWII Veteran's 101st Birthday at Magic Kingdom

It makes us smile so wide when we see anyone celebrating their birthday in Disney World, because, well, talk about magical! But when we see that it’s a super special birthday/event? Yeah, sometimes we get tears in our eyes.

If you’ve been on Main Street, U.S.A., in the early afternoon, you’ve also likely seen Magic Kingdom Cast Members participate in a daily ceremony called Flag Retreat. Often, Disney will honor a veteran during this once-a-day event, which is incredible as is. But the other day, Disney honored a World War II veteran celebrating his 101st birthday, and the celebration was EVERYTHING.

Herb Maneloveg served as a Private in the U.S. Army’s 106th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded during the battle and later received the Purple Heart for his injuries.

Disney helped him celebrate his 101st birthday in Magic Kingdom with a special Flag Retreat ceremony and more exciting events! He started with a Cinderella Castle photoshoot with his family, then got a special viewing of the iconic Festival of Fantasy Parade, where many characters stopped by to wish him a Happy Birthday!

After the parade, Herb shared that it was “better than any wish” he’s ever had. He continued by saying, “To me, the important thing is family, and they are here. It’s all I could ask for.”

At 5 PM, Herb was the honored veteran at the Flag Retreat Ceremony. This is always a very patriotic moment, but it was even deeper having a serviceman like Herb as the guest of honor.

We love seeing what Disney does to celebrate and thank veterans in the parks and beyond. To celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America this year, Disney has a few different things planned to celebrate, including an overlay of Soarin’ in EPCOT and Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort — it’ll become Soarin’ Across America in Summer 2026!