Jack Eaton, 100, the oldest living sentinel of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, laughs with Willow Run Tribute Rosie the Riveters as they pose for a photo at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. (Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press via AP)

DETROIT (AP) — A 100-year-old World War II veteran from Michigan has finally been honored for guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Jack Eaton is the oldest living sentinel of the monument, which he protected from January 1938 to December 1939.

Eaton viewed his plaque for the first time at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Wednesday.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Eaton says he’s wanted the plaque for a while.

His stepdaughter, Brenda Warburton, says Eaton got a little choked up on seeing the plaque, noting that’s unusual for him.

Jack Eaton, 100, the oldest living sentinel of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, salutes the Patriot Guard Riders as he walks off the airplane at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. (Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press via AP)

The Burton man realized he didn’t have a plaque after touring the guard barracks of the tomb in 2017, where plaques of every living guard are displayed. A plaque was erected after he inquired about it.