Warren neighbors help WWII veteran get COVID vaccine

‘He doesn’t have a cellphone, he’s old-school like me,’

WARREN, Mich. – When we get older, we’d all be extremely luck to have neighbors like Bob and Debbie Geib.

The Warren-based couple look after their 94-year-old neighbor, Eddie Peischl. They knew he didn’t have a computer or a cell phone to get signed up to get a vaccine, so they got to work to help their neighbor.

“No computer,” Bob Geib said. “Just a land line.”

You would think a 94-year-old World War II veteran would be at the top of the vaccine list, but he’s not. Luckily, he has good neighbors looking out for him.

READ: Macomb County offers new COVID-19 vaccination site for seniors 60 and older

Peischl was drafted to fight in October 1944. He was 18 years old.

“It was my duty,” Peischl recalled. “Everyone else had to go. I had to go too. It was my duty to go.”

The Geibs signed Peischl up for his first email address and together, they began working all the options to get him his vaccine -- before they had their names called for a shot.

They signed him up everywhere they could and Meijer responded with a Friday morning appointment to be vaccinated.

The line at Meijer was long, but the pharmacy staff kept it moving. Peischl said the process was smooth and he was in-and-out in no time.

You can watch Shawn Ley’s full story in the video above.

Meijer stores said they are now partnering with the federal government and many more vaccine doses are on the way.

READ: Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases


About the Authors

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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