Dan Donovan is an 81-year-old former Marine, so when thieves came, he showed them what he's made of.

Dan and Barbara Donovan live outside of Chicago, and the elderly couple heard a knocking on their door. A man in a reflective vest and mask said he was a utility worker who needed to check their fuse box due to a recent fire in the area.

What happened next is everyone's nightmare. But this was a simple case of "not today, Satan!"

Barbara Donovan sensed something wasn't right

They all went to the couple's basement. Mrs. Donovan heard squeaking floorboards above her head and started yelling:

Danny! Somebody's in our bedroom!

She jumped up the steps, followed by her husband and the "utility worker." When they got to the main floor, they found two other men inside, one holding a pillowcase from their bedroom.

Dan Donovan tried to chase these three men from his house. He was searching for something to use as a weapon. He then picked up his grandfather's shillelagh. It's an antique Irish walking stick, which was sitting as an ornament in the couple's dining room corner.

Donovan says:

I was trying to find some type of persuasive weapon.

So I picked up the Irish shillelagh, which turned out to be the equalizer because I managed to chase them out of the house.

Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and ages

Donovan took the walking stick and hit the thief with the pillowcase in the back of his head.

That's when the thieves realized that this isn't an ordinary elderly couple. They were ready to flee. But Donovan decided to give them something to remember.

The 81-year-old was barefoot, but he still followed them outside. He used the shillelagh to deliver hits to the men's SUV's windshield and rear window before they escaped.

The former Marine simply stated:

Hopefully, they got nothing more than a headache, and hopefully, they pursue another occupation.

The brave senior went against three men with an antique walking stick, and he protected his home and his lady. We, too, hope that the thieves will try to find some other way to get by.

Dan Donovan, we salute you!