A World War II veteran who celebrated his 100th birthday on Friday in Fayetteville, North Carolina, had some good advice to share with others on his special day.
“Live close to the Lord and he will take care of you. Treat people as you would like for them to treat you,” said Lus Albert Anderson.
“I was told when I was a young man that I can expect to live to be 59-years-old and today I am 100-years-old,” he commented.
While serving in the military overseas, Anderson was a food service manager in charge of meals for thousands of soldiers. However, his love for food did not end once he returned home.
“Everybody loves granddaddy’s cooking. Nobody leaves here hungry. He will not let you leave unless you’re full. He’d always ask, ‘did you eat yet,'” said his granddaughter, Kimberly Obi.
Anderson, who has been a deacon at First Baptist Church for over 50 years, is a father of two sons and grandfather to seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
On Monday, the Fayetteville City Council issued a proclamation honoring Andreson for his being one of the city’s eldest residents.
In Fayetteville, New York, World War II veteran Stan Stanley also celebrated his 100th birthday on Friday.
Stanley was an Army Air Force Tech Sergeant and said he has seen many amazing things during his lifetime, especially what happened on March 8, 1944.
He was onboard a B-24 bomber called the “Yankee Rebel Harmony” working as a radio operator when the plane was hit by enemy fire while fighting in a raid over Berlin, Germany.
He said the plane’s nose was blown off, causing the bomber to crash land in Holland. “I’m lucky to be alive, you know?” the veteran said of the harrowing experience.
Several of the crewmembers survived the crash, and Stanley said the Dutch hid them from the Nazis for 13 months.
“We weren’t supposed to escape. The first person that got captured by Nazi Germany was the nose gunner. He was from New York City. The second and the third were the navigator and bombardier,” he recalled.
Stanley said he hopes to make a trip back to Holland to retrace his steps and thank the people who sheltered him and the other men during the war.
“What I want to emphasize more than anything, I want to thank the Dutch people for all their goodness that they gave me. Taking care of me all those years. All those months,” he said.
Another World War II veteran in Watauga, Texas, who will turn 100-years-old on October 7, is asking for 100 birthday cards to celebrate the big day.
The retirement home where James South lives posted a photo of him to social media with a sign that asked people to send him birthday wishes:
His idea to ask for birthday cards stems from his time during the war when his girlfriend, who eventually became his wife, sent him cards every day they were apart.
“It would give me a feeling that I am recognized for what I do, what I am,” South said about the cards. “And I would cherish it forever.”
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