Bill White, America's Oldest Living Marine, Turned 105: "Feels Just As Good As It Did At 104"

Aug 04, 2020 by apost team

Last Friday, the U.S.'s oldest marine achieved another milestone by celebrating his 105th birthday. Major Bill White, currently living in Stockton, California, was a member of the Marine Corps for a total of 30 years of his life. Residents marked the special date during pandemic times with a drive-by salute in front of Major White's house.

White has been living in the "The Oaks at Inglewood" assisted living facility for the last years. As Tony Walker, the communications director of the facility, told CBS Sacramento:

“He was in Shanghai before WWII and the Japanese invasion and all that, Iwo Jima got hit. Blown up with a grenade. Recovered from that. Spent a total of 30 years in the Marine Corps. Just an amazing guy.”

The drive-by birthday salute was an especially welcome surprise for the 105-year-old veteran. Due to the ongoing corona crisis, he has sadly not been able to receive many visits by his family.

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“It’s very heartwarming and very and it just — it does get to you that there are so many people that love him and appreciate him for his service,” said Bill’s daughter Mary Huston. The family thanked the well-wishers and everybody who chose to send in a postcard or gift. White himself appeared to be pretty upbeat and optimistic. When asked how it felt to reach such an impressive age, he answered: "Feels just as good as it did at 104." He even went on to add that he is already looking forward to reaching his next milestone: “Right now I’m trying for 106,” he said.  “One at a time.”

When asked what his secret for his longevity was, he confided that he keeps his mind sharp by reading a lot.

This wasn't the first time White made news, although the last time it wasn't exactly with his age. Back in February, Major White captured hearts the world over by taking to the internet to ask for somebody, anybody, to send him a Valentine's greeting.

CBS Sacremento reported on the case back at the beginning of the year. While White assumed only a few people would kindly reach out to him, he was instead overwhelmed with thousands of cards and greetings from all over the world, some coming from as far as Brazil or Japan. He finally ended up with just a bit more than 25.000 Valentine cards.

Happy belated birthday to the US' oldest marine! Had you heard of Major White before? Would you like to live to such an age? Tell us your thoughts and pass this story along to your friends and family to find out what they think.