The oldest living United States Marine, Major Bill White, has celebrated his 105th birthday this weekend.
The wonderful event was also marked by a special drive-by birthday salute. He sat outside as visitors and a parade of cars went by to wish him well.
In an interview with News4SA, Major White described how it felt to be turning 105. The former Marine said: “Feels just as good as it did at 104.”
Major White lives at the Oaks at Inglewood in California.
Tony Walker, the communication director at the assisted living facility, said to the news outlet: “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.”
Major White’s family were so happy to be able to celebrate his 105th birthday as they were not able to visit him recently due to the pandemic.
Mary Huston, the former Marine’s daughter, told News4SA: “It’s very heartwarming and very and it just does get to you that there are so many people that love him and appreciate him for his service.”
The 105-year-old credits his incredibly long life to keeping his mind sharp by reading. “Right now I’m trying for 106,” he said.
Major White made headlines earlier this year when he asked for Valentine’s Day cards. He was surprised to receive thousands of loving messages from all over the world.
“There’s so many. All I can think of to say is, ‘Thank you, everyone.’ Period,” he expressed.
He also said at that time that messages meant the most to him as he was a former member of a group of Marines who were stationed at 29 Palms Marine Corps Base.
“They don’t have paper out in the field so they used the cardboard from the MRE’s which are meals ready to eat,” Mary Huston said to CBS. “They hand-decorated them for my dad. There’s about a thousand of them.”
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