A 101 Year Old War Veteran Shares His Best Life Lessons

What does it feel like to be 101 years old?

>> Everybody says you you're a lucky guy.

Don't you believe it? Too many [music] things are taken away from you as you get very old looking at my hands and saying, "Is it possible that tomorrow they won't be working?" There's nothing

like that. If you could go back to your

like that. If you could go back to your 25-year-old self and give that version of you one piece of advice, what would you say to him?

>> I always said I would never retire until I got it right. And at a JD, I knew I was never going to get it right when I retired.

>> That's pretty good. [laughter]

>> Today, I'm in New York City asking one of the world's most accomplished 100year-olds some of life's deepest [music] questions. Frank was born in the 1920s

questions. Frank was born in the 1920s and was a soldier who fought in World War II, facing death every single hour at just 18 years old. After the war ended, he made a life for himself, but

as you will hear, it came at severe costs. Now he's over a hundred years old

costs. Now he's over a hundred years old and he is honestly one of the wisest individuals that we are blessed to have still [music] with us on this planet and I can absolutely guarantee that this advice is going to change your life. So

without further ado, let's get into it.

How old are you?

>> I am now 101 plus.

>> What does it feel like to be 101 years old?

>> It's no fun. Too many things are taken away from you as you get very old. The

things that I used to be able to do, [music] I don't do anymore. I get out of breath now. I It's no fun. Everybody

breath now. I It's no fun. Everybody

says you you're a lucky guy. Don't you

believe it? You got to [music] give up things as you get old. And I slowly giving them up. I know I've lost a great deal. Look, here I am and I haven't

deal. Look, here I am and I haven't figured out a way to get out of it yet.

and nobody will provide me with fentinel or you know these other ways to maybe pull out of this life but so I keep on going.

>> What do we need to learn and understand about your childhood and how you were raised in order to understand the [music] person that you are today? The

only event of any consequence was uh we had a group of kids and since there was no traffic, we could walk to [music] the elementary school which was maybe four

or five blocks away. One of the kids was a dad of them. When we got out of school after lunch, there was a cold truck coming toward us and he [music] said, "You see that truck? I can beat it

across the street." Well, unfortunately he didn't. [music] That was the first

he didn't. [music] That was the first death I ever experienced. But we didn't know anything about death. The next day

we waited for him. He didn't show up. We

didn't know why. And I think after one day we forgot about him. That's how

things go.

>> How old were you at that time?

>> 6 7 [music] or 8. I didn't know what it meant.

>> Over 90 years ago. Do you remember that?

Like it was [music] yesterday. In later

years, I could see it, you know, and can you imagine the truck driver horror to run over a little boy.

>> Were you close with your parents growing up?

>> Very. They were very good. I never was hit by anything. [music] Thought that's pretty good parent.

>> Most people were at that time.

>> When I speak to others, um, their moms and dads would would slap them or the like. And I never

like. And I never was what my mother used to say to me was and I didn't understand it but I was scared out of my wits. If you're a bad

boy I will tell your father and he will open his eyes at you.

How I I know I to this day I don't know what she meant by that. That was something.

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joined the army. You're 1819.

821st tank destroyer battalion. I remained in that battalion during the entire war and

in 1944 in April 44 we were shipped to England.

[music] After that we were I was constantly in combat for the next 10 and a half or 11 months.

>> The day that you knew you were going to be in the war. You're being in combat.

>> In combat and you're saying bye to your family [music] your friends, everyone who's back home, knowing you may not see them again. What

was that like? Do you remember that?

>> It's only hits you when you get into it.

The first night we were in combat, uh, there was a big firefight that took place. [music] To this day, I hate

place. [music] To this day, I hate fireworks because I saw all the fireworks that I ever want to see.

[music] And that night, we heard some shouting off to the left [music] and we couldn't see anything pitch black. We heard this shouting [music]

black. We heard this shouting [music] and everybody opened up. We're all

trigger happy shooting at the sound.

[music] And in the morning, we found our first casualty. We killed them for

first casualty. We killed them for so-called friendly fire, but friendly fire is as devastating and damaging as

enemy fire. So that that was our first

enemy fire. So that that was our first night in combat.

>> What were you thinking about on that first night?

>> I remember leaning against the bulgey wheels of a uh tank [music] and looking at my hands and saying, "Is it possible that tomorrow they won't be

working?" And all all the guys were

working?" And all all the guys were quieter and everybody was scared wondering what it was all about and

would they survive and some didn't some didn't.

>> Was there a moment for you when [music] you thought you were not going to survive?

>> I never I thought I was going to be killed [music] during combat. I I never expected to make it [music] through. I

surprised myself.

What did you learn about yourself throughout that?

>> Well, probably shouldn't say this, [music] but I will. Yeah, I believed in God and a comforting God when I went into [music] the army, but that death was haphazard. And so, I began to have

was haphazard. And so, I began to have my serious [music] doubts. Those doubts were confirmed

doubts. Those doubts were confirmed later in the war when we [music] liberated a concentration camp and which

was the most horrible thing I've ever seen. and I just lost any

seen. and I just lost any thought of there being a god.

>> What do you wish that people knew about the war that is probably not taught or spoken about in a textbook or [music] in a movie?

>> People have to realize that it's a terrible moment in life. It it's [music] it's ter it's terror actualized

watching people get killed. the

devastation [music] that it does to all humanity. As a matter of fact, you

humanity. As a matter of fact, you actually [music] become a part of this terrible nonsense

and uh your feelings, your h your humanity [music] is affected by it. You

kill people and when there's not you take [music] the the very act of killing people removes [music]

everything that an an individual has.

It's a terrible feeling particularly the first. After a while it becomes easier

first. After a while it becomes easier but there's nothing like that. And

I I I can't delve deep enough into it, but to take away [music] everything the life and the humanity of an individual

is a terrible, terrible [music] thing.

Whether you do it directly or indirectly [music] anything is better than being in the army. Let me tell you. Yeah. My advice

army. Let me tell you. Yeah. My advice

is don't go.

>> When you think about what you did for a career afterwards, CPA, lawyer, did you enjoy those jobs?

>> I had a hell of a lot of fun. My wife

and I used to go to uh all of the Broadway openings and the opening night parties and some of the movies if they

opened in New York. And hey, I had 50 years of that. The only difficulty was we got home, you know, maybe 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and I had to get up

and be in the office when it opened up.

>> You loved it.

>> I I I enjoyed it. I developed a good reputation and that that was important.

>> When you think of young people today, what do you what do you think about them in general? I mean, compared to when you

in general? I mean, compared to when you were young and how everyone around you was. [music] The only thing I can't

was. [music] The only thing I can't stand with young people today is they don't have a respect for money. The

other day my grandson said he's coming up to see me. Great.

And he's going [music] to take a car.

It's only $50 for the day. Well, you

know, to me 50 bucks is still a lot of money. I mean, have you ever journaled

money. I mean, have you ever journaled in your life? I know you wrote [music] letters during the war. Did you ever keep a journal or a diary? Lamentably,

no. I wish I had. Yeah, I never kept the diary. And believe me, I am sorry.

diary. And believe me, I am sorry.

I wish I could have opened the diary and look [music] back and and see what you Yeah. what life was >> see what I thought on that on a particular day.

>> Yeah. If you're looking back on 101 years, what is a time when you felt the most proud of yourself, the [music] most accomplished? I always said I would

accomplished? I always said I would never retire until I got it right. And

at age 80, I knew I was never going to get it right. [music] Well, I retired.

That's pretty good. [laughter]

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this weekend. All right, back to the video. You were married, you were

video. You were married, you were saying, right? Your [music] wife is

saying, right? Your [music] wife is still around or no?

>> No, no. February 1st, 2019, she died.

So, I've been alone ever since.

>> How long were you guys married for?

>> 65 years, which wasn't bad, but not long enough. Would have been nicer if we

enough. Would have been nicer if we could have done it to 85 or 95, but I have to take 65.

>> Were those 65 years happy? 65.

>> Look, no marriage [music] is happy. It

has its ups and downs. You can't live with somebody and [music] not from time to time have some quarrel.

And sometimes it's over nothing.

>> How do you get to 65? [music] Most

relationships don't last. Well, you

know, I married the one girl that I wanted, and I hope she married the one guy she wanted, but I'm not sure about that.

>> What was it about her that you loved [music] so much? Like, you said that's the one girl that you wanted. What was

it about her?

>> Oh, I I can't give [music] away those secrets.

She was She was everything I wanted in a uh wife. and we struck it off and we did

uh wife. and we struck it off and we did it [music] 65 years and it was too short.

>> Can you define the word love for me?

>> I think love is um the acceptance of an individual [music] wholeheartedly without reservation and

the willingness to accommodate [music] when sometimes the chips are down.

What do you recommend [music] people look for if they want to find the one girl or the one guy?

>> I don't. He's all I don't recommend. You

know, I think it's important that people go out on dates and until they find the right person and it doesn't always work out even though.

>> Did you lead your life, your thinking back on it with any personal principles or philosophies? You know, sometimes

or philosophies? You know, sometimes [music] the Bible is right. Do unto

others as you would have others do unto you. I think that's a [music] terrific

you. I think that's a [music] terrific thing. People don't do it that way. And

thing. People don't do it that way. And

I I've tried throughout my life to [music] be observant and to try to treat people [music]

as nicely as I could. And I I think if if we in this [music] world was sought doing that, we'd be in a better shape than we are now.

>> You've gone through 101 years, almost 102 years of life. What is the truth about life [music] that you've learned that you wish more people understood?

>> That life isn't fair. You've got to make the best of what you have. Some people

do and some people don't, but it isn't fair. Some individuals [music] die early

fair. Some individuals [music] die early and throughout life you're always going to make adversity. There's no way of avoiding it. So, you might as well live

avoiding it. So, you might as well live with it. And

with it. And >> [music] >> uh I have.

>> Is there a big regret or a big mistake that you had that taught you a valuable lesson?

>> There too many mistakes that I made that uh turned out to be pretty big. Whatever

mistakes you make in life stay with [music] you forever and you never forgive yourself. Uh on the other hand,

forgive yourself. Uh on the other hand, what are you [music] going to do? You

made them and you got to live with them.

>> If you could go back to your 25-year-old self [music] and give that version of you one piece of advice, knowing everything you know today, [music] what would you say to him?

>> Don't go.

>> Talking about the army. I I wouldn't want anybody to go into the service.

Don't go.

>> Thank you so much, Frank. Appreciate it.

Thank you. We are welcome.