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World War II veteran turns 102 years old

By Ashlyn Mitchell

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    MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — There were lots of candles on a birthday cake for someone very special in the Mobile community.

On Saturday, Tamage Byrd turned 102 years old.

Mr. Byrd celebrated this milestone along close friends and family at the Mobile Country Music Association in Chickasaw.

His favorite part of all was boogying on the dance floor. Mr. Byrd says he’s danced pretty much every week throughout his life, and he never misses a beat.

Mr. Byrd has witnessed decades of history first-hand.

When Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, Byrd decided to enlist in the armed forces. His first post was near the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. Then, he moved to Astoria, Oregon where he repaired ships damaged in combat. In the 1950s, Byrd was stationed in Guam.

We sat down with Mr. Byrd for his advice on living a long and healthy life and this is what he said.

“Don’t smoke dem weeds,” laughed Mr. Byrd. “Don’t drink too much–drink a little beer every once in awhile and everybody has to worry a little bit, but don’t worry too much. If the younger generation would make up their mind and they want to do it, to do it– they’d live a whole lot better.”

FOX10 wishes Mr. Byrd a very happy birthday.

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