FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s not every day that you meet someone who has lived a century, but this one veteran has.
Robert Craig, a Corporal of the U.S. Army celebrated his 100th birthday.
The family celebrated him all weekend and ended the festivities with a party today. Other veterans, police, and even government officials were in attendance to honor and celebrate Craig.
“I’d never dream there would be this many people here, but I appreciate it,” Craig said.
People lined up to thank him and wish him a happy birthday. He was presented with gifts, medals and even a note from Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.
“I don’t deserve it, [in] the first place, but I enjoyed it anyway, and I got a lot of friends…I’m the luckiest man in the world,” Craig said.
Craig served in the 82nd Artillery Battalion and earned seven Bronze Stars and a Presidential Citation for his service. He is the oldest surviving WWII veteran of the 101st Airborne in Arkansas, and the third oldest surviving WWII veteran in the U.S.
But more than his accomplishments, his family is inspired by him and by the way he lives his life.
“He’s a great example for us as men to walk in his footsteps, and he is just a very humble person, he loved his wife, his family, and I’m just so proud of him,” said Craig Jones, his oldest grandson.
And the 100-year-old has a fun secret to a long life.
“You need to do something for fun during the day,” Craig said.
Craig taught tennis during the war and loves to be in the outdoors fishing, farming and hunting. But most of all, the thing he said brought him the most joy in his life was his wife. They enjoyed 70 years of marriage together.
“He just sets a great example, and we just try to do what we can to be as honorable as he is,” his grandson Jos Jones said.
Craig says he has big plans for his future…
“Hit 110. But of course, I won’t do it, I’m just joking,” Craig said.
For now, his family is extremely proud of him and inspired by his life and his love for them.
DOWNLOAD THE 5NEWS APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE 5NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KFSM in the Channel Store.
For Fire TV, search for "KFSM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.