25 of Utah’s centenarian veterans celebrated by Veterans Department

“The sad part was these young kids that were 17,” Ockerman recalled. “They lied about their age to be able to get into the service.”

Ockerman had two brothers who were also service members. One of her brothers was a Marine dive bomber pilot, and the other served in the Army. She smiled, remembering a time before cellphones when both her brothers “ran into each other” in Hawaii without knowing the other would be stationed there.

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said Thursday’s celebration was to honor “the enduring legacy of the Greatest Generation.”

“Their commitment to our state and country stands as an example for us all,” she said.

“This is the type of legacy, the history that you’re all able to provide to us and to tell us and connect us to the past — to connect us to the service that you’ve rendered to our great country,” said Gary Harter, executive director of the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs. “We stand on the shoulders of great ones, and we stand on your shoulders. Thank you for your service to our great country.”

Having lived for over a century, Ockerman still can’t believe how far technology has come in her lifetime.

“Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe the changes that have been made. You know, we have electricity. Everybody has electricity. We have refrigerators instead of ice boxes and a little computer you walk around with,” she said, comparing technology from her childhood to technology today.

Ockerman eventually attended college at Northwestern University, with help from the GI Bill, and, like many of her 25 veteran centenarian colleagues at the Capitol celebration on Thursday, has witnessed many advancements in her more than 100-year lifespan.

Frank Brown, a private first class in the U.S. Army during World War II, is 100 years old and is said to never “sit still.”

“He doesn’t sit still. He can’t sit still. He goes out. He was raking leaves yesterday. In the winter, he shovels snow,” said Kenneth Labrum, a grandson of Brown’s. He said his grandfather showed great resilience during the war.

“They sent him and his battalion to stop the French from taking over land that was annexed in World War I. My grandfather and his battalion hiked up through a part of the Alps that trucks couldn’t go up. He had a hike with his ammunition. He was a point man, so he had the Browning Automatic Rifle and all the ammunition,” Labrum said. “His feet were bloody and sore by the end of it.”

Brown was rewarded with sheer luck and a classic wartime romance — he survived being shot and met his wife while serving in Hawaii. The couple was married after the war and had five children.