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Navy veteran celebrates 100th birthday
Kylie Jones reports.
CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. - On Veterans Day weekend, one Citrus County veteran rang in a milestone.
Ed Bassett, who served as a Navy sailor in WWII, celebrated his 100th birthday.
Bassett turns 100 years old on Monday, and was surrounded by his friends and family for a birthday party at A Touch of Italy, one of his favorite restaurants in Inverness on Sunday.
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Denise Bassett said her father served in the Navy from 1941 to 1945.
"Dad joined the Navy during WWII when he was just 17," shared Denise Bassett.
"I was on the destroyer minesweeper," Ed Bassett recalled. "Elliott. The USS Elliott."
Denise Bassett remembers stories her father told her about his service. She said he remembers them like they were yesterday.
"He was stationed in San Francisco during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and he said they had to sleep in their uniforms, because they weren’t sure if San Francisco was going to be bombed as well," Denise Bassett said.
"Actually, being in the military, it was a big adventure," said the veteran. "Before WWII, you usually grew up, married and stayed in the same town you were before."
He said his service in the Navy was one of the biggest adventures of his life.
"It was a good experience," said Ed Bassett. "I came out all in one piece."
Decades later, he is showing people that sometimes, age really is just a number.
"He rides a motorcycle up until a few years ago," Denise Bassett said. "He took a college class in his 70s. He’s just so healthy, and he’s a walking encyclopedia."
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Bassett said he loved his motorcycle, and rode it into his 90s.
"I wasn’t a good motorcycle rider," he said. "A haphazard one."
He still walks miles around his neighborhood and lifts weights at the gym five days a week.
"I go there just to keep my muscles and everything from going to flab," he said.
Ed Bassett said he feels great and doesn’t even have any aches or pains.
After 10 decades, he still learns things from the younger generations, but he has quite a bit of wisdom to impart as well.
"Roll with the punches," he said. "Think before you speak. Try not to hold grudges. That’s a hard thing."
As for regrets, Ed Bassett can only recall one thing that’s still on his bucket list.
"I have a van, and I wanted to travel around the US very slowly," he said. "But I never got to do that, and that’s what I regret."
When asked what he wishes for as he turns 100, Ed Bassett said he has great friends and family, so he doesn’t need anything more than that.
The Navy veteran's gym is also having a party for him on Monday.