A few tips for living long from a 95-year old WWII vet

I was honored to interviewing a 95-year old veteran of World War II this evening.  I tagged along with him and his ¨boy¨, who is 68, as they walked to the barn to feed and water their cattle.

“If I’ve made these steps once, I’ve made them ten-thousand times down through the years,” said Mr. Cox, who was born on the same farm where he lives today. “I sleep about a hundred feet from where I was born.”  

The only significant time he spent away home was the years he was away in service to the Army. 

He was drafted when he was 24 and eventually served in the Philippine Islands as a combat medi-vac.  His duty was to retrieve the wounded and dead. 

Mr. Cox talked openly about his experiences.  “Some people don´t want to talk about it,” he said.  ´I don´t know why.  We just went over there and did what we had to do.”

His prescription for living a long life: “Work hard, and eat all you can get a hold of,” he chuckles.  Mr. Cox slight figure doesn’t appear to be carrying a spare ounce.

He says it´s important to keep moving, adding, “You´ll die out if you don´t.”

He smoked for a little while, but says he’s proud he was able to quit.  “I never could chew,” he said. “It always made me sick.”

Breakfast is his main meal of the day, usually a biscuit, sausage and eggs, with “a little strawberry preserves.” He snacks throughout the day, and his favorite treat is a Reese´s cup and a pop before bedtime. 

His sugar sometimes runs a bit high, but he takes a sugar pill and a high blood pressure pill and goes for a check-up once every three months.   

He says the doctor tells him to keep on doing whatever it is he’s been doing.