93 y.o. man hosts gatherings for veterans at assisted living home

The veteran now lives at Oakmont of Carmichael, an assisted living facility; but eight decades ago, he was blazing trails.

“As a veteran, I was an underaged veteran,” he told KCRA 3. “You know what that means? You’re not legal.”

At the age of 15, when he was a sophomore in high school. He lied about his age and joined the Oregon state guard to escape a tough home life.

“During World War II, they would take young men that were not of legal age to go into the service,” he said. “They didn’t require you to have a high school diploma.”

His father also helped by changing the birth date on his birth certificate.

“Bill” served 10 years in active and inactive duty with the Navy through two wars. He says he never went overseas to fight in those wars, but his father and uncles did during World War I.

When he and his wife moved to Oakmont of Carmichael in 2013, he came up with the idea of getting the facility’s resident veterans together for a monthly meeting.

“It was basically dead,” Davies said. “A lot of people didn’t want to talk or can’t talk, so I said, ‘Let’s have a luncheon.'”

Over the years, the luncheons have taken off at the assisted living thanks to good friends, good food, and good conversations. “Bill” said he has 16 regulars, including three female Navy veterans and a two-star general. He calls it a “chore of love.”

“I think there’s a warmness that goes around all of us, being veterans,” he told KCRA 3. “Mainly unspoken warmness, really. I feel it. It’s a brotherhood.”

Watch the full video – This link opens in a new browser tab. on KCRA 3 website.