Phyllis Ockerman wears an Apple Watch, knows how to use her iPhone and lives on her own — an impressive feat, as she’s 103 years old.
The centenarian’s adaptability and lifetime achievements make her granddaughter, Melanie Sanders, quite proud. Notably, Ockerman also served as a nurse in the United States Navy during World War II.
“I had stateside duty in the hospitals, so we took care of the Navy and Marine personnel from the South Pacific,” the centenarian said Thursday. She recounted some of her memories as the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs hosted a celebration to honor 25 veteran centenarians at the Utah Capitol on Thursday.
Ockerman worked alongside two other nurses from her hometown in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and was stationed in the Great Lakes, where injured Navy and Marine personnel from the South Pacific would be transported. She described how, at just 21 years old, she witnessed many “devastating things” during that time.
“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.