For Bev Sparling, whose father is a World War II veteran, Veterans Day this year held a significance beyond being a special day to honor her dad's service.
Her father, Eugene Vickers, a retired Navy lieutenant, turned 100 this Veterans Day.
"I almost feel like they made it Veterans Day because it was his birthday. That was kind of the joke way back when," Sparling, Vickers' youngest of four daughters, said.
Vickers served in the Pacific Theater during World War II aboard the USS Ganymede and the USS Panamint.
"He enlisted as soon as the need came through with World War II. He took the steps to begin to enlist, went into officer's training, and left a wife and a baby," said Sparling.
Vickers spent 22 months outside of the United States and away from his family. He remembers a 36-day period where his fleet was under Kamikaze attack, day and night. He described a particularly memorable instance during the attack.
“A plane was coming in, it pulled out of its dive and went right across our ship, and we shot it down on the other side,” Vickers recalled. “Kamikaze never pull out of a dive.”
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Sparling told NBC10 that her father believes a higher power played a hand that day. “He always told us that was the hand of God, because he wanted all of us to be born. If his ship had gotten hit, it would’ve just been my oldest sister."
Vickers' wife, a 20-something mother at the time, made every effort to see her husband when she had the chance, traveling all the way from Philadelphia to California so he could see their infant daughter.
"She got bumped from the plane in Chicago and had no money," Sparling recounted, telling one of many of her mother's stories about traveling to visit her father. "Somebody put her up in a hotel and they got her back to another plane, and she made it to California. I think she got to see him for a few weeks."
When asked to describe how it felt to spend so much time away from his family, Vickers replied with just one word: "Lonesome." A devout Christian and patriot, Vickers added, "It was just something you had to do."
Vickers' extreme patriotism comes from his strong religious beliefs. "One of the most memorable things he said to me is that any time there was anything that was difficult in his work life, he would say, 'I am not working for men, I'm working for the Lord,'" said Sparling. "He had an eternal perspective on things."
A selfless, spiritual man to his family and his fellow military men, Vickers spent his time in the service looking out for others and for opportunities to spread his faith. When men on his fleet expressed the desire to hold Sunday Mass, Vickers stepped up as chaplain, despite having no proper training.
"He is the epitome of faithfulness and loyalty and trustworthiness. He was just always somebody you knew you could count on," his daughter said. "He's the one that taught me how to throw a softball, how to swing a bat, how to drive."
Vickers later helped to establish the Delaware County Christian School, a pre-K through 12 preparatory school that all of his daughters attended.
Today, Vickers lives in Delaware County, not too far from his daughter, Barbara, who visits almost every day and cooks him dinner. He has four daughters, 11 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.
NBC10 spoke with Vickers on his birthday, not long after he was honored as grand marshal at the annual Veterans Day Parade in Media.
"I didn't march, I was in a big limousine. My daughters had to walk," he laughed.
Vickers celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by family and friends. They had dinner and sang some of his favorite hymns. Even at 100 years old, Vickers is still the life of the party, his daughter said. "He has a great sense of humor. I mean, he's still doing puns," said Sparling.
"It was so nice to have everybody together," said Vickers of his birthday celebration. His large, extended family gathers every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and Vickers still leads prayers at dinner. Though his vision isn't what it used to be, his memory is crystal clear.
"He can sing the second and third verse of a lot of hymns," said Sparling, who enjoys playing her dad's favorite hymns on the piano to maintain his memory of his favorites.
When asked what advice he would give to any young people entering the service today, Vickers recited a bible verse. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path.”
