Muskogee VA honors centenarian Veteran

Army Air Corps Veteran Frederick Behn, 100, enjoyed his centenarian birthday party and said he hadn’t had one like it in a long time.

Imagine all the memories and life experiences you would have if you lived to be 100. Think of all the lives you would have touched, the lessons learned and the successes along the way.

The Center for Development and Civic Engagment (CDCE) at Eastern Oklahoma VA believes 100 years is a milestone worth celebrating, and it is on a mission to recognize as many of our centenarians as it can.

The CDCE centenarian celebration project is a special initiative honoring Veterans turning 100. It was inspired by another project which began in 2020 with the VA Secretary recognizing cententarians with a personalized birthday letter.

That project is still going strong and has been made a part of the celebrations in Eastern Oklahoma with each Veteran celebrated receiving the letter along with a birthday party surrounded by the guest of honor’s family and VA health care teams.  

Party was a great morale booster

The service has already celebrated many Veterans and it is looking forward to recognizing many more.

“The feedback from Veterans has been so touching,” said Candice Jordan, CDCE chief. “One Veteran wrote us a letter of gratitude stating how her party was a great morale booster and told us how much she enjoyed all the staff, hugs and of course the cake. This is a small program but it’s making such a big impact and helping us in our mission to create a culture of kindness, inspiration, gratitude and positive messages throughout our health care system.”

Behn appreciated sharing his birthday with others. Staff listened closely as he shared his experience during World War II when he served four years in the Army Air Corps.

Amazing people with extraordinary life stories

He also talked about how much he now enjoys the country life, adding that some of his hobbies include hunting and fishing with his sons and spending time with his family. VA staff and Veterans were excited to join in the fun and thanked Behn for his service and congratulated him on reaching such a special milestone.

The CDCE team says it is excited for the positive feedback and is just getting started. “Mr. Behn is just one of the amazing people with extraordinary life stories who we have the privilege to serve at VA,” said Tana Wilson, CDCE specialist. “We owe so much to our Veterans and this is just another way we can give back and show our appreciation.”