WWII veteran celebrates 102nd birthday milestone in Oklahoma City

An Oklahoma native kicked off a recent weekend with a very special birthday.

In a heartwarming celebration on July 25 at Saint Ann Retirement Center in Oklahoma City, World War II veteran Norman Smith was honored for his 102nd birthday.

Patriotic pride filled the halls of the facility as staff, family, friends and fellow residents gathered to celebrate Smith's extraordinary life milestone.

Born in 1923, the United States military drafted Smith in his early 20s, leading him to serve in the Army Air Forces for about two and a half years.

“He was stationed in San Diego for a while, stationed in Tucson, Arizona,” Smith’s eldest son, Robert Smith, told The Oklahoman. “South Dakota, North Dakota; Lincoln, Nebraska; Greensboro, [North Carolina]; Dyersburg, Tennessee. He saw the world.”

“He was fully trained on the B-25 bombers and navigators waiting for the orders to go to Germany when they surrendered; Germany surrendered,” Robert Smith said.

In discussing life after service, Norman Smith said he experienced “some hardships along the way,” but ultimately went on to raise three children alongside his late wife, with whom he shared 63 years.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Friends, family gather to celebrate Norman Smith turning 102 years old