WWII Navy veteran turns 100 years old in Naples

You don’t make it to 100 years old by just sitting around.

From serving our country during World War II, to seeing a man on the moon and starting a family, Navy veteran Cyril Stanley Tuck was there making memories.

Now, as Tuck celebrates 100 years on Earth, we took a look back with him on his life.

Tuck shared a photo of himself from 75 years ago. In it, he is wearing his Navy uniform proudly, as he served the United States with pleasure during WWII.

“I’d still join the war,” Tuck said. “I figure that’s everybody’s duty to protect your country.”

Tuck calls Naples home, and that is where he celebrated his milestone Friday.

“Oh, I’m only 100 years old,” Tuck said laughing. “I was born in 1920.”

And though his hearing is nearly gone, Tuck’s mind and sense of humor are still sharp.

“If it’s another war, I got my sea bags packed and ready,” Tuck said.

Eleven months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tuck joined the Navy, excited to follow in his father’s footsteps in the military. He never imagined he’d be a part of history.

“Everybody was running around like crazy and asking, ‘What happened? What happened?’” Tuck said. “’Oh, they have bombed Pearl Harbor,’ and I said, ‘Where the hell is that?’ Because we didn’t dream of what was going to go on.”

Tuck served in the Navy for 22 years.

“I’ve been lucky, faced death a few times,” Tuck said.

And he’s watched our nation go from war, to peace, to accomplishment and everything in between.

“Who’d have ever thought that we would go to the moon?” Tuck said. “Now, they’re talking about going to mars. So things aren’t to a stop yet.”

But his biggest achievements outweigh it all.

“Proudest thing is that I married my wife, and that I’m still here,” Tuck said.

Tuck’s family told us you can’t celebrate 100 years in a day. So they expect his birthday to just be the start of the birthday party.

And Tuck’s secret to living a long life seems to be simple.

“I think just live everything, and do everything in moderation,” Tuck said. “What you eat, what you drink.”