Brooklyn Center WWII Vet Turns 102 Years Old, Receives Special Honor

A Brooklyn Center veteran was given a special honor by the Minnesota National Guard on Monday.

Don Halverson, a World War II veteran, was awarded the Order of St. George Bronze Medallion.

This came as a surprise to Halverson, who was celebrating his 102nd birthday.

“It’s the first time I’ve been this old — somebody says ‘how do you feel?’ It’s the first time I’ve been this old — I don’t know how you’re supposed to feel,” Halverson told CCX News. “As long as I get out of bed and breathe in the morning it’s a good day.”

Havlerson joined the Armu in 1943. He served with the 34th Infantry “Red Bull” Division, leading a platoon of soldiers from Naples, Italy to the Swiss border.

World War II veteran and Brooklyn Center resident Don Halverson turned 102 years old on Monday. The Minnesota National Guard marked the occasion by surprising him with the Order of St. George Bronze Medal.

He watched as the German 34th Infantry surrendered on May 1, 1945.

The end of the war marked the best day of Halverson’s life.

“The captain hollered out the war was over,” he said. “It still hadn’t hit me.”

He credits his long life to his wife.

“Overseas you smoked everything, you got your cigarettes and you drank everything,” he said. “When I got home I met a gal that didn’t smoke and I quit smoking in 46′. Have a little whiskey-water at the VFW as preservative.”

Halverson has lived in Brooklyn Center since 1959.

Last year, the city celebrated his birthday with a firetruck and police vehicle procession. 

Brooklyn Center