BEAUMONT, Texas — It's a celebration a century in the making.
On Tuesday, three Southeast Texas veterans celebrated their birthdays all together at a party organized by the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic Beaumont and a Beaumont social worker.
Sam Daleo was an Army staff sergeant who fought in World War II. He just turned 100 years old, but says this birthday feels the same as the last 99.
He plans to continue living a "clean life."
"Religion, you go to church, you respect everybody. Try to be nice to everybody, I've always made lots of friends and I have a lot of wonderful friends that I'm proud of," Daleo said.
Daleo himself was shocked to meet other centenarians at the party Tuesday.
"Guess it's so rare I can imagine. I don't seem, the other two guys I saw today, they were 100, the first two I've met so far," he said.
Each veteran was honored with two certificates of congressional recognition from both Congressman Brian Babin and Congressman Randy Weber.
Ivory Joubert had four generations of love supporting him on Tuesday to celebrate him turning 100.
After Joubert injured his back in World War II, his mom took him to get help.
"She took him to a doctor in Ville Platte and whatever they did his mother told him, he would live to be 100," said Joubert's relative, Beverly Lee.
And the eldest veteran at the party, Louis Scott, was born in 1921.
"I'm 102 years old and i'm looking to live to be 5 more years old. You know what the bible says, honor your mother and father, your days will be lengthen on the land the Lord giveth they," Scott said.
102-year-old Scott cooked in the Army as a mess sergeant.
His secret to living a long live includes various things.
"Don't fool with dope, don't smoke cigarettes, now I had a cigar but i never would light it. I'd spit it out. I'd go in the hospital lady said you? Lady, this ain't never been lit, I don't light cigars," Scott said.
Scott also suggest only drinking top shelf liquor.
"I did a little drinking, but I always buy the top drink you know. I'd come in from work, take a couple, go to bed. Never been in trouble all my life. Always been a free man," he said"
Only 5,842 World War II veterans are left in Texas as of 2023, according to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.