Bob Teichgraeber enlisted in the Army Air Corps to serve his country during World War II and was assigned to the 445th Bomb Group as a gunner in a B-24. During a mission to bomb a German war factory in February 1944, Teichgraeber and his crew were shot down. He and five others were rounded up by the waiting Germans and sent to a prisoner camp in modern-day Lithuania, where he remained for nearly a year and a half.

He and a buddy managed to escape their captures after a head count, and they were rescued by British soldiers the next day. Malnourished and ill, it took time, but they both made a full recovery.

Teichgraeber turned 100 years old back in August. The secret to such a long life is simple, he says: “Just don’t die.” We’d like to wish him a hearty happy birthday!

For more of his fascinating story, visit We Are the Mighty.