Ветеран ВМФ и пилот отпраздновал 100-летие в Вермонте, продолжая мечтать о новых приключениях

BRATTLEBORO — Walter Schwarz has spent a century learning how to “sally forth.” On Tuesday, Aug. 25, Schwarz, wearing a crown, celebrated his 100th birthday at Bradley House, surrounded by family, friends and caregivers who gathered to mark a milestone that few people reach. Asked how it felt to turn 100, Schwarz offered a characteristically understated response. “Very good,” he said. “But I’m not so different from 99.” His family, however, sees the occasion as something much bigger than another birthday. “He has made it to his 100th birthday,” said Megan Hawthorne, Schwarz’s youngest daughter, during a birthday gathering on the porch at Bradley House. “We are the lucky ones.” Schwarz’s century has included military service, combat missions over Korea, a career as an airline pilot, travel around the world, sailing, family adventures, and a lifelong appreciation for the natural world. He remembers listening to the radio when he was young and hearing about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. “I can remember hearing on the radio about Pearl Harbor,” he said. He entered the military during World War II but was only in the service for a short time before the war ended. His military career was not over, however. After the war, Schwarz took advantage of the GI Bill and enrolled in a flight course through New York University. He already knew he wanted to fly. “I heard NYU was giving a flight course, so I signed up,” he said. The government paid for the training, sending him to Teterboro, N.J. Schwarz lived nearby in Tenafly. “I told them, ‘Now listen, guys, I don’t have enough money to buy this myself,’” he recalled. “They said, ‘It’s all on the government. It won’t cost you a cent.’” That training eventually led him back into military service, this time as an aviation cadet. During the Korean War, Schwarz flew as a copilot aboard a B-29 Superfortress. At 23, he flew his first combat mission. “And there, I came under fire for the first time,” he said. “My airplane was hit.” Schwarz remembers being frightened. “I was sure I was going to die and it was going to hurt,” he said. He flew five combat missions in all. Although the experience was dangerous, Schwarz said the B-29 itself was an impressive aircraft. “Life inside the aircraft was very good,” he said, noting that it was the first pressurized airplane ever made. After his military service, Schwarz went on to become an airline pilot with United Airlines. His career gave him another opportunity to see the world, and along the way he met his wife, Janet. “She wasn’t a stewardess,” Schwarz said with a laugh. But being an airline pilot meant the couple could travel affordably. “We went together all over the world,” he said. “Because as a pilot, I could buy a very economical ticket. So I did that. And Janet and I went all over.” Schwarz eventually settled in Vermont in 1972. Over the years, he continued to embrace adventure. He sailed, traveled and developed a deep appreciation for wildlife and the environment. Hawthorne said her father’s approach to life can be summed up by the name of one of his first sailboats: Sally Forth. She described the phrase as an apt reflection of her father’s character — leaving a safe harbor and heading into a new adventure with energy, confidence and courage. “Walter has sallied forth his entire life,” Hawthorne said. “You always and still are always up for an adventure.” Even at 100, she said, her father still talks about future adventures, including a possible family trip to the Galapagos Islands. Growing up, Hawthorne said, her father made sure his daughters experienced as much of the world as possible. They visited zoos, museums, amusement parks, stores, performances, parades and countless other destinations around New York City. “He was always the life of the party,” she said. Schwarz also passed along lessons that his daughter still carries with her. One of the simplest was one of the most useful: “You must first always read the instructions.” He taught his daughters to drive, telling them they needed to “become one with the machine.” He taught them to ask questions and to enjoy life while maintaining a sense of responsibility. Hawthorne remembers seeing her father preparing for his flying examinations, surrounded by manuals and reviewing protocols. “He never neglected any of his duties,” she said. He also had a lifelong love of wildlife. Hawthorne said the family home was filled with animals, including cats, snakes, chameleons, lizards, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs and a squirrel named Freddy. Schwarz has been a lifelong member of the Herpetological Society and remains passionate about protecting the environment. Hawthorne said he continues to advocate for environmental improvements, including solar panels at Bradley House. Last year, Schwarz was presented with a Quilt of Valor at Bradley House in recognition of his military service. When asked about the secret to living to 100, Schwarz doesn't offer a complicated formula. “Lots of exercise,” he said. He took up jogging after reading about it in a magazine and eventually ran for 17 years. He also said he watched his weight and ate carefully. And he stopped smoking after his grandmother caught him and his cousin smoking as children. “She sat us down and made us both light up,” Schwarz recalled. The lesson worked. “I never smoked,” he said. For Schwarz, turning 100 isn't necessarily about looking backward. His family sees it as another milestone in a life defined by curiosity, responsibility, humor and a willingness to venture into something new. “I’m so grateful you’re my dad,” Hawthorne told him during last Tuesday's celebration. “Every day continues to be a wonderful adventure with you.” She ended her remarks by turning Schwarz’s own description of his longevity back on him. He often tells people he was simply lucky. But, Hawthorne said, the luck belongs to everyone who has had him in their lives. “You say that you were lucky, but definitely I am the lucky one, and we are the lucky ones to have you in our lives,” she said. Then she raised a toast to her father. “Here’s to you, and 100 years of life well lived.”