Air Force Veteran Celebrates 99th Birthday
Staff from the OKC VA Health Care System Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) and the community of Cole, Oklahoma helped celebrate the 99th birthday of Air Force Veteran, Philip Read.
“This is the biggest birthday party, I’ve ever had,” Philip Read said. “It’s nice, I wasn’t expecting it.”
Mr. Read has lived in Cole, Oklahoma his entire life. He was born in the house he currently lives in and continues to mow the lawn and do upkeep himself. He served in the Army Airforce from 1944-1946 before the United States Air Force was created. He was stationed in Naples, Italy during World War Two and was on his way to Okinawa, Japan when the ship he was on received stacks and stacks of flyers informing them the Japanese had surrendered.
Upon returning to Cole he became active in the community to include purchasing the first fire truck for the town for fifteen dollars. He served as the town’s fire chief and was a fire fighter also.
“After this party I gotta go home and rest,” Mr. Read said. “Someone’s coming to fix my lawnmower so I can finish mowing my yard before it gets hot.”
“We are so pleased so many people came out,” Michelle Temple, OKC VA HBPC Registered Nurse and Care Manager said. “He is absolutely not shy about sharing history and very proud of his service.”
Michelle and the Home Based Primary Care program visit Veteran patients in their homes to conduct labs and exams to keep Veterans at home and out of the hospital.
“He is a super healthy and wonderful man,” Temple said. “He is so independent and a real go getter.”
“This is the most awesome thing to honor one of our Veterans,” Moon Khorsandnia, Cornerstone Home Health Nurse, said. “He talked about it all month. He wasn’t sure what it was going to be but this is perfect.”
Mr. Read and his family had a long history of community service in Cole. His family ran the store and provided food and goods to the community during the depression when people were unable to afford it. His grandfather served in the Civil War and survived being shot eleven times and his great-great-grandfather fought during the Revolutionary war, according to his cousin, Ronnie Mason Sr.
“This was a great way to show appreciation for him,” Ronnie Mason Sr. said. “I’ve been told by some of the people in this room that his family fed and helped so many people in this community during the depression they wouldn’t have made it.”
When asked about the secret to a healthy and long life:
“Secret to a long life, I don’t know I guess maybe just behaving yourself,” Mr. Read said. “My nurses have been really great too.”