100-year-old veteran in Sacramento celebrates Army's 248th birthday
SACRAMENTO — Wednesday marked a birthday celebration for the oldest and largest military organization, and devoted service members around the country are marking the special day.
It's a call to duty that's lasted a century for one Sacramentan.
Lance Izumi, the civilian aide to the secretary of the Army, was alongside 100-year-old Joe Ortiz, who was an anti-aircraft gunner during WW2, in the Pacific Theatre. Ortiz had wanted to be in the U.S. Army since he saw the men in uniform marching during a parade as a boy.
"I say that's where I caught the bug," he told CBS Sacramento. "The Army guy said to my mother in Spanish, 'Don't worry, I'll take care of him.' "
The Army did take care of him. Ortiz was drafted and soon found himself in the Philippines. He learned quickly
"If you panic, you die," he said.
Ortiz's experiences there were life-changing. When he returned, he took those lessons and used them to make a living working at an Air Force base for decades — eventually serving in the National Guard.
"It's a real great chance for a lot of kids to be able to learn those skills that are going to make them a success," Isumi said.
Izumi says Ortiz's story is an American tale of military service and mastering a skill.
"My own nephew, he was bouncing around from job to job. [He] enlisted in the Army and became an intelligence analyst for the Army," Izumi said. "He was able to get his education through the Army and because of that, he ended up becoming a deputy sheriff after that."
There are 150 different career fields in the Army. It's setting goals and attaining foundational skills that start a career. Izumi said after years of struggle, recruitment is up.
"I think you're seeing more people — young people, especially — looking at the Army," Izumi said.
Ortiz remembers what the Army did for him. At 100, he is still spry and even has a girlfriend. He said he takes time to stop and smell the roses with gratitude because after what some veterans experienced in combat overseas, "the journey home takes a lifetime."
