HOWARD, S.D. (KELO) — Tony Reidell of Howard is 102 years old… and not far from 103.
“Definitely didn’t expect to be here this long,” Reidell said.
Nevertheless, he is. The World War II and Korean War veteran sings the praises of the local American Legion.
“They come and get me and take me over to some dinners, and yeah, they give me a good night out,” Reidell said.
Not far away in Mitchell is 98-year-old Bill Thompson, who never saw these years coming.
“I never thought I would live to be 30 years old,” Thompson said. “When one of them airplanes starts shooting at you, you know, I never thought I’d live to be 30 years old. I actually didn’t.”
Thompson served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars in addition to World War II. His vision isn’t what it once was, but he’s still reading.
“They send me these cassettes with books on them, and I put them in and listen to them,” Thompson said. “I read a book a day.”
He appreciates the life he’s still busy living.
“I didn’t come here to sit in a soft chair down there and wait to die,” Thompson said. “I come here to finish out my life, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Citing data from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jeremiah Schneider tells KELOLAND News there are about 95 World War II veterans living in the state. Like Thompson, Doug Starr of Sioux Falls served in the Pacific theater in World War II, when islands captured by the Japanese were his mission.
“We had to go up there and get it back,” Starr said. “So, we’d go up, we’d shoot up the beach and then back off, and then the Army would be put ashore, and they would recapture the island.”
Memories of picking up prisoners of war in 1945 are vivid in 2025 for Starr.
“We brought them aboard, and they had said that they didn’t want a bunk to sleep in,” Starr said. “They wanted to talk to us … What would they talk about in the POW camp? There was no subject to talk about ’cause they didn’t know what was going on.”
Almost 80 years later in 2025, the 99-year-old Navy veteran recalls from a kitchen table how the POWs were eager to chat.
“They wanted to know who won the World Series in baseball, and we didn’t know,” Starr said. “We didn’t even know who was playing.”
The POWs had a request for breakfast: pancakes. It was a team effort.
“We had to lead them, and of course, one sailor, one POW, carrying the tray and hanging on to him, to keep him from falling, and going through the chow line,” Starr said. “Okay, how many pancakes? They never took less than four or five.”
Mind and body, however, weren’t on the same page.
“One bite, and they were through,” Starr said. “They had that pot belly. You could see their ribs. Looked like a walking skeleton.”
Starr would later cross paths in California with someone who had spent time as a POW who was still feeling the impact of imprisonment.
“He was walking around, doing real well,” Starr said. “And I asked him how he was doing. ‘Oh, man, good.’ And I said, ‘You eating three meals a day?’ And he [said], ‘No.’ ‘Still?’ I said, ‘What’s the matter?’ He says, ‘I eat five meals a day.’ Five small meals … The stomach wasn’t ready.”
Vivid, too, are memories of survival for Reidell.
“We’re going across these fields, and I heard this pop,” Reidell said. “Well, the guys with me hit the ground right away.”
He received a Purple Heart for his service in those harrowing moments.
“I hit the ground, but the mortar shell landed close and got some, I got shrapnel this side,” Reidell said. “They took a little piece of it out of my head. That’s why I’m so goofy now.”
Today, the 99-year-old Starr spends time visiting seniors in retirement homes.
“Four or five American Legion veterans in there, and we tell them what we did in the military,” Starr said.
Starr also served in the Korean War.
“Last week, we went to three places, and then next week, we’re going, I have two on my schedule, and they may call in another one,” Starr said.
Starr, Reidell and Thompson may have three centuries of life among them, but they’re not done.
“Life is so short and so precious. You should live every moment you possibly can and make it enjoyable to you,” Thompson said. “Make life enjoyable to you.”
Reidell will turn 103 in October, Starr will turn 100 in November and Thompson will turn 99 in April of 2026.
