MIAMI, Okla. — A northeast Oklahoma World War II veteran celebrated a century of life on Tuesday. The milestone for Glen Pitts was also topped off with a special proclamation.
“I Do hereby declare Tuesday, October 7th, 2025 as Glen Pitts Day within the City of Miami,” said Miami Mayor, Bless Parker.
It’s a gift only a mayor can give.
On Glen Pitts’ 100th birthday, Miami Mayor, Bless Parker officially declared it “Glen Pitts Day.”
“People have been awful good to me. I guess they appreciated me, but I appreciated them,” said 100-year-old World War II Navy veteran, Glen Pitts.
The proclamation marked the end of an eventful 100th birthday for the Navy veteran.
During World War II, Pitts served in the Pacific theater, on the U.S.S Makin Island — as an ‘amphib’ — which is now known as the navy seals. His mission during the war was to protect convoys and clear beaches.
“We was an amphibious ship. We went in before the troops landed and cleaned out the harbor and soften up the beaches,” said Pitts.
Reporter: “You probably saved a lot of people’s lives by doing that.”
“Well, yeah, I guess so, after all we was in a war, we were fighting together. We was trying to take care of them guys and they were trying to take care of us,” said Pitts.
Pitts served in the war for three years. Just days before the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, he was finally given orders to head home.
“We could see Japan, and they said, ‘we’re going to drop a bomb that’s going to blow the whole end of that island off.’ So, we turned around and gave her all the steam we could give her, and we run as fast as that little carrier would go,” said Pitts.
In the 80 years since the war, Pitts kept something with him, and on his 100th birthday, he decided it was the day to donate it to a local military museum that he founded years ago.
“I donated an old knife that I found on Iwo Jima,” said Pitts.
For a man who’s lived a century, his energy is constant.
“We’re always on an adventure. At 100 years old, he wears me out, he’s always doing something or wants something,” said Pitts’ caretaker, Hope Carvalho.
And, if you ask him what his secret is to living a long life…
“I stayed away from the women. I kid them all the time, but they don’t believe me.”
Pitts says his 100th birthday was one to top them all.
“It was a great day for me. It really was,” said Pitts.