FAIRFIELD, Calif. — A retired veteran and current volunteer at Travis Air Force Base celebrated his 101 birthday Tuesday.
Eugene Petersen is a retired United States Army Sergeant Major with 59 years of service, according to the base. He volunteers at the David Grant USAF Medical Center three to five days a week for about four hours a day and has since 2010.
“He is instrumental in assisting our Health Information Management office in maintaining 124,000 medical records for our 276,000 Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs eligible beneficiaries,” said Lt. Col. Reni Angelova, 60th Medical Support Squadron commander in a press release. “He shares his knowledge, experience and life with our staff and young Airmen. We truly appreciate his contribution.”
When asked about the secret to a long life, Eugene Petersen says it’s simple: “Dr. Pepper.”
Retired U.S. Army Col. Linda Standage, and Petersen’s daughter, says he was drafted in 1941 and was a paratrooper in the Philippines. She said he also served as First Sgt. to the MAC V Surgeon General in Vietnam.
Petersen, also affectionately known as Mr. Gene, retired from the Army and worked at the United States Postal Service for 14 years.
In his free time, when not volunteering at the hospital, Petersen says he works out and goes fishing.
