OREGON, Ohio — Cliff Bennett is a man of few words. He lets his friends do the talking for him.
"He has a lot of friends here," his son, Terry, said. "He's quiet but friendly and outgoing. You can see that the people really care for him."
Bennett is among the more than 100,000 remaining men and women who fought in World War II. He was drafted into the Army at age 19 and served in Normandy and at the Battle of the Bulge until the end of the war.
Landings of Oregon is where Bennett calls home now, and on Wednesday his community celebrated his 100th birthday.
Former Ohio state Sen. Teresa Fedor attended and presented Bennett with awards from congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and the Ohio Senate.
"Cliff's legacy is all over the world," Fedor said. "We are so grateful."
Other veterans came to the party to honor Bennett for serving the United States.
He earned a Bronze Star at Battle of the Bulge, where he said it was possibly the coldest he's ever been.
"Battle of the Bulge, the Germans had control of the bridges," Bennett said. "So we had to cross the river to escape. I was in water up to my armpits on Dec. 16. It was cold."
When asked: did the 100 years go by in a flash?
"Not really," he said with a smile.
