VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A World War II veteran from Virginia Beach turned one hundred years old on Wednesday.
A few friends of Bob Manges organized a drive-by parade in front of his Lynnhaven Colony home as he watched from his garage.
When asked what it's like to hit the century mark, Manges was at a loss for words.
"I don't know," he said. "7:15 this morning, I turned a hundred. So, believe it or not, I thank the good Lord I'm here and in as good a shape as I am."
Manges joined the Coast Guard at 17 years old and rose to the rank of chief commissary steward.
Aboard the USS Wakefield, he made 34 trips back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, one time dropping off troops at Omaha Beach for the D-Day invasion. Somehow, he never encountered a German U-boat.
"Well, it's a miracle," he said. "I like to say, the good Lord is looking out for us."
His good friends made sure this hero wasn't forgotten on his special day, presenting him with a cake and singing "Happy Birthday."
"I'm proud that people are recognizing what I've done over a lifetime," he said.
In that extraordinary life, Manges worked in a tailor shop, a butcher shop, a roller rink and ran the snack bar at the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier.
After the Coast Guard, he served 33 years as the City of Virginia Beach's electrical inspector, retiring in 2009 at age 87.