WWII Veteran Celebrating 100th Birthday At LI's American Airpower Museum: How To Attend

FARMINGDALE, NY — A World War II veteran is turning 100 years old Tuesday.

A free public party for Eli Levine is scheduled for Wednesday at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, the museum announced. The party is slated for 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The public is welcome to meet and greet the centenarian and help celebrate his milestone birthday. The museum is at 1230 New Highway.

"Believe me, I never thought that I would ever live to be 100 years old," Levine said via news release. "But I’m glad to be alive and celebrating this special day with my family at the museum."

Levine lives at The Greens, an over-55 condo community in Melville. Fellow Greens Men’s Club members Irwin Tarlow and Steve Swerski selected the museum as the venue to honor Levine.

"They couldn’t think of a better place than the Farmingdale aviation museum, because it’s the only one on Long Island with a squadron of operational WWII aircraft!" the museum stated.

Levine will celebrate with family members and condo neighbors, surrounded by WWII
airplanes like the museum’s B-25 Mitchell bomber, C-47B Skytrain, Grumman TBM Avenger, P-
51D Mustang and Curtiss P-40 Warhawk "Flying Tiger."

Levine was born Jan. 31, 1923, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He went to Boys High School and attended the City College of New York. After graduation, Levine began work as an optician before he was drafted into the U.S. Army at 20 years old in 1943.

He was sent to basic training in Camp Upton in New Jersey. After basic training, he was sent to Camp McCain in Mississippi. He was shipped off to England in 1943 and then to France, Belgium and Holland, and finally to Fürth, Germany.

Thanks to his optician expertise, he ran a small group repairing eyeglasses for front line servicemen. He stayed in Germany until after the war in 1945 and was discharged in January 1946 as a technical sergeant.

Levine returned to the U.S. and married in 1948. He and his wife had two girls and a boy. They had two grandchildren and three great grandchildren. He raised his family and enjoyed a successful career as an optician for many decades, according to the museum.

Levine, now a widower, said he is looking forward to celebrating his 100th birthday with family members and friends.