Georgetown native Dalton Paschal celebrated 100 years of living Thursday afternoon at Arbor Landing assisted living home in Pawleys Island.
Mr. Paschal says he owes his long life to the Lord and to his sweetheart.
A purple heart, a bronze star, and the combat infantryman’s badge are three things Paschal earned during his time in the army. He’s seen it all in a century.
“I fought through World War II in France, was wounded in Saarbrücken and served a couple of months over there in the hospital,” he said.
Paschal turned 100 Thursday afternoon in Georgetown, where he spent 30 years working for Coca-Cola and 12 for the Department of Education.
He was born in North Carolina, and came to Georgetown in the 1930s.
“I came down here when they were building the ice plant in Georgetown,” said Paschal. “I came down here from North Carolina after I finished school with a buddy of mine and we came and helped build the plant.”
And, his favorite decade?
“Well, I married in ’40, and that’s when I first met my sweetheart,” he said.
“He was talking about my mother, and she took care of him for 77 years and I’m sure that [is] a good part of him being 100,” said Carolyn Saunders, Paschal’s daughter.
Paschal was wounded in Saarbrücken, Germany when a mortar shell hit his leg and stomach in the Army before he came back to the United States.
He says his secret to living a long and healthy life is praising the good Lord.
