ORLANDO, Fla. – A World War II veteran wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down as he participated in the Veteran Affair’s National Golden Age Games.
“I started walking, I just told myself I’m going to do this and that’s all there is to it,” Max Maxfield said.
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Maxfield joined nearly 500 veterans 55 and older participating in the National Veterans Golden Age Games.
He was one of the last to finish, but he wasn’t alone as people came back to walk with him to the finish line.
“Well it was a big thing for me because I happen to be one of the oldest ones over there,” Maxfield said.
During WWII, Maxfield worked as a machinist for the Navy and later on for the Air Force.
He said at first his mother didn’t want him to enlist, but he heard the call to serve so he followed.
“I was trying to do something I wanted to do, not something someone else wanted me to do and it worked,” Maxfield said.
Some memories have slightly faded but images from his time in service like when he left from Pearl Harbor to overseas in Australia remain with him.
“We had to wait for about two weeks I think, then we went over there, and I saw all the damage, I couldn’t get over it, there was all this stuff over place,” Maxfield said.
As he reflects, Maxfield said he’s grateful for the support.
The Golden Age Games will continue until the end of the month, that’s when we can expect to hear if Maxfield qualified for any awards.