101-Year-Old WWII Veteran Marks Her Birthday by Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

World War II veteran Ruby Beshara marked her grand 101st birthday by getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The centenarian was thrilled to receive the vaccine as she had been isolated from her sons.

Centenarian Ruby Beshara has a lot to be grateful for, but as she recently turned 101, she had a lot more to be thankful for. The World War II veteran marked a noteworthy milestone during her birthday celebration on January 14.

Beshara received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Vitalia Active Adult Community-Rockside in Seven Hills, Ohio, where she currently isolates. The celebrant looked gorgeous wearing a "101 & Fabulous" sash.

Rocking a cute black sweater, Beshara stood in front of her massive cake with the words, "Happy 101st birthday Ruby," and a bouquet of love-shaped balloons with 101 engraved on them. There was a vase of flowers on the table and another small cake.

The beautiful birthday girl finished off her look with a cute tiara embellished with her age. Beshara, a former staff sergeant, encouraged people in a press statement to keep safe and take the vaccine.

She also revealed that the most important message for the season is friendship, explaining that the quarantine showed the utmost importance of having connections. According to reports, Beshara is set to receive her second dose come February.

In a similar vein, North Carolina's Virginia Dixon got the vaccine a day after she rang in her 101st birthday, making her one of the first people get her dose in the city. The veteran served as a nurse during World War II.

After serving her country, Dixon got married and welcomed two children. She raised them and afterward went to work as a nurse at a rehabilitation center in Black Mountain. She has lived at the North Carolina State Veterans Home for 2 years.

Unfortunately, Tuskegee Airman Theodore Lumpkin jr couldn't make it to his 101st birthday like Dixon and Beshara. The retired military pilot man tragically passed away from COVID-19 complications four days before his birthday.

Lumpkin was drafted into the army at just 21 years old. He was part of the famed African-American military pilots called the Tuskegee Airmen. They were famous for breaking the stereotype, proving that blacks could fly combat aircraft.

He was survived by his wife Georgia and their three children, two sons and a daughter. In September, Lawrence Brooks broke the record when he celebrated his 111th birthday outside the National WWII Museum.

Brooks' milestone made him the oldest World War II Veteran alive. The celebrant served in the 91st Engineer Battalion during World War II. When asked his secret to longevity, Brooks said he served God and was kind to everyone.