TOLEDO, Ohio — This weekend a World War II navy veteran from the Toledo area is celebrating his 95th birthday.
John Kleparek Jr. was born on August 3, 1926. On Saturday he was greeted with a surprise party for his 95th birthday - ringing in the day with family and friends at his son's home in Maumee.
"This is a total surprise, really and truly. I had no idea,” said John.
You wouldn't know it from his easy-going attitude and sense of humor, but the man has been involved in some of the most turbulent moments of the 20th century.
His brushes with history started young.
Some of Kleparek's earliest memories are from the Great Depression, waiting in line for food and supplies with his father.
"I'll never forget a time I needed shoes and the guy threw a pair at me. And they were ladies' shoes. So I took 'em. What the hell,” said John.
After graduating from Woodward High School with an interest in electrical work, Kleparek was drafted by the Navy and served in the Pacific running cables with the 96th Seabee's Battalion.
"Got communication lines strung up going through the coconut trees. That's what I was doing in Manilla,” said John, laughing. “And there was a pretty good war going on down there.”
Kleparek saw combat in the Philippines; in Manilla, Leyte, and Samar.
In August of 1945, he was one of the many thousands of American forces prepared to invade mainland Japan in order to end the war.
But Kleparek and his fellow Seabees never touched Japanese soil. Instead, they became witnesses to one of the most catastrophic events in human history.
"That's when they decided to use the atomic bombs. We were in the harbor and they told us to go down below decks,” said John. “And the flash of light could be seen from Japan all the way to where we were at."
Kleperek's brush with the atomic bomb was his last taste of the war.
He returned home, ending up in furniture sales at the old Lion Store in Toledo - and soon started a family.
"We all learned a lot from him. He's been a good dad and I can't say much more. I'm glad he's my dad,” said John’s son, Kevin Kleparek.
Now comfortably living in retirement, the elder Kleparek's days of living through the pages of history are long behind him.
When asked what's the secret to his long life, John says it's simple.
"There's no secret. I drink a lot of bourbon, a tremendous amount of beer, and I eat what I want. When I go to the doctor he says I'm healthier than he is," said John.
In the sunset years of a life well-lived, Kleparek says he's just happy to celebrate another birthday with the people he loves most.
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