NEW YORK CITY WINE AND FOOD
FESTIVAL.
ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU.
WHAT ARE WE MAKING THIS MORNING? >> YOURE WE MAKING THIS MORNING?
>> YOUR
>>> SETTLE FOR MORE IS A
GUIDELING PRINCIPAL BY WHICH
IVE MADE MY LIFE.
DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT, THE ONE THAT
WILL BRING YOU JOY.
AS FOR HOW TO LIVE A HAPPY AND
LONG LIFE?
WELL WE WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO LIEUTENANT JIM DOWNING.E
YOU TO LIEUTENANT JIM DOWNING. HES A VETERAN OF PEARL HARBOR,
HES 104 YEARS OLD.
AND HE SETTLED FOR MORE EVERY
STEP OF THE WAY.
>>> HELLO, SIR. >> IM SO DELIGHTED TODAY MEET
YOU.
YOU.
>> AT 104 JIM DOWNINGS WIT IS AS SHARP AS HIS DRESS CODE.IS
AS SHARP AS HIS DRESS CODE. YOU HAVE YOUR NAVY WHITES ON,
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
>> THERE ARE 23 MILLION OF US
LIVING AND DONT GET MUCH
RECOGNITION.
RECOGNITION.
ANYTHING I CAN DO TO ATTRACT
ATTENTION TO THE VETERANS, I
WANT TO DO IT.
>> ONE OF THE LAST LIVING
VETERANS OF THE PEARL HARBOR
ATTACK, JIM SAYS HIS NAVY CAREER
BEGAN WITH HUMBLE GOALS.
WHAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF YOUR
TIME IN THE NAVY LIKE?
>> I WANTED TO TRAVEL, SEE THE WORLD.ANTED TO TRAVEL, SEE THE
WORLD.
ALSO LIKE MANY OTHERS, THE MAIN DRIVE WAS ECONOMIC.RS, THE MAIN
DRIVE WAS ECONOMIC. >> NINE YEARS INTO HIS SERVICE,
JIM, STATIONED IN HAWAII WHERE
HE MET HIS WIFE, WAS NEARLY
KILLED AS AMERICA SAW HERSELF DRAGGED INTO WAR. SAW HERSELF
DRAGGED INTO WAR. >> WE ONLY KNEW WE WERE UNDER
ATTACK BY THE JAPANESE.
WE SAW THEIR AIRPLANES DROPPING
THEIR BOMBS AND TORPEDOS.
EVERYBODY INSTINCTUALLY AND
IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT REGARD TO
THEIR OWN SAFETY DID THE RIGHT
THING.
THING.
THEY SAW WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE AND JUMPED IN AND DID IT.E DONE
AND JUMPED IN AND DID IT. >> WHAT ROLE DID GOD PLAY FOR
YOU THAT FATEFUL DAY? >> I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE
BLOWN UP.
BLOWN UP. AND MY CONVERSATION WITH GOD IS,
ILL BE WITH YOU IN A MINUTE.
BUT A MINUTE WENT BY FOR ABOUT
30 MINUTES AND I WASNT TAKEN.
BUT I EXPERIENCED THE GREATEST
PEACE IVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.
KNOWING THAT GOD WAS IN CHARGE.
>> JIM MINISTERED FELLOW
SOLDIERS WHILE IN THE NAVY.
HE WOULD GO ON TO SERVE IN WORLD
WAR II, KOREAN WAR AND THE COLD
WAR.
WAR. IN 1954 AGAIN STATIONED AT PEARL
HARBOR HE SURVIVED THE RADIO
ACIVE FALLOUT.
ACIVE FALLOUT. JIM AND HIS CREW WERE 100 MILES
FROM THE BLAST.
>> WE HAD THE EQUIVALENT OF 490
X-RAIES ON EVERY INCH OF OUR
BODIES.
>> JIM HAS LED A LONG AND HAPPY
LIFE.
HE AND HIS WIFE, MARRIED FOR 68 YEARS, HAD SEVEN CHILDREN, NINE
GRANDCHILDREN, AND MORAINA DIED
IN 2012.
IN 2012.
A FEW YEARS LATER HIS GROWN SON
DIED TOO.
ASK HIM ABOUT HIS TRAGEDIES OR
TRIUMPHS AND HIS OPTIMISM NEVER
SEEMS TO WAIVER.
HE SAYS THANKS TO HIS FAITH, HIS CORNERSTONE IN LIFE.S FAITH, HIS
CORNERSTONE IN LIFE.
>> THE GREATEST JOY THAT I HAVE IS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.AVE
IS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. >> AT 102, HE WROTE ABOUT HIS
CONNECTION TO GOD AND LESSONS OF
HIS CENTURY-LONG JOURNEY IN A
BOOK CALLED THE OTHER SIDE OF
INFAMY.
INFAMY.
DOING SO EARNED HIM THE GUINNESS
WORLD RECORDS TITLE OF OLDEST
MALE AUTHOR.
>> I WROTE IT MOSTLY FOR MY
CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.
SO IT WASNT A DESIRE TO BE AN
AUTHOR IT WAS A DESIRE TO TELL
MY STORY.
>> HE CONTINUES HIS MINISTRY,
INCLUDING VISITING NEW YORK CITY
ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER THE INTREPID.E AIRCRAFT CARRIER THE
INTREPID.
HIS HEALTH IS GOOD.
AND HIS ATTITUDE, WELL, WE COULD ALL LEARN A THING OR TWO FROMULD
ALL LEARN A THING OR TWO FROM HIS EXAMPLE.
HIS EXAMPLE. YOU SEEM LIKE YOURE A HAPPY
PERSON, ARE YOU?
>> I AM VERY HAPPY.
IM A REALIST.
I CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED YESTERDAY.
HAPPENED YESTERDAY. I CANT DO MUCH ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENS TOMORROW.
HAPPENS TOMORROW. LIVING TODAY IS SO MUCH FUN.
SO I LIVE IT UP EVERY DAY.
>> I ASKED JIM WHAT IS THE
SECRET TO A LONG LIFE LIKE HIS
AND HE SAID GOOD GRANDPARENTS.
MEANING GET YOURSELF SOME GOOD
GENES.