![\"Hal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MIA_HalSilberman101stBirthdayAGS021.JPG\" "\\"Hal")
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Hal Silberman, who turned 101 on May 1, 2026, reflects on his time serving in WWII. He was speaking in his apartment on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at The Palace retirement community in Coral Gables. Silberman is one of the oldest WWII veterans in South Florida. He stays active in his retirement community with activities, and the former doctor also gives lectures.<\/p>\n
Alie Skowronski<\/p>\n
askowronski@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
At 101, Hal Silberman likes to keep a busy schedule.<\/p>\n
Every morning, he leads an exercise class in the movement room for the residents of The Palace, a senior living facility where he lives in Coral Gables.<\/p>\n
Silberman credits daily exercise to his longevity, he said in an interview with the Miami Herald a day before his May 1 birthday. Silberman is one of South Florida\u2019s oldest living World War II veterans, having served as a communications and decoding officer aboard the battleship USS Arkansas in the Pacific.<\/p>\n
After the exercise class, which is preceded by breakfast, Silberman goes straight into a game of chess, followed by table tennis and a daily dose of dancing from 4-5 p.m. before dinner. His table-tennis skills earned him the nickname \u201cKiller.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet involved in hobbies that you can remain involved in all your life,\u201d Silberman advises.<\/p>\n
But he doesn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n
After dinner, he goes up to his fifth-floor apartment, which he shares with his wife of nearly 40 years, Susan Silberman, 83. The front door is marked by a Banksy poster. On the walls hang works by Andy Warhol, reflecting his long-standing passion as an art collector. From there, he settles into his role as education director of The Palace.<\/p>\n
He researches and arranges lectures, which he started doing around four years ago, with talks about medical innovations inspired by his decades as a doctor. He also serves as editor of the facility\u2019s newspaper, Residents\u2019 Gazette.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200b\u200bSometimes, I don\u2019t see him until dinnertime,\u201d Susan said. \u201cHe\u2019s that busy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silberman also busies himself as chairman of the welcoming committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften, people come in, they\u2019re all alone. I go over, I talk to them, and I tell them what they should do in order to establish a good relationship with people here and to get involved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t always so vocal, he said, but his eight years at The Palace have changed that because the workers prioritize socialization, something that he also says has contributed to his longevity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like one huge family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A Brooklyn boy ![\"Hal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MIA_HalSilberman101stBirthdayAGS065.JPG\" "\\"MIA_HalSilberman101stBirthdayAGS065.JPG\\"")
Hal Silberman, who turned 101 on May 1, 2026, smiles in his apartment at The Palace retirement community in Coral Gables on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, he grew up in a small apartment with his parents and older brother David and younger brother Charles.<\/p>\n
Space and money were limited. David had a fixed bed, while Hal and Charles shared foldaway beds that they packed up and rolled aside each morning. The brothers couldn\u2019t afford public transportation, often sneaking rides by clinging to the backs of trolleys until conductors forced them off.<\/p>\n
Silberman was 12 when he decided he wanted to go into medicine. His cousin, who worked as an OB-GYN, snuck him into a delivery room. He stood still and quiet while dressed in a gown, mask and hat and watched as a baby was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was so impressed, I wanted to become a physician,\u201d Silberman said.<\/p>\n
His father worked as a lifeguard at Coney Island and introduced his sons to the water at a young age. But lifeguarding was not enough to cover the cost of living, so his father went on to start a winery with business partners in Manhattan. Silberman and his brother David worked in the winery and were in charge of corking bottles and placing them into carts.<\/p>\n
His father\u2019s business became a success even during Prohibition because the elder Silberman sold kosher wine to churches, synagogues and other religious institutions that were allowed to have wine.<\/p>\n
Time in Japan<\/p>\n
At 16, Silberman secured a scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he joined the ROTC program. Two years later, when it was time to enlist, he chose the Navy, influenced by his father\u2019s strong connection to the sea.<\/p>\n
Silberman\u2019s first experience in combat came at Iwo Jima, where he endured more than 30 days of intense fighting. It was there that he was first exposed to kamikaze suicide attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a devastating thing,\u201d Silberman recalled.<\/p>\n
According to National Geographic, roughly 3,000 Japanese soldiers died in kamikaze missions, while more than 7,000 American, Australian and British personnel were killed or wounded during the fight for Iwo Jima.<\/p>\n
After Iwo Jima, Silberman fought in the Battle of Okinawa, a brutal campaign that was initially expected to last two weeks but stretched to 82 days.<\/p>\n
He prepared for a possible invasion of Japan \u2014 a plan that became unnecessary after two atomic bombs were dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs servicemen, everyone was thrilled,\u201d Silberman said in a 2024 interview with the Miami Herald, explaining that he viewed the decision as one intended to prevent a greater loss of life on both sides.<\/p>\n
A mother and a father<\/p>\n
After the war, Silberman resumed his studies and graduated from medical school at 26. Silberman was able to finish his studies at Johns Hopkins because of the 1944 GI Bill, which transformed access to higher education for veterans by covering tuition and living expenses.<\/p>\n
Silberman met his first wife, Ruth, in college, and they went on to have four children. In 1951, the family moved to Miami, where Silberman established a medical career that included pioneering clinical research and founding PrimeCare in Coral Gables. When Ruth fell ill and died after 10 years of marriage, Silberman became a single parent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI became the father and mother,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what happened was, I enjoyed being with them so much, I didn\u2019t mind it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silberman\u2019s active lifestyle played into his parenting style, introducing his children to his own hobbies such as tennis, chess and water-skiing.<\/p>\n
![\"Hal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MIA_HalSilberman101stBirthdayAGS076.JPG\" "\\"MIA_HalSilberman101stBirthdayAGS076.JPG\\"")
Hal Silberman, who turned 101 on May 1, 2026, kisses his wife, Susan, in their Coral Gables apartment on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
His second marriage gave him twin daughters, and after a divorce, he gained two stepchildren with his marriage to Susan, who was divorced herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a true blended family,\u201d Susan said. The two share 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. \u201cHe is kind, thoughtful, generous. I learned so much from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018A wonderful country\u2019<\/p>\n
After 101 years, Silberman said the biggest change that he has noticed is a decline in patriotism and community responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone seemed to have a responsibility [to] work together,\u201d he said, adding that he feels that spirit has diminished.<\/p>\n
He became a doctor because he wanted to help people, and even years after leaving his practice, many of his former patients still keep in touch \u2014 some even sent him birthday wishes last year.<\/p>\n
![\"Hal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MIA_HalSilberman101stBirthdayAGS034.JPG\" "\\"MIA_HalSilberman101stBirthdayAGS034.JPG\\"")
On Thursday, April 30, 2026, at his Coral Gables home, Hal Silberman shows a book that he received for his birthday in 2025 about the USS Arkansas, on which he served during WWII. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Having benefited from the GI Bill and spending his career in medicine, Silberman said he believes people must have access to affordable education and healthcare, and also that they must learn to take care of each other. He also hopes to see more affordable senior-citizen developments in the country, having had such a positive experience at The Palace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis country has always been wonderful for me, and I\u2019ve done everything I can to help preserve the Constitution,\u201d he said. \u201cMy advice is to recognize what a wonderful country we live in and do everything to protect our Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n