ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 A Pinellas County military family has dedicated their lives to service.<\/p>\n
The family patriarch, a World War II U.S. Navy veteran living at a Bay Pines VA<\/a> assisted living facility, inspired his family to give back.<\/p>\n What You Need To Know<\/p>\n Mr. Harlan Springer served in World War II in the U.S. Navy At 99 years old, Mr. Harlan Springer has lived a remarkable life.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thankful for being here because I never expected to live this long,\u201d said Springer.<\/p>\n Like many of his greatest generation peers, they have many remarkable stories to tell.<\/p>\n Springer recalled when he enlisted in the Navy during the war, and it was him \u201chaving two brothers and a friend in there\u201d that was not about to keep him home.<\/p>\n The Veterans Health Administration produced a video<\/a> of Springer documenting time in service.<\/p>\n Springer was stationed on a destroyer vessel of a carrier fleet in the Pacific theatre of the war. Now, he lives at the Bay Pines VA\u00a0Community Living Center in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n Spectrum Bay News 9 sat down with Springer to learn more about his life story and legacy, like the remarkable date he joined the war.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see, it was June the sixth of 1944, and many years later I found out it was D-Day,\u201d said Springer.<\/p>\n Stories like Springer\u2019s inspired generations after him, especially hitting closer to home.<\/p>\n Chelbie Harrison is Springer\u2019s great-granddaughter, and helped push Springer in his wheelchair around the facility for his daily stroll.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very often, his name will pop up on the screen, and then my great-grandpa is ready to be picked up,\u201d said Harrison.<\/p>\n Harrison works at Bay Pines VA as a nursing assistant.<\/p>\n \u201cI get to see how his day is going and get to tell him about mine,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I get to tell him about the newest things happening with his great-great-grands, who he always enjoys hearing about, right, Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yes!\u201d responded Springer excitedly.<\/p>\n While Cole Long, Harrison\u2019s brother or Springer\u2019s great grandson, is also making the rounds at Bay Pines as a registered nurse.<\/p>\n Their mom, Christine Long or Springer\u2019s granddaughter, also works at Bay Pines VA.<\/p>\n
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He now lives at the Bay Pines VA Community Living Center
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He has inspired multiple generations of his family to give back and serve other veterans like him at Bay Pines<\/p>\n