FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – You can catch Ralph Szweda a few times a week at the Forsyth County YMCA. He and several other veterans attend a number of events there. At 91, he is easily among the oldest. However, this did not stop him from boxing to keep his mobility high.

Szweda is full of energy and quite talkative for her age. FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Kevyn Stewart met with him one-on-one, and the vet pulled no punches.

In his opinion, many people take Veterans Day for granted.

“I actually heard this comment the other day: ‘Wow, I didn’t notice the Veterans Day sale,'” the Korean War veteran recalled. “Well, I guess they were looking for a new bed; it’s a bit sad.”

Szweda is hopeful for a bright future, but admits she feels disappointed at times. He doesn’t believe Americans are good at remembering history.

Korean War Veteran Ralph Szweda

“Many places in this world still rely on our services. Many people do not understand or remember what happened during the Korean War,” he shouted. “Young people don’t know about Vietnam (War).”

He reminded Stewart that there is a real danger in not knowing one’s history or his and other veterans’ experiences.

“Because if you don’t know your history, you repeat it,” he said. “I know it’s an axiom, but it’s a very important axiom at this time in our lives.”

Too tall to fly the jets of the time, the veteran served the United States by working in the Air Force for four years. He was assigned to Japan, where he worked as a basic mechanization specialist; this meant BT before it was called IT.

After his discharge, he went to university and taught.

Korean War Veteran Ralph Szweda

After all these years, there is no source of youth responsible for Szweda’s vibrant spirit. In fact, he told Stewart, it was pretty simple.

“My secret is that I feel like I need to exercise to keep up and function mentally,” Szweda said. “I try to eat healthy too.”

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