Scrapbooking veteran gets a lot of love

Retired Maj. Bill White is 104 years old and has a lot of cutting and pasting to do. The Marine veteran from Stockton, Calif., asked for people to send him valentines to add to his scrapbook collection. In a little more than a week, he has received more than 20,000 cards and 200 packages in the mail—and they keep coming. “I wasn’t expecting anything like this,” White told The Record in Stockton. “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I still can’t get over it.”

What is his service history? White served in World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart for surviving the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Nearly 7,000 Marines and more than 20,000 Japanese fighters died in the bloody battle that lasted five weeks. The centenarian said his rule for a long and positive life is to “just keep breathing.”

Dig deeper: If you’re interested in sending a card to White, you can mail it to Operation Valentine; ATTN: Hold for Maj Bill White, USMC (Ret); The Oaks at Inglewood; 6725 Inglewood Ave.; Stockton, CA 95207.