U.S. Marine Carl Spurlin Dekel, who turned 100 years old on June 29, mourned the decline of America in a Fox 13 News interview, tearfully lamenting, “Our country’s going to hell!”
“People don’t realize what they have,” Dekel said. “They bitch about it. And, then, nowadays, I am so upset that the things we did, things we fought for, and the boys that died for it, it’s all going down the drain.”
“Our country’s going to hell – in a handbasket!” he cried. “We haven’t got the country we had when I was raised – not at all! Nobody’ll have the fun I had, nobody’ll have the opportunity I had – it’s just not the same!”
“That’s not what our boys – that’s not what they died for,” he continued. “It’s just not the same. That isn’t what we fought for.”
Family and friends gathered in Plant City, Florida, to celebrate Dekel’s 100th birthday.
“Heart-wrenching,” Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R) tweeted while sharing the video of Dekel’s interview, commenting, “100 year old veteran breaks down, cries for America.”
Heart-wrenching: 100 year old veteran breaks down, cries for America
“The things we did, the things we fought for and the boys that died for it, it’s all gone down the drain. Our Country’s gone to hell” pic.twitter.com/0TGrxVBq2N
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) July 2, 2022
Dekel said serving his country during World War II was the most significant thing he has done in his life.
He said he entered the Marines in September 1940.
“Shipped me straight out to Guantanamo,” he explained, “and put me in a machine gun company.”
“And if I had to do it again, and I was the same age, I would do it, I guarantee it,” Dekel continued:
We was scared all the time. I don’t care what anybody says. We were vulnerable all the time since Pearl Harbor particularly. Pearl Harbor was hit before we hit Guadalcanal. And we had no Navy support – none whatsoever. Our supply ships left about 4:00 in the afternoon. We started landing on Guadalcanal before the sun comes up, and, at 4:00, all our ships are pulling out.
Dekel said the ships left after word had come the Japanese fleet would be coming in that night.
“The Lord brought me home,” the veteran said. “And the Lord has just blessed me so, and here I sit at 100 – they tell me I’m 100 – I don’t believe it sometimes because I don’t need to worry about age – I’m not going to!”
“I’ll just keep on keeping on!” Dekel said.
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Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
