Veteran celebrates milestone birthday on Veterans Day

CLEARWATER (FOX 13) - On this Veterans Day, one local veteran was blowing out 100 candles. Robert McClintock was born a day after Armistice Day, and later served as a bomber pilot on 86 missions during World War II.

His milestone birthday was celebrated alongside service members and their families by the beach.

McClintock is an ambassador for Troop Rewards, a non-profit that gifts men and women in uniform with an all-expense paid beach vacation. Twenty of the recipients and their families were invited to McClintock's birthday party.

"Being here to meet these young men and women, who are in active service, I like to do what I can to encourage them, spur them on, let them know we care," said McClintock.

Jeremy Lindsey, who's been serving in the Air Force for eight years, said he was honored to meet McClinkton, "he's definitely the kind of person we all try to be."