100 year old Navy veteran honored by the VA for her accomplishments during World War II

LONG BEACH (KABC) -- At the remarkable age of 100, Patricia Avis is being honored with a letter and challenge coin from the Veterans Affairs Secretary for her dedication and service as a World War II Navy veteran.

"They gave me a heck of a lot of boulders. But in the end, it turned out okay. It was a strange way to live. But it worked out," said Avis.

In 1941, when Patricia was 18 years old, she enlisted in the Navy. She was following in the footsteps of her father who served in World War I. Avis did clerical work in communications, but it was quite a surprise to her daughter Barrie when she found out her mom accomplished much more than that.

"I found out that what my mom did in communications was she sat with headphones on in the communications tower and listened to Morse code messages from the blimps that were doing surveillance of enemy subs off the Atlantic coast," said Barrie Avis, Patricia's daughter.

"It was fun. It was hard work. It was honest labor," said Patricia.

Avis now spends her time at the Long Beach VA community living center - making friends with other veterans along the way.

"She inspires all of us here. She participates in recreation therapy; she is a joy to be around. She has such a youthful spirit about her, she's very inspiring," said Judi Rivera, resident & Army veteran, Long Beach V.A.

Patricia says after all the hardships and adventures she's been through, the number one lesson she's learned after 100 years is to not take life too seriously.

"She's always maintained that having a good sense of humor is what gets you through it," said Barrie Avis. 'And you have to not give up."

"All I can say is, it's the best time of my life. It's a really good time," said Patricia Avis.