CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (CBS News) - Benjamin Portaro celebrated his 100th birthday on Monday.
Portaro is a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, a survivor of Nazi imprisonment, a devout family man, and a proud West Virginian.
It wasn't before long into his young adult life when the war broke out. After fighting through France, Portaro found himself in the middle of one of the deadliest attacks of the war, the Battle of the Bulge.
He was wounded and captured. After he was captured, he came face to face with the atrocities of being a prisoner of the Nazis.
He soon realized that in order to survive he would have to escape and not leave his friends behind.
Looking back, Portaro says waiting for the attack to come was the hardest part.
Portaro won a plethora of awards during his time in service:
- Bronze Star
- Purple Heart
- Prisoner of War medal
- WWII Honorable Discharge
- Marksman Badge with rifle bar
- Honorable Service
- American Campaign
- Yankee Division badge
- WWII Victory Medal
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- Combat Infantry Badge
- Staff sergeant badge
Seventy-six years after the end of the war, and a hundred years of life, he says the key to making it that far is keeping yourself busy, something his family has always done.
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