Cruise-Loving Veteran Celebrates 102nd Birthday With Another Trip at Sea

Frank Forsberg, 101, will celebrate his next trip around the sun with a trip around the sea. 

While he’s served as a Navy sailor in three wars, he still craves the ocean. Forsberg and his wife Velma will set sail on a cruise to celebrate his 102 birthday later this month. 

“I don’t feel 102. I feel, probably 100,” Frank joked to ABC affiliate WAS11. “The ocean. I love the ocean. We both love to sit on the patio and watch the world go by.”

Frank and Velma said they met on a dating app about nine years ago and have been on nine cruises together since. 

Frank served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Though he’s in good spirits, he needed valve replacement surgery after being evaluated by a cardiologist following a cruise trip where he had trouble breathing. 

It may be risky to travel at his age, but the Houston man’s doctors are confident Frank can survive just about anything.

“He’s been through three wars — WWII, Korean War, Vietnam war,” Dr. Devon Parik from Houston Methodist Cardiology told the news outlet. "He’s a survivor and a fighter, but at the same time his overall health has been incredible."

The Navy veteran said he recovered quickly from the minimally invasive surgery. He said he has good genes as his mother lived to be 102. 

Frank said his secret to a long life is to drink lots of purified water, eat healthy, and follow the advice given by his parents. 

“My dad says keep busy, study all the time, and don’t get a tattoo,” Frank said.