ORLINDA, Tenn. (WTVF) — Unfortunately, we don't get to do a lot of birthday shout-outs in our newscasts. But there's one we just couldn't let pass by. Jimmy Wren of Orlinda, Tennessee, turned 101 over the weekend.
We paid him a visit, to let him share what all he's learned in the last century.
"That’s probably the longer way to life, is a lot of the sense of humor, because a lot of it is a bunch of bull," said Wren, with a big laugh.
Jimmy Wren knows a lot about all three of those topics — a long life, humor and a bunch of bulls.
Wren lives on his Robertson County cattle farm now, but the birthday boy got his start on a very different kind of farm in his native Georgia.
"I’ve been planting cotton, all my young life," he said. "We plowed mules back in the '20s and the '30s."
A world at war
December 7, 1941, changed everything. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wren begged his father to let him enlist. His father insisted he stay on until the harvest, so in 1942, Wren shipped off to the Pacific.
"After that day, I wasn’t in this country for three years," remembered Wren.
Wren was trained to pilot Higgins boats, the famous watercraft used to transport infantrymen. They were notoriously hard to steer.
"I could carry about 32 in a Higgins," said Wren. "Now on 12-foot waves, you don’t go straight over like this, because you’ll hit the bank."
The difficulty of driving the boats made one of his many near-death experiences in World War II all the more impressive.
"Now Germany had a plane that hollered when it was in a dive called Stukas," said Wren. "I heard the Stuka scream, and I looked, and I whirled it, and he missed me by 8 feet."
Wren still wonders why that German pilot didn't just shoot at him after the bomb missed and failed to detonate.
"You want to tell me why I think?" prompted Wren.
"Yes, please do," I replied.
"I think the good Lord had run his ass out of bullets," said Wren with a big laugh.
Jimmy survived six major battles in World War II in both the European and Pacific theaters. Easily, his most memorable battle was Iwo Jima. Most people think of the historic moment the second American flag was raised on Mount Suribachi. Wren got to see the first flag put on display.
"About this big, on a little stake about like that. The wind whips it. Piled up by rock," he remembered.
Before the war ended, Jimmy had the foresight to obtain the signatures of all of his fellow sailors.
"It was 200 of us boys that we went from ship to ship and landed and fought in those six battles," said Wren.
"Are any of those guys still with us?" I asked.
"I’m the only one, out of any of those, I’m the only one," said Wren.
A life full of love
A long life has given Jimmy a lot of blessings. At the top of his list — meeting his wife Shirley.
"She was the prettiest girl anybody had ever seen," Wren gushed. "We were married 74 years."
They married and settled in Middle Tennessee. Wren went on to work at the United Methodist Publishing House. Shirley worked for decades at the Metro Nashville Public Health Department. They had two kids and eventually bought their cattle farm in Orlinda.
But a long life often comes at a cost.
"She passed two years ago from bad health and all," said Wren. "Sometimes I’m not as happy as I should be with her gone."
But anytime Wren especially misses his wife, or reflects on his decorated years of military service, memories can often fill the void.
"I always look back. I don’t get lonesome. I look back. Take a trip somewhere," said the centenarian.
Those memories, and of course, Jimmy Wren's trademark sense of humor.
"What’s some wisdom you’d want people to know?" I asked.
"Oh, moderation," said Wren, very simply.
"Of everything?" I clarified.
"Don’t leave nothing out," Wren said with a smile and a big laugh.
Wren had a birthday gathering of about 80 people on Sunday. He says he wouldn't mind living to about 107 if he still gets to enjoy living his life.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@newschannel5.com.
Another example of how one person can truly make a difference. And the best part - we all can help! As a nurse, Laura handles emergencies every day. But nothing could prepare her for the emergency that brought her hometown to its knees. From her current home in Tennessee, she's mobilizing aid and supplies for Helene survivors and is helping make their recovery easier and their holidays brighter. I hope you take a moment to watch her story - you might even feel inspired to lend a helping hand.
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