Bethel resident and former POW Alfred Schade celebrates his 100th birthday

The Tippecanoe Gazette recently sat down with Alfred Schade, who had just celebrated his 100th birthday and his 63rd year living in the United States. He talked about his time as World War II prisoner of war, his journey from Poland to the United States, and his secrets for living a long and healthy life.

Alfred, you're 100 years old. What has helped you live so long?

It's all thanks to the man upstairs. Anything that comes my way, I just figure it out. I also start every day with a dip in the hot tub with my girlfriend Donna [Friedman]. I met Donna at the Czech Club in Dayton in 2011, when was 87. I asked her to dance, and she said yes. We have been together ever since.

Other secrets for staying healthy?

I stay very active. We went parasailing in Florida three years ago. I was 97. They told me I was one of the oldest people ever to parasail behind a speedboat. I also repair things. I just fixed the hot tub when it broke. It took me three days lying on my belly, but I got it to work.

Donna and I still dance at the Czech Club. We do the polka and the waltz. I still split my own firewood. I drove a Spyder three-wheeler until just a few years ago. Donna and my daughters made me give it up because they said that cars didn’t watch for motorcycles on the road. They said, “the bike is so small, and the cars are so big.” So, one day I got back from a ride and I said, OK, that’s enough.

You were born in Poland. How did you wind up in the United States?

I was just a teenager when World War II broke out. When I turned 17, I was conscripted into the German Army. I was sent to fight on the Russian front, and then to France and Italy. I was wounded on both battlefronts.

In 1943, I was captured by American paratroopers near Naples. I wound up on a ship with hundreds of other prisoners of war being sent to the United States. When we sailed into Newport, Virginia, and I saw all the lights on the coast, all I could think was “Don’t they know there is a war going on?” In Germany, no lights were allowed at night, not even a lantern.

I was taken by train to Camp Custer in Michigan. I was given the choice to work or stay confined. I chose to work. I first went to the Gerber canning factory, then to a family farm. They treated me well. The mother on the farm would bring us coffee while we working, and doughnuts. I went back to the farm many years later, and the family told me that if I and the other POWs hadn’t been there to help them during the war, they would have lost everything.

[Editor’s note: During World War II, some 425,000 German prisoners were interned in the US, living in 700 camps across the country. Many passed the time working in canneries, mills, farms, and other places considered a minimal security risk. Per terms of the Geneva Convention, POWs were not required to work, but could choose to if they wanted. Those who chose to, like Alfred, were paid military wages.]

In 1946, I was discharged by the US military, but French soldiers took my discharge papers and sent me back to a POW camp in France. A farmer came up to me on his cart and asked if I wanted to work for him. I told the farmer, “Je mange, je vais travailler. Je ne mange, je ne vais travailler.” (If I can eat, I’ll work. If I can’t eat, I won’t work.)

[Editor’s note: Afred worked on that farm in France for three years, returning to Germany only in 1949. He wanted to come back to the United States but was told that all the immigration quotas were full. Finally, in 1960, he found a sponsor: The West Charleston Church of the Brethren on St. Rt. 202 in Tipp City. Seven families from the church agreed to sponsor Alfred, his wife Gisela, and his daughters Angelika and Rosemarie. The family came to the area in 1960, and Alfred began work as a machinist at Trueblood Machine Shop. The Church of the Brethren is still active today. Their mission continues to include supporting immigrants and refugees navigating the complicated process of entering the US legally.]

Alfred, what are your plans for 2024?

All the regular things. Getting my tractors ready for summer so I can mow the grass. Getting in the hot tub and drinking liquid bread when I’m done. Liquid bread: that’s what I call beer.

Donna also says that since I’m 100, I should pick out 100 new things to do this year. We can do them together, right beside each other.

What else is on your bucket list?

Anything that goes. I’ll try anything. Every day is a blessing.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.