According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 55,000 centenarians now living in the U.S., and that number is projected to grow to 442,000 by 2050.

In this area so far this year, at least two residents have hit the 100-year mark - Helen Rizzo of Penn Forest Township and Gordon Chandler, a resident at The Village in Palmerton.A UnitedHealthcare 100@100 survey indicated centenarians continue to feel positive in spite of increasing physical limitations and personal losses. Centenarians who were surveyed said the keys to healthy aging included staying close to friends and family, maintaining a sense of independence, and eating right.Last Sunday, Richard Overton of Austin, Texas, turned 108. Believed to be the oldest known American World War II veteran, he was honored last Veterans Day in a ceremony at Arlington where he got to meet the president. What moved him to tears, however, was visiting the World War II and the Martin Luther King Jr. memorials.After volunteering for service in 1942, he served in the Army's 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion, an all-black unit, since the military was segregated. When he arrived at Pearl Harbor, the battle ships were still smoldering from the attack of Dec. 7, 1941, that launched America into the war. He served on various islands in the Pacific, including Okinawa and Iwo Jima.After the war, he returned to Texas and still lives in the small house in East Austin that he bought in 1945 for $4,000. He's been married twice and both wives died of cancer.Overton said he avoids prescription medication and only takes aspirin to thin his blood. He admits to a few vices - like adding whiskey to his coffee and smoking cigars which he's done since he was 18 - but keeps everything in moderation. His two favorite snack foods are cookies and tacos.After getting up every morning, Overton puts on a clean dress shirt, trousers, tennis shoes and a black cap with yellow lettering that reads, "WWII Veteran." He keeps active by working on his yard, sweeping his driveway and raking leaves.Overton also credits his faith in God for surviving the war and then his long life."I was shot over my head, between my legs, around my ears, and everything, but it wasn't my day to go," he told an interviewer of his wartime service. "If man had it, I'd have been dead, but God's got it, and he's keeping me well."By Jim Zbickeditor@tnonline.com