104-year-old WWII veteran recalls combat, Winston Churchill, and life surprises

104-year-old WWII celebrates birthday

A birthday party for a 104-year-old St. Paul native with a Hawaiian theme is perfectly appropriate the more you get to know him. Don Kostohr is witty, loving, and his memory almost seems too good to be true. "He surprises me all the time. We sit and talk a lot," says Don’s son, Peter Kostohr.

(FOX 9) - A birthday party for a 104-year-old St. Paul native with a Hawaiian theme is perfectly appropriate the more you get to know him. Don Kostohr is witty, loving, and his memory almost seems too good to be true.

"He surprises me all the time. We sit and talk a lot," says Don’s son, Peter Kostohr.

Don as a young man

Don's early years

The backstory:

Don was born on March 6, 1921, on St. Paul’s west side. After six years attending Saint James, and telling his parents he was scared of the nuns, he enlisted in December 1939, thanks to advice from a friend.

"He talked me into joining this Marine Reserve Battalion," says Don. "This is like a club, and we meet at Saint Thomas and we have a good time. So it was pretty good."

From there, Don graduated from high school and started at the University of Minnesota, until suddenly life drastically changed.

"I told the person calling – an officer complaining that I hadn’t been to the drills for a couple of weeks – ‘I’m dropping out. I’m too busy now in school,’" says Don. "He laughed at me. He said, ‘We’re activated!' Now you got to remember, this is a year before the war started.’"

Don in the reserve battalion

Panama Canal

A vivid realization of World War II came as Don was aboard a troop carrier, cutting through the Panama Canal.

"They dropped us off to start loading the darn ship with ammunition and foodstuffs, and a lot of it was from World War I," says Don. "I mean, our backpack for a year was from War One, rifles were from WWI, machine guns were from WWI, but they worked."

Iceland and Winston Churchill

From there, Don’s machine gun battalion traveled through the Panama Canal and was eventually sent to Iceland, where he saw none other than Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

"I think he was meeting with Roosevelt someplace at the time. So he stopped, and I sat. And so they made us put on our uniform and march in front of them. But the old guy was smiling. And here is this big cigar, and he’s standing there waving. So, well, that was pretty good," says Don. "Later we found out it was to just show the Germans… don’t get any ideas, the Americans are here, and there’ll be more if you start coming. We were only there, I think, about nine months, and then the war starts."

New Zealand

"There was not too much longer, we’re in New Zealand, and so who do you think this is? Mrs. Roosevelt. Oh, yeah! So we marched for her too. That was a great one. I said, ‘What the hell was she doing here, you know?’"

Guadalcanal and Tarawa

His unit moved on to Guadalcanal, helping secure the Solomon Islands. Tarawa is where Don saw day after day of combat, which he didn’t start speaking about until recent years.

"Some guys were dumber than hell, and how they stood there. One friend of mine was standing next to me, and I’m scared, and I know anything can happen," says Don. "Sure enough, an explosion. He’s got shrapnel in his arm, and so they sent him back."

Don in Hawaii

Hawaii

Eventually, Don was sent to Hawaii, where he was named a platoon sergeant in what he calls not the "real Marines."

"One of my parties was such a success. I furnished the beer, I recall, and a local guy – he did the pig – and there was a girl," says Don. "And I’m afraid there was some ‘aloha.’"

Yes, you read that right. Fast-forward nearly eight decades: Don’s granddaughter Liz submits her DNA to 23andMe, while Brittany does the same in Hawaii. Suddenly, strangers separated by the Pacific realize they’re cousins.

"I was really shocked. I was like, ‘Oh no, what did I just do?’" says Brittany Kawakami. "I’m really, really happy that we were able to make that connection."

It turns out Brittany’s dad, Jimmy, is the 77-year-old son Don never knew existed.

"I called grandpa," says Liz Parker, granddaughter in Minnesota. "And I was like, ‘Do you know about the birds and the bees and what happens? Did that happen in Hawaii?’ He says, ‘Of course, yes, yes, yes. Much aloha.’"

Back to MN

Over the past two years, this branch of the family tree has been traveling regularly from Hawaii to make up for lost time and listen to all Don’s stories of love and war.

"It’s just a true blessing that we feel like we’ve known each other for years," says Parker.

Just before blowing out the birthday candles, and surrounded by all his family, Don makes one wish.

"Why don’t I wish we get together again next year?"