{"id":7717,"date":"2025-12-09T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7717"},"modified":"2025-12-09T19:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T19:30:00","slug":"remarkable-centenarian-honoring-carl-wier-american-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7717","title":{"rendered":"Remarkable centenarian: Honoring Carl Wier, American hero"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-12-09T19:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A century of service<\/h2>\n<p>On Oct. 12, 2025, in Mauston, Wisconsin, a heartfelt celebration unfolded beneath the modest ceiling of St. Patrick\u2019s parish basement. This gathering was not just marked by colorful balloons and cake\u2014this was a tribute to a man whose century-long journey embodies duty, resilience and boundless love: Carl Wier, who had just turned 100 on October 7.<\/p>\n<p>The Tomah VA Medical Center, through the Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), honored Wier as part of VA\u2019s Centenarian Recognition Program. This national initiative celebrates Veterans who have reached the extraordinary milestone of 100 years of age. Launched in November 2020 by then-Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie, and proudly continued by Secretaries Denis McDonough and Douglas Collins, the program has since coordinated over 1,000 <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=centenarian+\">centenarian <\/a>recognitions across the country, including special acknowledgments for Veterans in their late 90s. Wier is the 28th centenarian recognized by the Tomah VA since the facility began participating in the program in July 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Wier was born in 1925. At just 17, he answered the nation\u2019s call by enlisting in the Marine Corps during World War II. In all, he wore the uniform for nearly four decades, having served with the Air National Guard from 1950 to 1979 and with the active duty Guard and Reserve until 1986. <\/p>\n<p>Wier remained active in retirement. He spent his days in his garage, immersed in hobby projects and crafts, and with his large family\u2014seven children, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Honoring a remarkable Centenarian<\/h2>\n<p>During the heartfelt celebration, Dr. Bryan Prahl, the Tomah VA Medical Center associate director, presented Wier with a framed, hand-signed letter of appreciation and a special VA challenge coin from the VA Secretary. \u201cIt was a profound honor to present Mr. Wier with this recognition on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs,\u201d Dr. Prahl remarked. \u201cHis life of service\u2014spanning nearly four decades in uniform\u2014is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by our Veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The celebration\u2019s emotional weight was heightened by the presence of Wier\u2019s family, friends and representatives from VA, all gathered to express their gratitude for his lifetime of service. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s never too late to apply for VA health care you\u2019ve earned. If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who has not yet applied for their VA health care benefits, learn how to\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.choose.va.gov\/health\" rel=\"noopener\">get started<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/143715\/remarkable-centenarian-honoring-carl-wier\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Tomah VA Medical Center, through the Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), honored Carl as part of VA\u2019s Centenarian Recognition Program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-veteran-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Remarkable centenarian: Honoring Carl Wier, American hero - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Tomah VA Medical Center, through the Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), honored Carl as part of VA\u2019s Centenarian Recognition Program.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7717\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Remarkable centenarian: Honoring Carl Wier, American hero - 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