With crisply starched fatigues, World War II veteran and 101^st Airborne Division patches fixed on his uniform, paratrooper boots glistening, Private First Class (PFC) Vince Speranza marvels at the thrilling twist his life took in his mid-80s.

Now 95, the veteran, retired history teacher, widower, father and grandfather, has a popular book called Nuts!: A 101st Airborne Division Machine Gunner at Bastogne that he published at the age of 89. He has more friends on Facebook than he knows what to do with, and fame in Belgium that rivals Jean-Claude Van Damme’s.