Philip Field has spent 104 years on this earth.

"Where I'm at I've seen a lot of stuff," he said.

Born on April 10, 1916 ("I grew up with the Model-T Ford"!) Field celebrated his birthday at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon with a a handful of residents and staff strategically social-distanced around him and no family allowed at all because of the coronavirus quarantine.

A native of Macon, Mo. Philip was one of four sons who all served and returned home from World War II. Philip attended Wheaton College and Park College. He served with the Eighth Air Force, 306 Group, 368 Squadron as a B17 pilot.

He married Lena Campbell in 1943. She died in 1978. They had a son, Ron, who died in 2018, and a daughter, Barbara Field Whisler

Field has four grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

His military honors include an Air medal with 3 oak leaf clusters, distinguished Flying Cross and a Unit Badge European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre Campaign Ribbon with two bronze stars.

"We had a big family celebration planned," said his daughter Barbara of the original birthday plans altered because of the pandemic. "Relatives were coming in from all the states. We put that on hold and understand why. This virus has changed plans for many of us."

Still Phil received online greetings from Missouri first lady Teresa Parson and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, who both thanked Field for his service to our country. Field flew over 30 missions and his road to 104 almost had a major detour when one of those missions ended with his plane losing an engine and part of a wing falling apart after taking German gunfire.

But Phil and his crew survived.

"Maybe the Lord had a purpose for extending our lives," he said.

One purpose was fatherhood. Phil had two children after meeting his wife Lena when she worked at a restaurant in Chillicothe. You've heard the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?

"It wasn't that, it was...uh, well, maybe it was," Phil said with a smile. "She usually favored me with a piece of pie or something."

Phil recalled that the nearest health threat to the coronavirus he's ever experienced came back in the 1930's when he got a type of flu that kept him sick for 30 days.

"Didn't even get out of bed for 10 days," he recalled.

But he's managed to make it past the century mark and considering his mom lived to be 103, Phil says he's not that surprised that he's made it that long as well.

However, everyone knows that as a member of the coronavirus' highest-risk population, this is a different kind of war.

"This is something we've never encountered before," Barbara said. "These are unprecedented times."