The Abridged version:
- Drafted at 19, Charles “Chuck” Shumate fought in Europe and returned to rebuild a life grounded in hard work and family.
- One of the last of his generation, he fears America has forgotten the values they fought for.
- See below for a list of Veterans Day events in the Sacramento region.
Every year on Nov. 11, the nation pauses to honor its veterans.
And every year Charles “Chuck” Shumate marks his birthday, his 102nd this year, on the same day.
The Citrus Heights resident was born on Nov. 11, 1923, five years to the day after the guns fell silent ending World War I.
“When I was a youngster,” he recalled, “it was always called Armistice Day. Modernization changed it to Veterans Day. But for me, it’s both.”
Today, Shumate represents a generation that is nearly gone. Less than 1% of World War II veterans are still living. Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, fewer than 70,000 are alive today. His perspective, shaped by a century of experience, feels both timeless and urgent.
A citizens army
Shumate tried to enlist before he was old enough, eager to serve after the attack on Pearl Harbor. By 1942, the Army drafted him. He trained for more than a year before being sent overseas, first to England and then to France, as Europe reeled from war.
His division had been preparing to join the Battle of the Bulge when tragedy struck. One of their troop ships was hit by a German submarine while crossing the English Channel. The loss shattered their ranks and forced a redirection. Shumate’s unit was sent north to secure German forces along the North Sea, where he spent the remainder of the war.
“It was hair-raising at times,” he remembers, “but I was in no different circumstances than millions of other guys. We were a citizens army.”
He credits circumstance and luck for surviving. “All of my buddies are gone.”
When victory finally came in Europe, his unit began staging for Japan. Then came the announcement over the loudspeaker: Japan had surrendered. The war was over. He was 21 years old.
Rebuilding a life
Like millions of others returning from war, Shumate came home determined to work, to build, and to live. He drove trucks, roofed homes, welded metal and opened a paint and body shop with his brother. Eventually, he found his calling in the emerging world of technology.
“I moved into what was called machine accounting,” he said. “I worked with IBM’s first electric accounting machines, and I stayed with that until I retired, through every upgrade until we were programming computers.”
He marvels at how far technology has come. “You’re holding a phone that can do more work than a $2 million dollar computer we had in Denver,” he said. “You can wear a watch that does more than the big computer that filled an entire floor.”
Lessons from a century
At 102, Shumate still lives on his own, after losing his wife of more than 60 years. He drives “more carefully now” and still cooks his own meals, reads constantly and keeps active with the Elks Lodge and Navy League. Fridays are for golf, though he admits nine holes are enough.
He approaches life with the same steady humor that has carried him through every chapter. “You live your own life,” he said. “You don’t try to live through other people. Make fun of yourself occasionally. That helps a lot. Keep smiling, keep moving.”
His ideal ending, he added, would be simple. “To be out there on the golf course, going into a backswing, and keel over dead. Two of my friends went that way. I’d love to.”
On politics, principle and perspective
Shumate doesn’t hide his frustration with what he sees in the country he fought to defend. He believes today’s political climate and media culture have lost sight of truth and service.
He worries that values once rooted in integrity have given way to division. “If more people my age were still around, we wouldn’t have that group in Washington,” he said. “People used to vote on basic principles, not what’s in it for me.”
He’s never voted along party lines. “I investigate the person. If they rub me the wrong way, I don’t vote for them,” he said. “If you’re a politician, your first concern should be the country, second your constituents, and last of all yourself. But they’ve got it reversed.”
A world in danger of forgetting
When asked whether he worries about another world conflict, Shumate answers without hesitation.
“War is stupid,” he said. “It’s absolutely stupid. There’s never been a war that really solved anything. It’s always about people who think they need to rule the world.”
Still, Shumate believes life has meaning beyond what we see.
“I can’t imagine living a hundred years, learning all you learn and then dying and it’s blank,” he said. “There has to be something after. I don’t believe for a second that it’s over.”
A legacy that lives on
Shumate has outlived nearly all of his peers but remains surrounded by family five generations strong. With children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren, his family now numbers more than 120.
“I’ve always taught my kids: Live your life, your own life. I’ve raised you, I love you, I’m always happy to see you, but you live your life and I’ll live mine,” he said “And they understand that.”
Every year, his family gathers for his birthday, whether he wants them to or not. “I’ve threatened to leave town on my birthday,” he joked, “but I never have the nerve.”
A warning from the greatest generation
Chuck Shumate’s century of living offers a clear-eyed warning and a call to conscience. He said he has seen what happens when power replaces principle and division replaces duty, as well as the result of voting with conscience instead of convenience. He dreams of a world that would pause before spreading hate or misinformation.
“If more World War II veterans were alive,” he said, “we would not be in the situation we are today.”
In a world that moves fast and forgets easily, Shumate’s message endures:
“Keep smiling. Keep moving. Live your own life.”
And remember, “I gave you the day off.”
Here are a few Veterans Day events in the Sacramento region:
- Elk Grove Veterans Day Parade: A ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at 8820 Elk Grove Blvd., followed by a parade at 11:11 a.m. The event concludes with a community picnic at Elk Grove park. More information here.
- Folsom Veterans Day Parade: The parade begins at 9 a.m. on East Bidwell Street in front of the Target shopping center and ends at the Folsom Community Center at 52 Natoma St. More information here.
- West Sacramento Veterans Day Parade: The parade starts at 11 a.m. at 1100 Clarendon St., ending at the intersection of Park and Stone boulevards in West Sacramento. A free meal is provided to the community from 12:30-2 p.m. at 905 Drever St. in West Sacramento. More information here.
- California State Capitol: The Veterans Affiliated Council will host a celebration from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the California State Capitol, 1315 10th St. The event begins with a ceremony and includes community booths and JRTOC. More information here.
Rob Stewart is an executive producer and reporter with Abridged.