OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Charles (Chet) Mesershmidt is a part of the Greatest Generation.
He enlisted in the navy as soon as he turned 17 in 1943, serving our country in World War II.
“It was an honor to go in because you wanted to defend your country,” Mesershmidt said. “And I had two brothers in, and I wanted to follow them, so that was that.”
Mesershmidt was assigned to the VPB-15 squadron, where he served as a chief ordnance man on a Coronado seaplane in Saipan. He flew with his squadron over the water 10 to 12 hours a day.
“Anti-sub, air-sea rescue and photo recon. Those are the three things that we did,” Mesershmidt said. “Never saw a sub, but that was good.”
He served our country from 1943 to 1946, and attended Creighton University after his time in the military.
“I went through school and graduated and went into the insurance business, so that’s the story of my life. Not much else to tell you,” he said.
That’s far from true. At Creighton he had a girlfriend who was looking to set up her roommate with one of Chet’s friends.
“I fell in love with her roommate and that’s the girl I married,” Mesershmidt said with a big grin on his face. “That was one of the nicest things that ever happened to me. My wife was gorgeous. We were married 61 years and we were very happy with each other.”
Together, they fell in love with the game of golf. The couple were members at Oak Hill Country Club for decades.
During their time there Mesershmidt had two holes-in-one! He added two more during visits to Arizona.
“Oh, there’s a lot of people who have them,” he said.
I responded, “Well, there’s a lot of people who don’t!”
To which he replied, “Well then I’m lucky.”
His wife, Jeanette, passed away in 2011.
But his love for golf has continued, and so have the holes-in-one.
In the last two years, he’s added two more — putting him at six in his lifetime.
His favorite?
“95-year-old vet gets hole-in-one on Veterans Day; it was on the front page of the sports section of the World-Herald with a picture of me and all the guys that played in my foursome.”
Something Mesershmidt was able to celebrate with the friends he has made on the golf course.
“These guys have been like a secondary family for me,” Mesershmidt said. “They like me, and I really like them, and I appreciate their friendship. I need them bad because I don’t want to be home alone, on my lonesome.”
It was too cold to hit the golf course when Chet and I met up, but we were fortunate enough that Miracle Hill Golf allowed the 96-year-old golfing machine and myself to hit some balls at theall-season top tracer it has.
I asked the pro to give me some tips after taking a swing.
"You wouldn’t want any better than that — I wouldn’t. You shifted your leg, took a nice swing, good follow through, I wouldn’t ask for anything better,” Mesershmidt said.
I think he’s my good luck charm.
At age 96 I asked Mesershmidt what the secret was. He says he doesn’t do anything extreme. Instead, he credits his genes, saying his family has a history of longevity.
“So, I’m planning on being here for a little bit.”
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