1594: Longevity Lessons from a 100-Year-Old Colonel with Charles Cone

Charles Cone shows how persistence, discipline, and service turned a difficult farm childhood into a century of achievement. He explains how "a burning desire to fly" helped carry him through two years of flight physicals despite hay fever. His military stories include Navy pilot training, an unwanted PBM assignment, and a typhoon flight that ended in Manila with about 10 minutes of fuel left. He also reflects on 30 years of military service, three wars, and earning honors including two Legion of Merits. Cone connects success to doing the best possible job, even when the assignment is disappointing. At 100, he still trains three times a week and plans to live to 110. The clearest lesson is simple: never give up.