Oldest living veteran still a warrior

Guinness recognizes him as world’s oldest man

FORT BUCHANAN, Puerto Rico, (El Morro, November 2005) — He was 27 years old when the Army drafted him to serve in WWI. Two months into training, the war ended, so on November 11, 1918 Emiliano Mercado del Toro became a bona fide non-combat veteran. Faithful to his two-month dedication to the military, Mercado remains a warrior to this day. On January 17 of this year, the Guinness Corporation included him in their world record book as “the oldest fully authenticated man in the world.” Born August 21, 1891 in Cabo Rojo and currently living in Isabela, Mercado is now 114 years old. His life spans three centuries. His health is excellent. He has no ailments requiring special treatment, though he suffers from conditions natural to his age. He can’t walk (he fell 12 years ago and fractured his hip); he lost his sight due to cataracts, but he occasionally moves from his wheelchair. Above all, he remains alert and keeps a positive attitude and sense of humor. Mercado still recalls some of his experiences while training for war. Prior to being drafted, he worked as an ox cart handler in the sugar cane fields in Hormigueros, where he got paid fifty cents per day. He recalls when the great earthquake of 1918 hit the island, remembering that one could not remain standing. In the San Ciriaco hurricane in 1898: “I was just a little kid and had to grab on to my father’s pants so the wind would not carry me off.” He also recalls “the shooting when the Americans invaded Puerto Rico and the Spaniards hid on the rooftops. I was there standing on a hill, watching what was going on.” The secret of his longevity? “Eat a lot of funche (corn meal). That will keep your heart young ... just like mine."