Florida's Oldest WWII Veterans: Dr. Hal Silberman Turns 101, Continues Giving Lectures

Tampa Bay Times reported on May 10, 2026 on Dr. Hal Silberman, one of the oldest known World War II veterans in South Florida, who turned 101 years old on May 1, 2026. Silberman is one of an increasingly rare cohort of living American WWII veterans; as of 2026, the US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates fewer than 100,000 WWII veterans remain alive, down from 16 million who served. Silberman continues to give lectures and remains active in his retirement community — reflecting the generation's extraordinary longevity and determination to bear witness. The story highlighted the urgency of oral history collection as WWII veterans continue to die at an accelerating rate. The National WWII Museum, the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, and Yad Vashem maintain ongoing programs to record first-hand testimony from surviving WWII veterans and Holocaust survivors. The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany estimated approximately 196,600 Holocaust survivors remain alive worldwide as of 2026.