Would you still be going to work at the age of 97, and as a veteran? I believe most of us would just want to relax by then. After all, we would have worked for almost half a century.
At that age, wouldn’t you love to be sipping coffee and reading the morning paper knowing you don’t have to go to work? Well, not for this gentleman—Benny Ficeto.
Benny is 97-years-old from Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
At his age, he still goes to work two days a week. He works a four-hour day shift as a bag boy at his local Stop & Shop.
Back in the day, Benny was a warehouse supervisor for a cosmetics company and could have retired in the 1980s but he didn’t want to stop working.
His passion and discipline for work has meant he has taken up a bunch of odd jobs.
When he was just seven-years-old, Benny worked as a shoe shiner. Then, before he served his country, he went to a barber school.
Benny was a member of the Army Air Force during World War II. He was a gunner on a B-25 Mitchell bomber, and flew mainly over northern Africa and Italy.
The veteran is a dedicated worker, and his attitude towards work has not changed over the years.
“I don’t take no breaks,” Benny told CBS News.
According to Benny’s assistant manager, Mike Moss, Benny gets mad when he’s asked to take breaks.
“I don’t want to stop. Don’t tell me how to work. See the light on, that’s where I’m going,” he said.
Honestly, spending 4 hours standing by the till packing groceries is a tiresome job even for youngsters. But not for Benny.
He thinks that he shouldn’t be taking a break especially since he is only working for four hours per shift.
“Why would I take a break when I only get to work four hours?” he said.
Many may ask, why is Benny working so hard at his age? The answer is he wants to have a purpose in life.
He said, “I get a feeling that I did something good. You can’t just stand around, like an idiot. You have to have a reason to keep alive.”
Benny’s work ethic and discipline are admirable and inspiring. He may be 97-years-old, but his spirit remains in his prime age.
We hope Benny’s story will motivate you to work harder. When work gets stressful, tiring and monotonous, think of Benny. He’s worked for 90 years already!
Credit: CBS News