When Ingeborg Johnston was a teenager, she was a German nurse helping soldiers injured in World War II.

When she was in her thirties, she was a Red Cross nurse helping American amputees from the Vietnam War get their balance back in swimming pools.

And now in her eighties, she’s helping men and women, civilians and veterans online, with food and exercise advice.

The energetic wife of an energetic Navy captain, Jim Johnston, has learned many things but perhaps the most important was in World War II.

“Personally, having gone through a war, I realized there was a tremendous need for nursing care and I feel like it’s made a better person out of me,” said Johnston. “I will always be doing something for somebody.”

Few would argue.

Besides her nursing work during World War II, she ran a health food store in Pompano Beach, Fla., promoted health care, scuba dived in Jamaica, Belize and the Great Barrier Reef, ridden motorcycles through Colorado, flown aerial combat missions in a T-34 above Colorado and volunteered nursing help to Vietnamese orphans flown to America.

She has been involved in nursing around the world. Recently, Johnston got together in the courtyard of Naval Hospital Oak Harbor with fellow nurses to commemorate the 102nd birthday of the Navy Nurse Corps.

Through it all, Johnston believes that random acts of kindness help make the world a little bit better for everyone. To prove it, she and her husband even started a hugging club in Florida, visiting nursing homes spreading their ‘tactile’ philosophy.

Jim Johnston is obviously proud of his wife and has helped with her projects since they married in 1977.

These days, they’re focused on promoting health knowledge, as opposed to health services. Back when they started the health food store in Pompano Beach, there were no credentials for people trying to promote health knowledge.

Health services — doctors, surgeries, medicine and health insurance — had lots credentials and an American Medical Association behind it.

Health Knowledge — certified nutritionists, diet and exercise, raising personal health awareness — had very little support.

The Johnston’s helped to change that. They lobbied, raised money from the health food industry and got certified nutritionist protected by trademark.

They maintained that rather then waiting to get a disease and going through the pills and paperwork that go with seeing a doctor, it’s better to read about health first, improve your eating and exercise and get healthier.

Johnston remembers talking with a Florida matron who assured her that her health was fine because she had the best doctors and specialists around.

“You might want to change that around,” Johnston said. “I’m in fine health and I don’t even have a doctor.”

At 86 sounds like Johnstonís kindness and good health philosophy has a might good ring to it.