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Jean Thurel (6 September 1698 – 10 March 1807) was a fusilier of the French Army with an extraordinarily long career that spanned over 90 years of service in the Touraine Regiment without interruptions and at the lowest rank. Born in the reign of Louis XIV and dying during that of Napoleon I, Thurel lived in three different centuries and served three different monarchs. He was severely wounded in battle on two occasions. Three of his brothers were killed in the battle of Fontenoy in 1745. One of his sons, a corporal and a veteran in the same company, died at the Battle of the Saintes.  When his regiment was ordered to march to the coast to embark on ships, he was given the opportunity to travel in a carriage due to his advanced age. The 88-year-old Thurel refused the offer and marched the entire distance on foot, stating that he had never before traveled by carriage and had no intention of doing so.  He died at 108.