The oldest World War II veteran, Lawrence Brooks, has turned 110 years old this week.
“We absolutely love Mr. Brooks,” National WWII Museum in New Orleans vice president Peter Crean told NOLA.com. “We’ve told him, ‘As long as you keep having birthdays, we are going to keep having birthday parties for you here.’ We consider him ‘our veteran.’”
Starting five years ago, the museum has held birthdays for Brooks every year on September 12. His favorite part is always the attention of the singing trio, The Victory Belles.
The Louisiana veteran served in the Army as part of the predominantly African-American 91st Engineer Battalion from 1940 to 1945, according to Military Times. He was stationed in New Guinea and then the Philippines and served as a servant to three white officers. He reached the rank of private first class during the war and had five children, 13 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren.
“The museum’s mission is to tell the important stories of the men and women who served in World War II,” said Stephen Watson, the president and CEO of the museum. “We are honored to celebrate Lawrence Brooks, whose life and service are filled with such stories of bravery and determination.”
His new age has given him the status of one of the few “supercentenarians” worldwide. “That makes me feel good,” Brooks said….
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