You may never have heard the name Lawrence Brooks before, but he is well worth knowing.
Not only did he serve in World War II, but he is also the oldest living veteran from that war in the United States. He recently turned 112.
Lawrence celebrated his birthday on September 12 at his home in New Orleans. He did it coronavirus style, with people driving by and wishing him well.
As a Saints fan, he wore one of their jerseys and he had some advice for others: “Serve God and be nice to people.”
Brooks was in the Army between 1940 and 1945. He was already in his 30s at the time, as he was born in 1909.
He served in the 91st engineer Battalion, which was made up mostly of African American individuals.
At first, he served near New Guinea, but eventually, he was in the Philippines and became a private first class during WWII.
In order to mark the special day, the governor of Louisiana sent out a tweet with a picture of Brooks. He did so to thank him for his service and to wish him well.
The fact that Brooks is the oldest American living World War II veteran has been confirmedby Veteran Affairs. He was in Mississippi when he was drafted into the Army in 1940 and trained at Camp Shelby.
In November 1941, he was honorably discharged but he was called back up to service when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese.
When he left the Army, he went to live in New Orleans and worked for many years. He is married, has five children, 13 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren. Seems like a full life to me!