The oldest World War II veteran in the United States turned 112 on Sunday.
Lawrence Brooks celebrated the occasion in New Orleans, where he resides, with a socially distanced drive-by party because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Born in 1909, the Louisiana native was 31 when drafted in 1940 to join the war effort. He served as a private in the Army’s 91st Engineer Battalion, a mostly black unit stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines. The unit built roads, airstrips, and bridges.
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His birthday party was organized by the National World War II Museum and featured a jeep parade, a proclamation by the city, and musical performances by local artists, such as the museum’s musical trio, the Victory Belles.
Happy birthday Lawrence Brooks! The National WWII Museum in NOLA holding a drive-by bday celebration for him outside of his home. He’s the nation’s oldest veteran … turning 112 years old today!
Thank you for your service, Mr. Brooks ?? pic.twitter.com/cGe0pvzRoJ— Carmen Chau (@CChauFOX61) September 12, 2021
Organizations and political leaders shared birthday messages on social media, including Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, who tweeted, “Mr. Brooks, the entire state of Louisiana thanks you for your service and we all wish you a joyous birthday.”
The Gary Sinise Foundation, a veterans service organization, also tweeted a birthday message.
“As another year passes, we are thrilled to honor America’s oldest living WWII veteran, Lawrence Brooks, who turned 112 today,” the tweet said. “According to Lawrence, the secret to his longevity can be accredited to a life of ‘loving people.’ Join us in wishing him a happy birthday!”
The National World War II Museum, which has hosted several parties for Brooks in the past, also featured the veteran in its oral history project, available to watch on YouTube. Brooks talks about a time in World War II when he was delivering barbed wire to Australia, and one of the engines on the C-47 plane went out. To stay in the air, the pilot told everyone to throw the barbed wire into the ocean.
There were only two parachutes on the aircraft, and Brooks said he told the pilot and co-pilot he would jump on one of the men if the plane went down.
“We made it, though,” Brooks said. “We had a big laugh about that. But I was all, ‘If he was gonna jump, I was gonna grab him.'”
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Brooks is the second-oldest known WWII veteran in the world. The oldest is a woman from the United Kingdom named Mollie Walker, who is also 112 years old.
The oldest person alive is a woman from Japan, Kane Tanaka, who is 118 years old and was born in 1903.
