The oldest surviving World War II veteran in the United States, a Louisiana man, celebrates his 112th birthday.
Lawrence Brooks celebrated the milestone on Sunday with a drive-by party at his New Orleans home hosted by the National World War II Museum. In addition to the party, he received greetings from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, who tweeted out, “Mr. Brooks, the entire state of Louisiana thanks you for your service and we all wish you a joyous birthday.”
The museum has previously hosted parties for Brooks, although since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, those events have shifted to drive-by celebrations for the past two years. “This year’s festivities included a Jeep parade, a live performance from the museum vocal trio and entertainment from New Orleans musicians. The city also recognized Brooks’ birthday with an official proclamation”, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Brooks was born in Norwood, Louisiana, in 1909, and has lived in New Orleans since 1929. He was drafted in 1940, and became a private in the Army’s mostly Black 91st Engineer Battalion, a unit that was stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines and built infrastructure such as bridges, roads and airstrips.
