Reports have it that the oldest World War II veteran in the United States, Richard Overton, has died. The news was broken to the press by a family member who said he had died at a rehab facility at the age of 112 years. Asides being the oldest war veteran in the US he was also considered to be the oldest man in the country.
Our source said Overton had been admitted in the hospital recently for the treatment of pneumonia. He was allowed to go home a day before Christmas as doctors told his family that they had done all they could. The war veteran passed on Thursday in Austin, Texas, the location of the rehab home where he stayed.
Richard Overton had joined the US Army in his 30s as a volunteer, stationed at Pearl Harbor in 1941, after the Japanese attacks. According to him the secret to him living so long was the cigars he smoked together with the whiskey he drank. He was often seen doing this on his porch. It can be recounted that Overton lived a selfless life, driving widows in his environment to church even at over 100 years old.
Several key figures have paid tribute to the veteran, one of whom is the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott. Abbott referred to Overton as an icon, a Texas legend. He said the veteran had made immense contributions to Texas and the US such that he had made Texans proud to be Texans. In 2013, former President Barack Obama had also honored Richard Overton at a ceremony to honor Veterans held at the Arlington National Cemetery.
Richard Overton was born in Austin, Texas in the year 1906.
