America’s oldest living WWII veteran faced hostility abroad—and at home

At 110 years old, Louisiana native Lawrence Brooks is proud of his service and says he would do it again.

At age 110, Lawrence Brooks of New Orleans is the oldest known living U.S. veteran of World War II. From 1941 to 1945 he served in the Pacific with the Army’s predominantly African American 91st Engineer Battalion, as a support worker to its officers. Of the 16 million U.S. veterans who fought in World War II, only 300,000 are still alive. He credits a healthy lifestyle, deep faith and love of people for his longevity.

Photograph by Robert Clark

Editor's Note: Lawrence Brooks died on January 5, 2022, at the age of 112, the National WWII Museum said in a statement.

The memories are more than 75 years old now: Cooking red beans and rice halfway around the world from the place in Louisiana that first made the recipe. Cleaning uniforms and shining shoes for three officers. Hopping in foxholes when his trained ear could tell the approaching warplanes were not American but Japanese.

The man who keeps these memories is older still. At 110, Lawrence Brooks is the oldest known U.S. veteran of World War II. This month marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe. Of the 16 million U.S. veterans who served, about 300,000 are still alive today, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (Hear from the last living

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