The oldest World War II veteran in the U.S. has died at the age of 112. Lawrence Brooks, who joined the U.S. Army when he was 31 years old in 1940, was confirmed to have died by the National WWII Museum on Wednesday.
The museum confirmed in a statement Brooks' death. In the letter, the museum said Brooks had become a dear friend to the facility and its workers ever since he began to celebrate his birthday with them when he was 105 years old.
Brooks was born and grew up in Norwood, Louisiana, and was one of 15 children. He lived a peaceful life with his large family until the war. When he joined the army, Brooks was assigned to the predominantly African-American group called the 91st Engineer Battalion.
Throughout his tour of duty, Brooks was stationed in different bases across the Pacific, including those in the Philippines, New Guinea, and Australia. Despite facing adversity during most of the war, Brooks was still able to rise through the ranks and ended the war as a Private 1st Class.
We are feeling his loss heavily today at the Museum, and we offer our condolences to his daughter Vanessa and his family. Learn more about Mr. Brooks’ life and WWII service: https://t.co/rHtEH9bFpw — National WWII Museum (@WWIImuseum) January 5, 2022
In a past interview, Brooks said that he felt lucky to have been assigned to officers that had treated him well. He said that he also felt very fortunate to have been given a service role instead of a combat role.
Brooks joked that if he had been assigned to a combat role, somebody might have gotten lucky and shot him dead. Brooks said he left the war without any hard feelings towards anybody.
After the war, Brooks came back to Louisiana and eventually found a job working as a forklift driver in New Orleans. He worked at the job for over 40 years and married his late wife, Leona Parker Brooks. His wife died in 2008 at 81.
Brooks and his wife had five children. Brooks had a total of 13 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.
Brooks was described by his friends and family as a kind and faithful man with a sense of humor. National WWII Museum president, Stephen Watson, expressed his condolences for Brooks's death and honored his achievements.
U.S. President Joe Biden also issued a formal statement honoring Brooks. Biden said he was saddened when he heard the news of Brooks' death. Biden said he was honored to have met the country's oldest veteran, who he described as being one of the "best of America." Biden said his thoughts and prayers are now with Brooks' family and loved ones.
