The world’s oldest World War II veteran turned 112 over the weekend, and he got the fanfare-filled celebration that a hero from the greatest generation deserves.
Richard Overton of Austin, Texas, was surprised Friday when his home became the center of a block party held in his honor.
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Overton’s entire street was shut down for the celebration, which attracted hundreds of guests.
“There’s lines and lines and loads of people waiting to see him constantly,” Overton’s cousin, Donna Fields, told KVUE-TV.
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Among the revelers was interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, whom Overton was surprised to see.
“What did I do?” the 112-year-old asked when he was told Manley would be stopping by.
When I went by to see Mr. Overton this morning, they told him the police Chief was here to see him, he asked “what did I do?” 😀 Happy 112th birthday Mr. Richard Overton! 🎉 #AustinPD #RichardOverton pic.twitter.com/BvYzu9hdkn
— Brian Manley (@Chief_Manley) May 11, 2018
During the celebration, people posed for photos with the Army veteran and presented him with gifts, including enough cigars and whiskey to last him until his next birthday.
Overton hasn’t lost his sense of humor and can still send a crowd into fits of laughter, his cousin said.
“So I took a picture with him, and he says, I’m going to put a cigar in my mouth because I take a picture for the cuties with a cigar,” Fields said. “And we all just busted out laughing.”
Happy 112th birthday to America’s oldest living man and WWII veteran, Richard Overton. Born in Bastrop County in 1906, Overton served in the South Pacific. He resides in his home in East Austin, where he enjoys cigars and drinking whiskey on his front porch. Photo c/o @statesman. pic.twitter.com/gldtLZQczW
— Texas Historical Commission (@TxHistComm) May 11, 2018
Overton even got a shout out from the President Donald Trump during last Friday’s White House press briefing.
Not only is Overton the oldest surviving veteran to have served in WWII, he’s also America’s oldest man.
He was born in Bastrop County, Texas, in 1906 and served in the South Pacific from 1940 to 1945, with stops in Hawaii, Guam, and Iwo Jima.
Overton settled in East Austin after he left the Army in 1945.
“This is a historical moment for our family,” Fields said of the celebration.
(H/T: KVUE-TV)