Richard Arvine Overton

This article is about the oldest living veteran of World War II. For other people named Richard Overton, see Richard Overton (disambiguation).
Richard Arvine Overton

Overton in 2013
Born (1906-05-11)May 11, 1906
(age 110 years, 219 days)
Bastrop County, Texas, U.S.
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1942–45
Rank Sergeant
Unit 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion (Colored)
Battles/wars South Pacific Theater

Richard Arvine Overton (born May 11, 1906) is an American supercentenarian who at age, 110 years, 219 days, is the oldest verified surviving United States veteran. He is a veteran of World War II, and has been honored by President Obama [1][2][3][4] and currently lives in Austin, Texas.

Early life

Overton was born in Bastrop County, Texas to Jim Gentry Overton (1877–1920) and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Franklin Overton Waters (1876–1939). His father's paternal grandfather, John Overton, Jr., was white and a son of John Overton. President Andrew Jackson is also a distant relative to Overton.

Military career

Overton enlisted in the military on September 3, 1942 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.[5] He served in the South Pacific from 1942 through 1945, including stops in Hawaii, Guam, Palau and Iwo Jima. He left the U.S. Army in October 1945 as Corporal.[6]

After service

U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Overton at the White House on Veterans Day 2013

Overton worked at local furniture stores before taking a position with the Texas Department of the Treasury (now part of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts) in Austin. He was married twice and never had children. Overton gained some attention on the Internet during the Memorial Day weekend in 2013 when he told Fox News he would spend his Memorial Day "smoking cigars and drinking whiskey-stiffened coffee."[7][8]

On that same Memorial Day, Overton met with Texas Governor Rick Perry.[9] Overton was also invited to the White House where he met with President Obama, and to the Veterans' Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, where he was singled out by name for praise by the President.[4][10][11]

When he was 82 years old, his wife, Wilma, died in 1988.[12] He lives in Austin, Texas. In November 2015, Overton was hospitalized there for pneumonia at the age of 109.[13]

Overton is the subject of a 2016 documentary, Mr. Overton, in which he is interviewed about his daily routine, thoughts on his longevity, and his military service. It is currently on the film festival circuit. On May 3, he became the oldest surviving American veteran after the death of Frank Levingston, a man of African American heritage from Bossier Parish, Lake Charles. On May 11, 2016, Overton became a supercentenarian, when he reached the age of 110.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Royce-Bartlett, Lindy (November 11, 2013). "Oldest World War II vet Richard Overton, 107, honored by President Obama". CNN.
  2. ↑ Thuman, Scott (November 11, 2013), Richard Overton honored by President Obama on Veterans Day, WJLA-TV
  3. ↑ Toppo, Greg (November 10, 2013). "Oldest living WWII vet to meet with Obama". USA Today.
  4. 1 2 "Oldest known WWII veteran honored at Arlington ceremony". Fox News Channel. November 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; ARC: 1263923. World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, U.S.A. See transcription of record here. Accessed 1 September 2015. (subscription required)
  6. ↑ Veterans History Project Richard Arvine Overton Collection, https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.89813
  7. ↑ "America's oldest veteran to spend quiet Memorial Day at Texas home". Fox News Channel. May 26, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  8. ↑ Golgowski, Nina (May 25, 2013). "America's oldest vet, aged 107, who saw comrades fall in WWII to spend Memorial Day with cigars and whiskey-stiffened coffee". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Oldest living WWII vet meets Gov. Perry". My Fox Austin. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  10. ↑ Jackson, David (November 11, 2013). "Obama: 'We will never forget' veterans". USA Today.
  11. ↑ President Barack Obama greets Richard Overton, White House, November 2013
  12. ↑ Texas Death Index, Wilma Overton. Accessed 1 September 2015. (subscription required)
  13. ↑ "Austinite Richard Overton, nation's oldest WWII veteran, hospitalized". Statesman.com. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  14. ↑ Staff (2016-05-11). "Nation's oldest living WWII Combat Veteran Richard Overton turning 110". fox7austin.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
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