Lawrence N. Brooks, the oldest World War II veteran in the U.S. — a hero in the eyes of many including his family, neighbors and men and women all over the world — passed away on Wednesday at the age of 112.
His death was announced by the National WWII Museum and confirmed by his daughter.
According to the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, Brooks was born in 1909 in Norwood, Louisiana. In 1929, he then moved to New Orleans before being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1940, where he was deployed with the 91st Engineers Battalion. He was a servant to three white officers and his daily routine included cleaning their sheets and uniforms and shining their shoes.
Brooks attained the rank of Private 1st Class during the war.
Most African Americans serving in the segregated U.S. armed forces at the beginning of World War II were assigned to non-combat units and relegated to service duties, such as supply, maintenance and transportation, said Col. Pete Crean, vice president of education and access at the museum in New Orleans.
“The reason for that was outright racism — there’s no other way to characterize it,” Crean said.
According to the AP, Brooks didn’t let the racism of his time get him nor stop him from achieving his goals.
“I don’t have no hard feelings toward nobody,” he said during a 2014 oral history interview with the museum. “I just want everything to be lovely, to come out right. I want people to have fun and enjoy themselves — be happy and not sad.”
In a National WWII Museum video, Brooks also described how he was delivering a load of barbed wire to the front when one of the engines of the C-47 he was traveling in went out.
After they dumped the barbed wire to conserve weight, he made his way to the cockpit. He told the pilot and co-pilot that since they were the only two with parachutes, if they had to jump for it, he was going to grab on to one of them.
“We made it though,” he said laughing. “We had a big laugh about that.”
He later went on to marry and raise five children. He has 13 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren, according to the VA.
The National World War II Museum issued this statement:
“Since 2014, The National WWII Museum has hosted Brooks’ birthday parties—he turned 105 that year—and his good humor and enthusiasm at these celebrations made him a much beloved figure on the Museum’s New Orleans campus. Due to the pandemic, the Museum hosted his 111th and 112th birthday celebrations socially distanced at his New Orleans home with a car and Jeep parade, the Victory Belles singing troupe, and even a military flyover and a New Orleans jazz band. In 2020, the Museum launched a birthday card drive for him that generated an outpouring of affection, with Brooks receiving over 21,500 cards from all 50 states and nearly 30 countries.”
“The Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers at The National WWII Museum will forever cherish the memories we shared with Lawrence Brooks,” said Stephen J. Watson, Museum President & CEO. “He was a beloved friend, a man of great faith and had a gentle spirit that inspired those around him. As the nation’s oldest known living veteran, he proudly served our country during World War II, and returned home to serve his community and church. His kindness, smile and sense of humor connected him to generations of people who loved and admired him. We send our sincerest condolences to his daughter Vanessa and the entire Brooks family.”
Thank you for your service and your smile Mr. Brooks.
May you rest in peace.
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