Red Cross Submits Collection of Oldest Living War Veteran Richard Overton to VHP – Dispatch January 27, 2015

At an astounding 108 years old, Richard Overton is thought to be the oldest living war veteran, and there is not much that will slow him down. He is still very active, does yard work, attends church, and even still drives his truck around town.

Overton, born in 1906 in Texas, served in the Pacific Theater from 1942 to 1945 as part of the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion. While there, he served on burial detail, as base security, and as a jeep driver for a Lieutenant.
According to a Washington Post article from November 2014, Overton traveled to Washington in 2013 to meet President Obama, who spoke about him at an event at Arlington National Cemetery. “When the war ended, Richard headed home to Texas to a nation bitterly divided by race,” Obama said. “And his service on the battlefield was not always matched by the respect that he deserved at home. But this veteran held his head high. He carried on and lived his life with honor and dignity.”
The full Washington Post article is available here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2014/11/11/meet-americas-oldest-living-vet-he-smokes-cigars-does-yard-work-drives-and-drinks-whisky-and-hes-108/?tid=pm_pop

Overton was interviewed for the Veterans History Project (VHP) in July 2013 by Katherine Cranford, as part of an initiative by the American Red Cross of Greater Texas to collect veterans’ oral histories. To date, the Greater Texas region has contributed nearly 1,000 interviews to VHP.

The complete recorded video of Richard Overton interview may be found here:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.89813/

We encourage you – individuals and organizations alike – to follow in the footsteps of the American Red Cross to collect these important and timely stories so that future generations may learn the realities of war from people such as Richard Overton.

The Mission of the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Learn more at www.loc.gov/vets. Share your exciting VHP initiatives, programs, events, and news stories with VHP to be considered for a future RSS. Email vohp@loc.gov and place “My VHP RSS Story” in the subject line.