On Thursday, Dec. 27, U.S. Army veteran Richard Overton died after being hospitalized with pneumonia.
He was the oldest living World War II veteran and considered the oldest man in the United States.
During World War II, Overton volunteered for the U.S. Army, already in his 30s at the time. He served in the Pacific with the 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion, an all-black unit.
In 2013, Overton was honored by President Barack Obama at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery:
“He was there at Pearl Harbor when the battleships were still smoldering. He was there at Okinawa. He was there at Iwo Jima, where he said. ‘I only got out of there by the grace of God.”‘
Overton once said that the secret to life is Scotch and cigars.
He is remembered by many for his optimism and ability to live for the simple things in life.