The oldest known U.S. veteran of WWII celebrated his 110th birthday surrounded by relics of his past.
Lawrence Brooks of New Orleans celebrated the big milestone at the National WWII Museum with family, supporters, tons of birthday treats and even a serenade from a musical trio who performed war classics.
"I have made it, and I'm glad to be here,” Brooks told APTN.
The road to becoming 110 years old hasn’t quite been a walk in the park, though.
"There are so many things happen. Some of them I remember. Some of them I don't. Some of them I want to remember, and some of them I don't want to remember,” he recalled.
He served in the predominantly African American 91st Engineer Battalion stationed in the South Pacific and attained the rank of Private First Class.
Brooks is also the father of five children and five stepchildren.
"When my dad was 100, I asked him. I said, ‘Daddy how long you think you’re going to live?’” his daughter Vanessa Brooks joked. “He said, ‘To be 112, baby.’ So, he has two more years left and I’m going to hold him to that promise: 112.”
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