Free Republic

America’s oldest veteran, Richard Overton, who served in the Army during World War II and credited God, whiskey and cigars for his remarkable longevity, died Thursday in Texas at the age of 112, reports say. He had been hospitalized for the last week with pneumonia, his family said.

The oldest living World War II veteran and oldest living man in the U.S. turns 112 Friday, and his family and friends are celebrating by inviting everyone to stop by and see him. Richard Overton, born in 1906, still lives in east Austin in the house he built 72 years ago. Overton moved into the house, now on a street named after him, in 1946, and still spends his days on his front porch, smoking cigars and drinking whiskey. "I feel fine every day," Overton told a gaggle of reporters and photographers gathered outside his home on Thursday. "No pain...

AUSTIN — Richard Overton is right where he wants to be. He’s sitting in a lawn chair on the front porch of the Austin home he built nearly 70 years ago, working on his fifth Tampa Sweet cigar on a 91-degree sunny day. The smooth tunes of the Isley Brothers flow from a portable speaker. Birds are chirping in the late afternoon breeze. “I’m feeling pretty good today,” Overton says, emphasizing the word pretty, because any day spent on this porch smoking cigars is a pretty good day for the 111-year-old. This is where you’ll find the nation’s oldest veteran...

America’s oldest veteran is Richard Overton who was 109-years-old when this video was filmed by National Geographic. He has since celebrated two more birthdays and is now 111 years old. He was born on May 11, 1906, and has lived in the same house since 1945. This cigar-smoking Veteran has lived more years than most of us could imagine. His Overton diet includes multiple cups of coffee and butter pecan ice cream. His secrets to life aren’t complicated and he has the attitude of Never Give Up!

After more than 111 years of living, the nation's oldest veteran was treated to an unexpected first: a trip on a private jet. On Saturday, Austin's Richard Overton was flown to Washington, D.C., for a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The trip was made possible by billionaire Austin businessman and philanthropist Robert F. Smith. Last Friday, Smith spent a couple hours visiting Overton, believed to be the oldest man in America, at Overton's home. Overton mentioned that one day, he'd like to visit the museum, where Smith donated $20 million. The next morning, Overton...