Richard Arvine Overton

(AP) – Born in Bastrop County, Texas, in 1906, by the time Richard 
Overton celebrated his 109th birthday on May 11 of this year, he had
already gotten used to his celebrity as America’s oldest living combat
veteran.

Having served in the Pacific theater during World War II from 1942 to
1945, Overton was part of the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation
Battalion, fighting in places like Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He says 
while he saw his share of enemy fire, “I didn’t get a scratch.” He
left the service after attaining the rank of Sergeant. 

As an ambassador for the memory of those who served, Overton has
proven himself exemplary. In that role, the Austin, Texas, native has
been regularly praised by politicians of both parties, many of whom
have come to pay tribute to him and listen to his stories of war. 

When he was the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry (below) met with
Overton on Memorial Day in 2013.