After saying the secret to his longevity, another member of the United States Army is gone after a brief battle with pneumonia. Richard Overton was born in 1906 and joined the United States Army in 1940. Overton passed away Thursday night in Austin at the age of 112.
Overton was part of an isolated unit that jumped from island to island in the Pacific during the Second World War.
In an interview, he recalled a moment of the war in Iwo Jima where the water turned into blood.
In 1945, he worked at a local furniture store in Austin, where he lived for 73 years before landing a mail job for the Treasury Department at the Texas State Capitol. Overton's cousin, Volma Overton, told ABC News that Mr. Overton had millions of dollars in checks that he had at the bank.
Overton was recognized as the oldest living American veteran of the Second World War. He was invited by former President Barack Obama, and according to KVUE, it was one of the proudest moments of his life. Then, Overton went to a Veteran's Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
Overton began a battle against pneumonia at the age of 109 and was at risk of losing his home on Hamilton Ave, in Austin which Austin City Council changed it to Richard Overton Avenue, if he decides to live in a retirement home and. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than 400,000 $ to provide home care.
Overton attributed his long life on Earth to having kept good friends, smoked a cigar every day and occasionally tasting good whiskey.
Overton lived while 21 different presidents served in the United States.
