Lawrence Brooks, a Black man honored as the oldest World War II veteran in the United States, has stories for years about his experience serving in a segregated U.S. Army. “An old sergeant told me that the best thing I could do was do what I was told, and keep my mouth shut,” he told Nola.com. “But I’d already been able to get along with everybody.” Pictured with bright red lipstick on his cheek, Brooks’ effect on people obviously hadn’t worn off. He was honored Thursday on his 110th birthday at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, and the birthday puts him in the company of fewer than 500 verified “supercentenarians” worldwide, according to Nola.com. “That makes me feel good,” Brooks told the news site. “Yes, indeed it does.” Brooks served in the U.S. Army between 1940 and 1945, attained the rank of Private 1st Class during the war and was stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines as part of a predominately Black unit dubbed the 91st Engineer Battalion, according to Fox News. He was drafted at 31 years old at a time during which all men up to 45 years old were required to […]

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