Oldest WWII veteran to be remembered at museum service

NEW ORLEANS, La. (KALB) - Family and friends of Lawrence Brooks, a New Orleans man who was the oldest World War II veteran in the country when he died earlier this month, will gather to remember him at a special ceremony on January 15, 2022.

Funeral services will be held at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans where Brooks celebrated his birthday for the past several years. The service is for invited relatives, friends and guests but also will be live-streamed on the museum’s website.

Brooks was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1940. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, he was assigned to the mostly Black 91st Engineer General Service Regiment stationed in Australia. He eventually earned the rank of private first class.

Brooks died on January 5 at the age of 112. He was also believed to be the oldest living man in the country.

His wife, Leona, died in 2008. He is survived by five children, 13 grandchildren, and 32 great-grandchildren.

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