Photos: Richard Overton of Austin is oldest WWII veteran in U.S.

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Photos: Richard Overton, country's oldest WWII veteran

Austinite Richard Overton turns 109 on May 11, 2015; he is the oldest World War II veteran in the United States.

Richard Overton turned 109 on May 5, 2015, making him the nation's oldest WWII veteran. He lives in East Austin, where he spends his days sweeping pecans off of his front porch, smoking cigars and enjoying the perks of being a celebrity.

A typical day for Richard Overton starts before the sun rises, anywhere from 2 to 5 a.m. "I just wake up. I get tired of sleeping ... and then I get up," said Overton on Nov. 19, 2014, from his home in East Austin. "Then I get my cigars ... go out on the porch, sit there and smoke cigars." Overton said that he smokes up to 12 cigars a day and that the secret to his longevity is that he doesn't swallow the smoke.

At 108, Richard Overton is the nation's oldest WWII veteran. He currently lives in East Austin, where he spends his days sweeping pecans off of his front porch, driving his Ford pick-up truck around the neighborhood and smoking up to 12 cigars a day.

Richard Overton, right, lives with 90-year-old widow Earlene Love in his home in East Ausitn. Overton jokes that he is "robbing the cradle" since Love is 18 years his junior. Currently she cooks his meals, checks his mail and takes care of his doctor's appointments. "He's hard-headed," Love said about Overton. "He's a nice person, but he just won't listen."

On Nov. 29, 2014, Richard Overton showed off photographs of himself with President Barack Obama. Overton met Obama the previous year compliments of Honor Flight Austin, whose mission is to fly WWII veterans to Washington, D.C., to see memorials that honor their service. Overton attended the Veterans Day Breakfast at the White House on Nov. 11, 2013.

Richard Overton was drafted into the Army in his early 30s, fighting as a member the Army's all-black 1887th Aviation Engineer Battalion."We got shot at a lot," Overton said. "I was just lucky enough to not get hit. God was in the plan."

On Dec. 13, 2014, Richard Overton, right, ate Cheerios while his lady friend, Ms. Earlene Love, got ready for church. Overton and Love met over 10 years ago through Overton's cousin. Currently, she helps to take care of him.

As a 90-year-old widow, Ms. Earlene Love currently lives with 108-year-old Richard Overton, helping to take care of him. Love says that Overton helped her many years ago, while her mother was ill. Now, she's returning the favor. "If you're Christian, you're supposed to help people," she says.

"Don't worry about life, just try to stay in it," says 108-year-old Richard Overton, the country's oldest WWII veteran. "I stay in it, but I'm not worried about it. Nothing I can do about it. It's God's work." Overton still lives in the same East Austin home that he bought after returning from the war. He is often found on the front porch, smoking a cigar.

"If I'm not a celebrity, I should be," said 108-year-old Richard Overton, the nation's oldest WWII veteran. While Overton enjoys both local and national media attention because of his age, he also endures the sadness of outliving most of his contemporaries. "Yeah, I used to talk to them; I used to play dominoes with them. But they all died."

When asked what was his happiest day of his 108-year-long life, Richard Overton responded, "The one I'm living right now ... I'm happy today because I'm living!" Overton is the nation's oldest WWII veteran. He currently lives in East Austin.

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Richard Overton turned 109 on May 5, 2015, making him the nation's oldest WWII veteran. He lives in East Austin, where he spends his days sweeping pecans off of his front porch, smoking cigars and enjoying the perks of being a celebrity.

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