World Warfare II veteran Richard Overton nonetheless has not obtained a gravestone on the Texas State Cemetery.
AP
Richard Overton, who was the oldest World Warfare II veteran when he died in 2018 at 112, continues to be ready on a gravestone for his grave at Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.
Overton, who was additionally the oldest residing American man when he died on Dec. 27, 2018, was buried with full army honors on Jan. 12, 2019.
A memorial for Overton had initially been deliberate to be unveiled at his gravesite on his 114th birthday, which was Might 11, 2020. Final 12 months, FOX 7 Austin reported that Overton’s deliberate memorial had hit snags due to monetary points and problems from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November, Overton’s good friend Allen Bergeron informed FOX 7 Austin that he hoped the memorial can be completed by the tip of the 12 months, however pinpointed provide chain points as one other challenge hampering the memorial. He stated neighborhood assist and a beneficiant donation of $10,000 had put them inside $900 of their aim.
“It’s going to be wonderful,” Bergeron stated of the memorial. “It’s going to be a tribute to him. It can truly be the type of a statue, truly trying towards his home, simply a few blocks away. And he may need a cigar in his hand.”
Overton, who was additionally considered the oldest residing American, was born in 1906 in Bastrop County, simply outdoors Austin, Texas.
Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Military, and was at Pearl Harbor proper after the Japanese assault in 1941.
The WWII veteran served within the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion from 1942 to 1945, a interval that included stops in Angaur, Palau; Peleliu, Micronesia; and Iwo Jima, Japan.
On Veterans Day in 2013, former President Barack Obama honored Overton in entrance of 1000's at Arlington Nationwide Cemetery. “His service on the battlefield was not all the time matched by the respect that he deserved at residence. However this veteran held his head excessive,” Obama stated.
In his later years, Overton might typically be seen on the porch of his residence, which he in-built East Austin in 1945. He credited God for his lengthy life, but in addition stated his love of cigars and whiskey helped. “I been smoking cigars from after I was 18 years outdated, I’m nonetheless a smoking them. Twelve a day,” he stated.
The Texas State Cemetery didn't instantly reply to a request for remark.
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