There was a time when this country’s oldest living war veteran fought in the Civil War. But time passes, and today Richard Overton turns 109 years young. He’s the oldest surviving American war veteran, as far as anyone can tell, and definitely the oldest living WWII vet.
Overton, who was born in Bastrop County, Texas in 1906, was deployed to the South Pacific from 1942 through 1945, including Hawaii, Guam, Palau, and Iwo Jima. He left the army in 1945 at the rank of sergeant.
He worked at furniture stores before taking a position with the Texas Department of the Treasury in Austin, where he worked for the rest of his working days. You might remember him from a Fox News Memorial Day spotlight story in 2013, when he said his secrets to good health are cigars and whiskey-kicked coffee.
So what does a 109-year-old, cigar-chomping, rye-sippin’ veteran keep as his home defense armament? Now we know.
In this video, Overton shows how awesomely old-school he is, pulling guns from a corner and a bureau—and not a one was made after the second half of the last century. Unfortunately, they aren’t identified by name. First is what appears to be an older Browning A5. If it was made between 1940 and 1946, it was produced by Remington, as the FN plants in Europe were busy dealing with being controlled by the Nazis. FN resumed producing the A5 in 1952.
Next he holds up two revolvers, which he assures us are loaded. The first is what I think looks like a Colt Police Positive, but I could certainly be wrong on that. The second is a Colt Single Action Army pattern pistol. Truly classic.
Overton parts with a simple birthday wish, “Another good, happy day. If they give me that, I’ll be happy with it.” Right on.