When you've lived for 112 years, there's not a lot someone can give you for your birthday that you haven't already received. That's why Richard Overton, America's oldest World War II veteran, is thinking big.
"I want a million dollars if you're going to give it to me," he said Thursday from the front porch of his East Austin home.
Overton was born in Bastrop County in 1906 and enlisted in the Army in 1940. He served in the South Pacific from 1940-1945. He left the Army in 1945 and eventually settled in Austin, working for a furniture company and later the Texas Department of the Treasury.
Looking forward to his 112th year, he said he has one goal: “I’m looking to live is about the main thing.”
Overton still smokes his favorite cigars, Tampa Sweets, every day while sitting on his porch.
A birthday party will be thrown for him at his home on Hamilton Avenue today from 4 to 7 p.m. The celebration is open to the public.
