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A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 6 Januari 2022

Oldest US veteran of WWII, Lawrence N. Brooks, dies at 112

Originally from Norwood, Australia compared with the had to dig foxholes to protect
Louisiana, near Baton Rouge, U.S. But Brooks told Crean themselves.
Brooks’ family moved to the thinking about it would make
Mississippi Delta when he him angry, so he tried not to. He was discharged from the
was an infant. He was one of During his oral history inter- Army in August 1945 as a pri-
15 children, and lived too far view, Brooks said the officers vate first class.
from the nearest school, so he cared for treated him well
his parents taught him what and he considered himself When he returned from ser-
they could at home. fortunate not to have to fight vice, he worked as a forklift
in combat. driver until retiring in his
Brooks was working at a saw- 60s. He has five children,
mill when he was drafted into “I got lucky. I was saying to five stepchildren, and doz-
the U.S. Army in 1940. After myself, ‘If I’m going to be ens of grandchildren and
Japan’s attack on Pearl Har- shooting at somebody, some- great-grandchildren. He lost
bor, he was assigned to the body’s going to be shooting his wife, Leona, shortly after
mostly Black 91st Engineer at me and he might get lucky Hurricane Katrina.
General Service Regiment and hit,’” he said.
stationed in Australia. That 2005 disaster destroyed
(AP) — Lawrence N. long life, he often said, “serv- He often told the story about his home. Then in his late
Brooks, the oldest World ing God and being nice to Later in the war, troop losses a time when he was a pas- 90s, he was evacuated from
War II veteran in the U.S. people.” virtually forced the military senger in a C-47 aircraft de- his home’s roof via helicop-
— and believed to be the to begin placing more African livering a load of barbed wire ter. His daughter described
oldest man in the country “I don’t have no hard feel- American troops into com- to the front when one of the him as “resilient.”
— died on Wednesday at ings toward nobody,” he said bat positions. In 1941, fewer transport plane’s engines
the age of 112. during a 2014 oral history than 4,000 African Americans went out. “He’s been through a lot.
interview with the museum. were serving in the military. He’s real tough, and that’s
His death was announced by “I just want everything to be By 1945, that number in- After they dumped the cargo one thing I learned from
the National WWII Museum lovely, to come out right. I creased to more than 1.2 mil- to conserve weight, he made him. If nothing else, he in-
and confirmed by his daugh- want people to have fun and lion. his way to the cockpit. He stilled in me, ‘Do your best
ter. enjoy themselves — be happy told the pilot and co-pilot and whatever you can’t do, it
and not sad.” The 91st, where Brooks that since they were the only don’t make no sense to worry
Most African Americans served, was an Army unit two with parachutes, if they about it,’” she told the AP. “I
serving in the segregated U.S. On sunny days, Brooks was that built bridges, roads and had to jump for it, he was go- think that’s why he has lived
armed forces at the beginning known for sitting on the front airstrips for planes. Brooks ing to grab on to one of them. as long as he has.”
of World War II were assigned porch of the double shotgun was assigned as a caretaker to
to noncombat units and rel- house he shared with daugh- three white officers. His job “We made it, though,” he said Starting with his 105th birth-
egated to service duties, such ter Vanessa Brooks in the was to cook, drive and take during the 2014 oral history day, the museum began
as supply, maintenance and Central City neighborhood care of their clothes. interview, laughing. “We had throwing him annual birth-
transportation, said Col. Pete of New Orleans. Neighbors a big laugh about that.” day parties. His favorite part
Crean, vice president of edu- would call out to the local Brooks did not often speak of the celebration was watch-
cation and access at the mu- celebrity, wave and bring him publicly about the discrimi- Despite not being in combat, ing the Victory Belles, a trio
seum in New Orleans. soda and snacks. nation he and other Black Brooks did experience enemy performing the music of the
soldiers faced in the war, or fire during the war. He said 1940s. During the corona-
“The reason for that was out- Brooks was passionate about the discrimination his family the Japanese would some- virus pandemic in 2020 and
right racism — there’s no the New Orleans Saints foot- faced in the Jim Crow Deep times bomb Owen Island, 2021, the museum organized
other way to characterize it,” ball team and never missed a South, his daughter said. where he worked. He said he a parade in front of his home
Crean said. game, his daughter said. His learned to tell the difference with brass bands and Krewe
church, St. Luke’s Episcopal, Crean, who got to know between the sounds of Japa- of Zulu warriors in full rega-
But Brooks, born on Sept. was also close to his heart and Brooks and his family through nese, American and German lia.
12, 1909, was known for his he never missed a Sunday his work at the museum, said planes approaching.
good-natured sense of hu- service until the coronavirus Brooks did talk about notic- “Even at 112, Mr. Brooks
mor, positivity and kindness. pandemic hit. ing how much better he was “We’d be running like crazy, stood up for a little bit and
When asked for his secret to a treated as a Black man in trying to hide,” he said. They danced,” Crean said.

Philadelphia fire kills at least 13, including 7 children

(AP) — Fire tore through ficials shaken by the death remained blocked off in were able to escape the blaze.
a duplex home early toll — apparently the highest midafternoon as investiga- Rabiya Turner said she rushed People gathered at the school
Wednesday in Philadel- in a single fire in the city in tors worked. Onlookers and to the home this morning to for warmth and someone to
phia, killing 13 people, at least a century — vowed to neighbors had largely mi- bring clothes to cousins who talk to, she said.
including seven chil- get to the bottom of it. grated to a nearby elemen-
dren, fire officials said. tary school, where relatives
At least two people were Officials did not release the and friends of the home’s
sent to hospitals, and of- names or ages of those killed residents gathered to wait for
ficials warned the toll in the blaze, which started news.
could grow as firefighters before 6:30 a.m. As many
searched the rowhome, as eight residents appear to A small group of people, some
where 26 people had been have been able to escape the wrapped in Salvation Army
staying. fire, which burned in a resi- blankets, stared down 23rd
dential area of the Fairmount Street, where the blaze hap-
The four smoke alarms in neighborhood, northwest of pened, hugging one another
the building, which was pub- downtown and home to the and crying. Several friends of
lic housing, do not appear to Philadelphia Museum of Art the children stopped by the
have been working, fire of- and its famous “Rocky steps.” school, hoping for informa-
ficials said. The blaze’s cause tion, after their texts and calls
was not determined, but of- Streets around the fire scene went unanswered.