The country's oldest World War II veteran died Wednesday of undisclosed causes, his daughter has announced. He was 112 years old.
New Orleans resident Lawrence N. Brooks, who was also believed to have been the oldest man in the United States,was drafted into the Army in 1940, serving in the mostly Black 91st Engineer General Service Regiment in Australia, according to the National WWII Museum. Following the war, he worked as a forklift operator until he retired in his 60s.
Brooks would often say his secret to longevity was "serving God and being nice to people." He told a reporter in 2014, "I don't have no hard feelings toward nobody. I just want everything to be lovely, to come out right. I want people to have fun and enjoy themselves -- be happy and not sad."