Lawrence Brooks (American veteran)

Brooks died on January 5, 2022, in his New Orleans home, at the age of 112 years, 115 days. His daughter, Vanessa Brooks, confirmed his death to magazine Military Times hours later. She said that he had been back and forth to the New Orleans VA Hospital in recent months. After his death, actor Gary Sinise posted a tribute on Twitter. Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards also posted, saying: "I am sorry to hear of the passing of Mr. Lawrence Brooks, America’s oldest World War II veteran and a proud Louisianan". President Joe Biden referred to Brooks as "truly the best of America".

After his military service, Brooks worked as a forklift operator in New Orleans until his retirement, and he had five children. His wife, Leona, died shortly after Hurricane Katrina. In the mid-2010s, The National WWII Museum began to host an annual birthday party for Brooks. In 2020, this celebration included a flyover of World War II aircraft above Brooks's house, with the museum's "Victory Belles", a trio of singers performing songs predominantly from the 1940s era. The city of New Orleans also recognized Brooks's birthday with an official proclamation.

Brooks was drafted into the army in 1940, when he was 31. At the time, he was employed at a sawmill. He was discharged in 1941, after a year of mandatory service, but he rejoined the army after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in the 91st Engineer Battalion in the United States Army in New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II. Brooks was a soldier in the Pacific Theatre from 1941 to 1945. He reached the rank of private first class.

Lawrence Brooks (September 12, 1909 – January 5, 2022) was an American veteran of the United States Army and the oldest living man in the United States. A supercentenarian from New Orleans, Louisiana, he was the oldest living known American World War II veteran, as well as the last American man and one of the last men worldwide born in the 1900s decade.

Brooks was born on September 12, 1909. He grew up in Norwood, Louisiana, and had 14 siblings. When he was an infant, the family moved to several cities closer to the Mississippi Delta, but he was raised primarily in the small town of Stephenson. He lived too far away from a school to attend one, so he was instead taught at home.