D. Clarke Evans Photographer

Richard Overton

Corporal, U.S. Army
1940–1945

Pvt. Richard Overton
Fort San Houston, TX, 1940

I’ve seen a lot of stuff in my life, been called a lot of names.

I was born in 1906 in Austin, Texas. My parents had a little farm out there. My grandfather came from Nashville, Tennessee to Austin after slavery ended. My grandfather’s mother was a slave. The master’s son—she was his wench. She had nine kids by him. They gave her money to come down to Austin. They were not share croppers. They were land owners. They had a big ol’ reunion in July, 1991 at the Plantation in Memphis. They had something over 100 white folks.

I joined the Army on September 3, 1940; I was in my 30’s. I was in the South Pacific in the 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion. I was on several islands including Hawaii, Guam, Palau and Iwo Jima. I went to island to island to island. Those Japanese would be in the trees and we’d have to take them down. When we got through, there was nothing left but the stem of the tree.

Then we would get on a ship and go to the next island and do the same thing. I never gave it a thought that I wouldn’t get out of there. I just did what they said; when they said go, I just go. Uncle Sam said go, God said live. They were segregated then. I was in the infantry with a rifle. I was a good marksman. I didn’t think nothing of it (the Army). I was glad to get rid of it. Shooting at me. Damn bullet come right on you, miss me and hit you. They tried to get me to go back in. Recently, they tried to get me to go back over there to Iwo Jima. I told them no way. I don’t want to see those Japanese. When I got through with that, it was over. I was burnt out.

Got out in 1945 and built this house. I worked at a furniture store. Man made me go to work the first week I got home—Gage Furniture. From Gage I went to work for the state. I helped with the mail and I worked for the state treasury. My job was to go to the bank and make deposits. I would take millions of dollars in a golf cart. Every time I retired, four times, I had to go back because they lose the mail. Wouldn’t carry it right. Every time I got home and stayed there about a month, they called me back in. I would work for a year, quit. They’d call me back, quit, they’d call me back. Finally, I said, ‘Damn y’all, I’m going to quit.’ I retired in 1967. I was 75.

I’m 111, still walking, still talking. Damn doctor took one of my eyes out after 60 years. I went there one day; I had a cataract on this eye. Sixty years I haven’t seen shit. He burned this eye up. I see alright out of the other one. I been here since 1945. I bought some more houses around here. I gave a house to my sister, and several houses to my other sister.

In 2013 I was invited to the White House and visited with President Barack Obama. Spurs honored me on Military Appreciation Day earlier this year and presented me with a jersey. Wheeled me out to the center court at halftime and announced Richard Overton. All the guys ran out. Gave me that jersey; had 110 on for the jersey number.

They tell me I am the U.S.’s verified oldest living World War II veteran and the oldest living man in the United States. That’s nice. My favorite past time is sitting on my front porch and smoking my cigars. {06-09-2017 • Austin, TX}