Richard Overton: Oldest WWII veteran yet to receive headstone three years after death
Legends never die, they are immortal! Their legacy must set an example for decades to come, yet the country has deprived WWII veteran Richard Overton --the oldest World War II veteran when he died on December 27, 2018 at 112, a headstone at his gravesite. The Texas State Cemetery where Overton is resting still hasn't replied to requests to build a memorial in recognition of this great warrior of the country.
Overton, who was also the oldest living American man when he died on December 27, 2018, was buried with full military honors on January 12, 2019. Despite planning a memorial to be unveiled at his gravesite for what would have been his 114th birthday, it was abandoned, the New York Post reports.
FOX 7 Austin reported last year that Overton’s memorial experienced issues due to finances and Covid complications.
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Three months back, Overton's friend Allen Bergeron spoke to FOX 7 Austin about the memorial, hoping it would be finished by the end of 2021. Community help and a $10,000 donation put them within $900 of their goal. “It’s going to be amazing,” Bergeron said. “It’s going to be a tribute to him. It will actually be the form of a statue, actually looking toward his house, just a couple of blocks away. And he might have a cigar in his hand.”
Walking through the Texas State Cemetery this morning I noticed the grave of Richard Overton, who has been gone for 3 years now, is still a little placard.
— Tyler Norris (@TXTylerNorris) February 6, 2022
Anyone know what the deal is here? Is one coming? Is there somewhere to raise money for this? #txlege pic.twitter.com/Cudvc6ppc4
Overton was born in 1906 in Bastrop County, just outside Austin, Texas. He was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army, and was at Pearl Harbor right after the Japanese attack in 1941. The WWII veteran served in the all-Black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion from 1942 to 1945, a period that included stops in Angaur, Palau; Peleliu, Micronesia; and Iwo Jima, Japan.
Former US president Barack Obama once honored Overton in front of thousands at Arlington National Cemetery in 2013. “His service on the battlefield was not always matched by the respect that he deserved at home. But this veteran held his head high,” Obama said. In his later years, Overton could often be seen on the porch of his home, which he built in East Austin in 1945. He credited God for his long life, but also said his love of cigars and whiskey helped. “I've been smoking cigars since I was 18 years old, I’m still smoking them. Twelve a day,” he said proudly.
Hopefully, this legend will get the recognition and honor he deserves posthumously!
