WAY BARS AND CLUBS OPERATE.
2-ROBERT:OLDEST MAN - AND
WORLD WAR TWO OLDEST MAN - AND
THE NATION'S 2-ROBERT:THE
NATION'S OLDEST MAN - AND
WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN,
AUSTINITE RICHARD OVERTON, HAS
DIED AT THE AGE OF 112.
2-SYDNEY:HIS FAMILY CONFIRMED
THAT FOR US TONIGHT.VOLMA
OVERTON, JUNIOR -- HIS COUSIN
-- SAYS QUOTE: "WE'RE TRULY
GONNA MISS HIM. HE WAS THE JOY
OF OUR DAYS."ROBERT:HE ADDED:
"WE ARE TRULY BLESSED FOR
EVERYONE WHO HAS SHOWN SUPPORT
AND PRAYERS, EVERYONE WHO WAS
ENCOURAGING TO HIM AND OUR
FAMILY. WE ARE SO THANKFUL."
TONIGHT WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT
MR. OVERTON'S MILITARY
SERVICE, AND RECENT RISE INTO
THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT. SIX
YEARS BEFORE THE TITANIC
SANK... AND NEARLY A DECADE
BEFORE WORLD WAR ONE BEGAN...
RICHARD OVERTON: "MAY 11TH,
1906"RICHARD OVERTON WAS BORN
IN BASTROP COUNTY.RICHARD
OVERTON: "BETWEEN LOCKHART AND
BASTROP"WHEN OVERTON WAS 35
YEARS OLD...FRANKLIN
ROOSEVELT: "YESTERDAY,
DECEMBER 7, 1941, A DATE WHICH
WILL LIVE IN INFAMY"THE
JAPANESE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR
-- THROWING THE U-S INTO WORLD
WAR TWO.OVERTON ENLISTED NINE
MONTHS LATER.RICHARD OVERTON:
"I LIKED IT WHEN I FIRST WENT
IN"HE JOINED AN ALL-BLACK
MILITARY UNIT IN 1942 --
RICHARD OVERTON: "I ALWAYS
LIKED TO HUNT. I ALWAYS KEPT
MANY GUNS."BECOMING A SKILLED
SHARPSHOOTER.OVERTON ROSE TO
THE RANK OF CORPORAL --
SERVING IN PLACES LIKE PEARL
HARBOR, IWO JIMA AND
OKINAWA... WHERE HE CAME UNDER
FIRE.RICHARD OVERTON: "IT'S
ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU'RE
LUCKY TO GET OUT
OF, 'CAUSE IT'S A WAR LOT OF
WAR... A LOT OF TROOPS GOT
KILLED."AFTER THE WAR ENDED --
OVERTON RETIRED... AND BUILT
HIS EAST AUSTIN HOME... WHEN
THE CITY HAD JUST 100-THOUSAND
PEOPLE.RICHARD OVERTON: "ALL
THESE BIG
BUILDINGS, THESE HIGHWAYS,
THESE TREES, I SEEN ALL OF
THIS AUSTIN GO UP."70 YEARS
AFTER FIGHTING IN WORLD WAR
TWO -- PRESIDENT OBAMA INVITED
OVERTON TO SPEND VETERANS DAY
2013 IN WASHINGTON.PRESIDENT
BARACK OBAMA: "RICHARD STILL
LIVES IN THE HOUSE HE BUILT
ALL THOSE YEARS AGO, RAKES HIS
OWN LAWN AND EVERY SUNDAY, HE
HOPS IN HIS 1971 FORD TRUCK
AND DRIVES ONE OF NICE LADIES
IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD TO CHURCH"
AND THE ATTENTION DID NOT STOP
THERE...IN THE SAME YEAR -- HE
WAS CONGRATULATED ON HIS
BIRTHDAY BY FORMER GOVERNOR
RICK PERRY -- R-O-T-C MEMBERS
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
AND AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
PAINTED HIS HOUSE AND
LANDSCAPED HIS YARD.RICHARD
OVERTON: "I APPRECIATE IT"AT
109 -- HE SPENT VETERANS DAY
IN THE HOSPITAL... BATTLING
PNEUMONIA.MARTIN WILFORD: "HE
WANTS TO LET EVERYONE KNOW HE
WILL BE JUST FINE."AND HE
WAS... RINGING IN 110 WITH
HUNDREDS OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS
A FEW MONTHS LATER.RICHARD
OVERTON: "I FEEL THAT I MADE A
RECORD. IT'S A RECORD THAT
NOBODY HAD MADE YET."HIS
SECRET?NOT AN APPLE A DAY...
RICHARD OVERTON: "I STARTED
SMOKING CIGARS WHEN I WAS 18
YEARS OLD."RICHARD OVERTON:
"I'M STILL SMOKING CIGARS BUT
I DON'T INHALE THE SMOKE.
THAT'S THE REASON MY HEART AND
EVERYTHING IS SO PERFECT."HIS
ADVICE FOR LIVING A HEALTHY,
LONG LIFE...RICHARD OVERTON:
"I'D ASK THEM TO STAY BUSY AND
TALK TO THE LORD AND LIVE WITH
THE LORD. DON'T LIVE WITH THE
PEOPLE. LIVE WITH THE LORD.
LET HIM TAKE CARE OF YOU."
ROBERT:TOWARD THE END OF 2016
MR. OVERTON NEEDED
ROUND-THE-CLOCK CARE AT HOME.
BUT HE COULD NOT AFFORD IT --
AND V-A BENEFITS DID NOT COVER
IT.SO HIS FAMILY REACHED OUT
FOR HELP.SINCE THAT TIME, THE
ACCOUNT HAS RAISED MORE THAN
$450-THOUSAND DOLLARS, FROM
