NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Music and thoughtful tributes filled a portion of The National WWII Museum where family and friends gathered Saturday to remember Lawrence Brooks, the oldest World War II veteran who died earlier this month. Brooks, who died Jan. 5, was 112. During the service, Brooks’ flag-draped coffin was front and center. The museum’s Victory Belles _ whom Brooks loved to hear perform _ were among several to pay tribute to his life, harmoniously singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “Amazing Grace.” The museum’s president and chief executive, Stephen J. Watson, offered condolences. Brooks has said the secret to his longevity is to be nice to people.
Gerald Herbert/AP
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2019 file photo, World War II veteran Lawrence Brooks holds a photo of him taken in 1943, as he celebrates his 110th birthday at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Brooks celebrated his 112th birthday, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021 with a drive-by party at his New Orleans home hosted by the National War War II Museum. Drafted in 1940, Brooks was a private in the Army’s mostly Black 91st Engineer Battalion. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
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