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Hey, history lovers. I'm Mike Rosenwald with Retropod, a show about the past, rediscovered.

Last month, the nation's oldest living World War II veteran died. His name was Richard Overton.

He was 112 years old. No, really, he was 112.

By some accounts,

Overton was also the oldest living man in the United States.

Over the past two decades,

as the nation mourned hundreds of thousands of members

of the greatest generation,

Overton plugged along in the Austin, Texas home that he bought

for a few thousand bucks in 1945. As his years piled up, so did his honors. Austin named a street

after him when he was governor, Rick Perry came to visit with Overton on his porch.

And in 2013, President Obama celebrated Overton on Veterans Day,

inviting him to a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery,

where he recounted his days in the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

Everybody, I want you to know a little something by Mr. Overton here.

He was there at Pearl Harbor when the battleships were still smoldering.

He was there at Okinawa.

He was there at Iwo Jima, where he said, I only got out of there by the grace of God.

After the war, Overton worked in furniture stores and later became a courier for the Texas State Treasurer.

He married twice, but didn't have any children.

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