Army and World War II veteran Lawrence Brooks was adorned with kisses Thursday as he celebrated his 110th birthday in New Orleans at the National WWII Museum.
The New Orleans-native was honored in an annual tradition that started in 2014 at the museum. Brooks said the secret to a long life is to be nice to people.
Brooks served in the Pacific Theater in New Guinea and the Philippines in the predominantly African-American 91st Engineer Battalion that helped make runways for planes. Brooks chuckled as he recounted how he was in a C-47 plane similar to the one hanging in the museum’s ceiling when the engine failed and only the pilot and co-pilot had parachutes.