Emma Didlake (March 13, 1904 – August 16, 2015) was an African-American supercentenarian.[1] She served in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.[2]
Emma Didlake | |
|---|---|
 Didlake meeting with President Obama in July 2015 | |
| Born | March 13, 1904 Boligee, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | August 16, 2015 (aged 111 years, 156 days) West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps |
| Awards |  American Campaign Medal Women's Army Corps Service Medal World War II Victory Medal |
Early life and education
editDidlake was born in Boligee, Alabama, in 1904.[3]
At a young age, Didlake and her family moved to Kentucky, where she married a coal miner in 1922 and later stayed to raise her own family.[4][2]
Career
editIn 1943, when she was 38 years old and the mother of five children, Didlake enlisted in the WAAC. She told the San Antonio Express-News that she joined the Army because she "wanted to do different things."[2] She served stateside as a private and a driver.
For her service in World War II, Didlake earned the Women's Army Corps Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal.[5]
After service
editAfter leaving the service, Didlake and her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she lived until her death. Soon after moving to Detroit, Didlake joined the local NAACP chapter. In 1963, she marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.[citation needed]
In 2013, Didlake was awarded the James Weldon Johnson lifetime achievement award at Detroit NAACP's 58th annual Freedom Fund Dinner.[6]
On July 17, 2015, at 111 years old, Didlake visited Washington, D.C., on an honorary trip that included meeting President Barack Obama and touring several historic monuments, including the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, where she received mementos from retired Brigadier General Wilma Vaught. The trip was organized and funded by Talons Out Honor Flight, a division of the Honor Flight Network.[7]
At their meeting in the Oval Office, Didlake sat in her wheelchair in the same spot where foreign leaders sit when they meet the president in the White House.[8] President Obama praised Didlake for her "trailblazing" service as one of the female and African American veterans who helped to integrate the U.S. Army.[9][10]
Didlake attributed her longevity to a diet with a great deal of fruits and vegetables. Each day, she would also eat golden raisins that she had soaked in vodka overnight.[11]
Death and legacy
editAbout a month after visiting the White House, Didlake fell ill. She died on August 16, 2015, at 111 years old. She is survived by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.[12]
On August 19, President Obama issued the following statement to honor Didlake's death:
Emma Didlake served her country with distinction and honor, a true trailblazer for generations of Americans who have sacrificed so much for their country. I was humbled and grateful to welcome Emma to the White House last month, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to Emma's family, friends, and everyone she inspired over her long and quintessentially American life.[13]
With Didlake's death, the oldest known veteran (World War II) became Frank Levingston.[14]
Awards and decorations
edit|
|
|
|
| Women's Army Corps Service Medal | American Campaign Medal | World War II Victory Medal |
References
edit- ^ "Woman Believed to Be Nation's Oldest Veteran Dies at Age 111". The New York Times. August 17, 2015.
- ^ a b c "VFW Magazine June/July 2015 Page 44". Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "White House Hosts 111-Year-Old World War II Veteran". ABC News. 2015-08-17. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
- ^ "Oldest living veteran is a 110-year-old black woman". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "President Obama Meets With Emma Didlake, Oldest Living U.S. Veteran". The Huffington Post. 18 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "110-year-old veteran, and Alabama native, to meet Obama". 16 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "Honoring Our Nation's Oldest Veteran, Emma Didlake". Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "Emma Didlake: Army driver in the Second World War who met Barack Obama as the United States' oldest known veteran". Independent.co.uk. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "Oldest living veteran is a 110-year-old black woman". New York Daily News. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "110-Year-old veteran Emma Didlake honored by President Obama". MSNBC. 18 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "Oldest living veteran is a 111-year-old black woman". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "Oldest known U.S. veteran Emma Didlake dies". CNN. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "Emma Didlake, America's oldest known veteran, dies at 111". Mashable. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ^ "America's oldest known veteran, Emma Didlake, dies at 110". 17 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
External links
edit
Media related to Emma Didlake at Wikimedia Commons