America’s oldest living veteran has some advice for those who like to enjoy life’s guilty pleasures along the way.
Richard Overton celebrated his 110th birthday last May. The World War II veteran says he’s still walking, still talking, and if you can believe it, he still drives his beloved Ford pickup truck. Overton explained why he likes to drive himself in a short feature produced by National Geographic.
“I like to drive myself because other drivers, they drive me crazy,” Overton laughed.
Overton, who joined the US Army in 1940, said he sticks to his self-described “Overton diet” every day. What’s in the Overton diet? Well, four cups of coffee every morning. Sometimes, he says, he enjoys just as much whiskey with his coffee. He also drinks plenty of milk and eats lots of fish, corn, and soup.
But the most important part of his diet is his nightly ice cream.
“I eat ice cream every night,” said Overton, whose favorite flavor is butter pecan. “If you wanna buy any, you buy butter pecan.”
Overton also enjoys at least a dozen cigars every day. But he insists he’s doing it, as he says, “the healthy way.”
“It just, it makes you feel better,” he said. “But you can’t inhale. Best to go ahead and just blow it (the smoke) out and let it go and forget about swallowing it. If you swallow it, ain’t not taste to it, just makes you cough. I’m doing it the healthy way.”
The Austin, Texas resident credits his cats as giving him motivation to keep going.
“I help those cats and they keep me happy,” he said, beaming. “I tell the truth, they keep me happy. I want to see my cats every morning.”
The Army veteran says going to church helps him “push along” the beaten path of life, and that it helps you learn how to live better and how to treat people.
He says you don’t have to take his advice. But if you don’t, you’re doing so at your own risk.
“I’m giving you some of my secrets to a long life. If you don’t use it, that’s your bad luck,” Overton said. “I may give out but I never give up.”
A GoFundMe account has been established to help Overton remain living in his home instead of a nursing home. If you'd like more information, or to donate, click here.
