I read this morning that the world’s oldest known living military Veteran passed away last Thursday at 110.

Gertrude Noone: WW II Veteran and a great American

I wanted to put up a quick post to honor this courageous and patriotic American hero, so that more people would know about her life and her recent passing.

From the LA Times:

Gertrude Noone was a 44-year-old insurance policy clerk for Travelers in Hartford, Conn., in 1943 when she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps.

When she died peacefully Thursday morning at age 110 at an assisted-living facility in Milford, Conn., she was the oldest known living military veteran in the world — a fact that made her proud.

“Oh, she loved it,” Deborah Woods, a grandniece, said Friday. “She felt it was important to serve when she did during World War II.”

Noone, who rose to the rank of sergeant first class, was chief clerk of the large dispensary at Ft. Myer, Va., by the time she left the Army in 1949. She then worked as an administrative assistant at a private psychiatric hospital in Stamford, Conn., until retiring in 1962.

Make sure to read the entire story, but this excerpt is my favorite:

Although Woods said her “fiercely independent” great-aunt “was winding down a bit” over the last year, she continued to read the daily newspaper and watch CNN. She also made a point of voting in the presidential election in November.

“She voted for John McCain,” Woods said, “but she wondered if maybe he was too old to be president.”

Rest in Peace, Gertrude. Your remarkable work and time on this Earth is done.