List of notable surviving veterans of World War II
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This is a list of notable surviving veterans of World War II (1939–1945). A total of 168 veterans are listed.
A
8 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Daniel Abraham | August 15, 1924 | Businessman, philanthropist | US Army | United States | 100 years, 166 days |
| Valdas Adamkus | November 3, 1926 | President of Lithuania | Lithuanian resistance | Lithuania | 98 years, 86 days |
| Lee Adams | August 14, 1924 | Musician | US Army | United States | 100 years, 167 days |
| Marshall Allen | May 25, 1924 | Musician | US Army | United States | 100 years, 248 days |
| Walter Althammer | March 12, 1928 | Politician | Heer | Germany | 96 years, 322 days |
| Ray Anthony | January 20, 1922 | Bandleader and trumpeter | US Navy | United States | 103 years, 8 days |
| George Ariyoshi | March 12, 1926 | Governor of Hawaii (1974–1986) | US Army | United States | 98 years, 322 days |
| Stanisław Aronson | May 6, 1925 | Order of Polonia Restituta recipient | Home Army | Poland | 99 years, 267 days |
B
17 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Ball | December 4, 1923 | Actor | Royal Australian Air Force | Australia | 101 years, 55 days |
| Karlheinz Bauer | April 24, 1928 | Former head of Bauer Group | Heer | Germany | 96 years, 279 days |
| William J. Bauer | September 15, 1926 | Federal judge | US Army | United States | 98 years, 135 days |
| V. J. Bella | July 29, 1927 | American politician | US Marine Corps | United States | 97 years, 183 days |
| Alan Bergman | September 11, 1925 | Songwriter | US Army | United States | 99 years, 139 days |
| Rasammah Bhupalan | May 1, 1927 | Social activist | Indian National Army | Azad Hind | 97 years, 272 days |
| Walter Bingham | January 5, 1924 | Journalist | British Army | United Kingdom | 101 years, 23 days |
| Harry Blank | May 24, 1925 | Politician | Canadian Army | Canada | 99 years, 249 days |
| Daoud Bokhary | January 15, 1920 | Businessman | British Indian Army | British India | 105 years, 13 days |
| Jacques Borker | September 29, 1922 | Artist | French Resistance | Free France | 102 years, 121 days |
| Hugo Broch | January 6, 1922 | World War II flying ace | Luftwaffe | Germany | 103 years, 22 days |
| Mel Brooks | June 28, 1926 | Director, actor, producer | US Army, Battle of the Bulge | United States | 98 years, 214 days |
| Stephen Brown | October 3, 1924 | Judge | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve | United Kingdom | 100 years, 117 days |
| Walt Brown | July 28, 1926 | Politician | US Navy | United States | 98 years, 184 days |
| Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin | February 17, 1924 | 11th Earl of Elgin | British Army, Scots Guards | United Kingdom | 100 years, 346 days |
| Arthur E. Bryson | October 7, 1925 | Control theorist | US Navy | United States | 99 years, 113 days |
| Charles Burrell | October 4, 1920 | Musician | US Navy | United States | 104 years, 116 days |
C
7 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Skene Catling | February 14, 1925 | Journalist, author | Royal Canadian Air Force | Canada | 99 years, 349 days |
| Tony Christopher, Baron Christopher | April 25, 1925 | Businessman, trade unionist, tax official | Royal Air Force | United Kingdom | 99 years, 278 days |
| Marthe Cohn | April 13, 1920 | Author, spy | French Army | France | 104 years, 290 days |
| Ena Collymore-Woodstock | September 10, 1917 | Solicitor, magistrate | Auxiliary Territorial Service | United Kingdom | 107 years, 140 days |
| Tom Copeland | April 17, 1924 | Politician | US Army | United States | 100 years, 286 days |
| John Thomas Copenhaver Jr. | September 29, 1925 | Federal judge | US Army | United States | 99 years, 121 days |
| John Cruickshank | May 20, 1920 | Recipient of the Victoria Cross | British Army
Royal Air Force |
United Kingdom | 104 years, 253 days |
D
8 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Danziger | November 17, 1923 | Graphic designer, professor | US Army | United States | 101 years, 72 days |
| Klaus von Dohnanyi | June 23, 1928 | Politician, First Mayor of Hamburg | Volkssturm | Germany | 96 years, 219 days |
| William I. Donnermeyer Sr. | September 19, 1924 | Politician | US Navy | United States | 100 years, 131 days |
| Bruce L. Douglas | July 14, 1925 | Politician | US Navy | United States | 99 years, 198 days |
| Karl-Heinz Drews | December 22, 1929 | General | Volkssturm
Wehrmacht |
Germany | 95 years, 37 days |
| Roy Drinkard | July 12, 1920 | Businessman | US Marine Corps | United States | 104 years, 200 days |
| Charles C. Droz | July 8, 1924 | Politician | US Army | United States | 100 years, 204 days |
| Patrick Duffy | June 17, 1920 | President of the NATO Assembly | Fleet Air Arm | United Kingdom | 104 years, 225 days |
E
3 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Einwag | March 18, 1928 | Lawyer | Heer | Germany | 96 years, 316 days |
| Juan Ponce Enrile | February 14, 1924 | Lawyer | Philippine Navy | Philippines | 100 years, 349 days |
| Anthony Eyton | May 17, 1923 | Artist | British Army | United Kingdom | 101 years, 256 days |
F
8 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josef-Gerhard Farkas | July 13, 1929 | Hungariologist | Volkssturm | Germany | 95 years, 199 days |
| Edward Field | June 7, 1924 | Poet, author | US Army Air Forces | United States | 100 years, 235 days |
| Sergio Flamigni | October 22, 1925 | Politician, writer | Italian Resistance | Italian Resistance | 99 years, 98 days |
| James Clayton Flowers | December 25, 1915 | Pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen | United States Army Air Forces | United States | 109 years, 34 days |
| Wieland Förster | February 12, 1930 | Painter, writer | Volkssturm | Germany | 94 years, 351 days |
| John S. Foster Jr. | September 18, 1922 | Physicist | US Army Air Forces | United States | 102 years, 132 days |
| J. Keith Fraser | February 18, 1922 | Physical geographer | Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Air Force |
Canada
United Kingdom |
102 years, 345 days |
| Russell Freeburg | March 4, 1923 | Editor of the Chicago Tribune | US Army | United States | 101 years, 330 days |
G
11 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnald Gabriel | May 31, 1925 | Conductor of the US Air Force Band | US Army | United States | 99 years, 242 days |
| Bernard Garfield | May 27, 1924 | Bassoonist | US Army | United States | 100 years, 246 days |
| Stanley Michael Gartler | June 9, 1923 | Biologist, geneticist | US Army Air Forces | United States | 101 years, 233 days |
| Eddie Germano | November 15, 1924 | Cartoonist | US Army | United States | 100 years, 74 days |
| Roy Gibson | July 4, 1924 | Aerospace engineer | British Army | United Kingdom | 100 years, 208 days |
| I. Leo Glasser | April 6, 1924 | Judge | US Army | United States | 100 years, 297 days |
| René Henry Gracida | June 9, 1923 | Bishop | Flying Tigers | United States | 101 years, 233 days |
| Bill Grayden | August 5, 1920 | Politician | Australian Army | Australia | 104 years, 176 days |
| Bill Greason | September 3, 1924 | Baseball player | US Marine Corps | United States | 100 years, 147 days |
| Maurice R. Greenberg | May 4, 1925 | CEO of American International Group (1967–2005) | US Army | United States | 99 years, 269 days |
| Frank J. Guarini | August 20, 1924 | Politician; New Jersey Representative (1979–1990) | US Navy | United States | 100 years, 161 days |
H
13 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jürgen Habermas | June 18, 1929 | Philosopher; sociologist | Luftwaffenhelfer | Germany | 95 years, 224 days |
| G. Homer Harding | December 7, 1925 | Politician | US Army | United States | 99 years, 52 days |
| George Hardy | June 8, 1925 | Pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen | US Army Air Forces | United States | 99 years, 234 days |
| Robert Harlow | November 19, 1923 | Writer, academic | Royal Canadian Air Force | Canada | 101 years, 70 days |
| Ted Hartley | November 6, 1924 | Pilot, banker, actor, film producer | US Navy | United States | 100 years, 83 days |
| Helmut Hauptmann | March 12, 1928 | Writer | Heer | Germany | 96 years, 322 days |
| Eric Heath | November 23, 1923 | Artist | Royal New Zealand Air Force | New Zealand | 101 years, 66 days |
| John Hemingway | July 17, 1919 | Pilot, last surviving member of "The Few" from the Battle of Britain | Royal Air Force | United Kingdom | 105 years, 195 days |
| Józef Hen | November 8, 1923 | Writer | Polish People's Army | Poland | 101 years, 81 days |
| Werner Henninger | April 7, 1929 | Admiral | Volkssturm | Germany | 95 years, 296 days |
| Laurin L. Henry | May 23, 1921 | Researcher | US Navy | United States | 103 years, 250 days |
| Cyril Hilsum | May 17, 1925 | Physicist, academic | Royal Navy | United Kingdom | 99 years, 256 days |
| Evan Hultman | July 15, 1925 | Politician | US Army | United States | 99 years, 197 days |
I
1 veteran
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Ignatius | November 11, 1920 | Government official | US Navy | United States | 104 years, 78 days |
J
3 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen A. Jarislowsky | September 9, 1925 | Businessman, billionaire | US Army | United States | 99 years, 141 days |
| George Joseph | September 11, 1921 | Founder of Mercury Insurance Group | US Army | United States | 103 years, 139 days |
| George Judge | May 2, 1925 | Professor, econometrician | US Army Air Forces | United States | 99 years, 271 days |
K
3 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Kentridge | November 5, 1922 | Lawyer, judge | South African Army | South Africa | 102 years, 84 days |
| Elisabeth Kirkby | January 26, 1921 | Actress, writer, broadcaster | Auxiliary Territorial Service | United Kingdom | 104 years, 2 days |
| Helma Kissner | December 23, 1923 | Accused of war crimes by SWC | Wehrmacht | Germany | 101 years, 36 days |
L
11 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horst Langes | December 2, 1928 | Member of state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate | Wehrmacht | Germany | 96 years, 57 days |
| Peter Lax | May 1, 1926 | Mathematician | US Navy | United States | 98 years, 272 days |
| Jean Lee | July 26, 1924 | Only woman of Chinese-Canadian descent to serve in RCAF | Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division | Canada | 100 years, 186 days |
| James Lees | February 14, 1924 | Maritime expert, curator | Royal Navy
British Merchant Navy |
United Kingdom | 100 years, 349 days |
| Marv Levy | August 3, 1925 | Football coach | US Army Air Corps | United States | 99 years, 178 days |
| Guenter Lewy | August 22, 1923 | Author, professor | British Army | United Kingdom | 101 years, 159 days |
| Nina Lobkovskaya | March 8, 1925 | Sniper | Red Army | Soviet Union | 99 years, 326 days |
| Ernst Löschner | June 20, 1929 | Conductor | Wehrmacht | Germany | 95 years, 222 days |
| Dick Lucas | September 10, 1925 | Anglican minister | Royal Navy | United Kingdom | 99 years, 140 days |
| William R. Lucas | March 1, 1922 | Fourth director of the Marshall Space Flight Center | US Navy | United States | 102 years, 333 days |
| Bernt H. Lund | August 14, 1924 | Civil servant, diplomat, politician | Norwegian resistance movement | Norway | 100 years, 167 days |
M
24 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Marshall | August 22, 1928 | US Secretary of Labor (1977-1981) | US Navy | United States | 96 years, 159 days |
| Gordon Eugene Martin | August 22, 1925 | Physicist, author | US Navy | United States | 99 years, 159 days |
| Ivan Martynushkin | January 18, 1924 | Last surviving liberator of the Auschwitz concentration camp | Red Army | Soviet Union | 101 years, 10 days |
| Anthony Mason | April 21, 1925 | Judge; ninth Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia | Royal Australian Air Force | Australia | 99 years, 282 days |
| Miloslav Masopust | September 26, 1924 | General | 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the USSR | Czechoslovakia | 100 years, 124 days |
| Joseph Matarazzo | November 12, 1925 | Psychologist | US Navy | United States | 99 years, 77 days |
| Robert D. Maurer | July 20, 1924 | Physicist | US Army | United States | 100 years, 192 days |
| Robert McGinnis | February 3, 1926 | Artist, illustrator | US Merchant Marine | United States | 98 years, 360 days |
| Francis Terry McNamara | November 2, 1927 | Diplomat | US Navy | United States | 97 years, 87 days |
| Kirke Mechem | August 16, 1925 | Composer | US Army | United States | 99 years, 165 days |
| Bill Mercer | February 13, 1926 | Sportscaster, educator, author | US Navy | United States | 98 years, 350 days |
| Harald Metzkes | January 23, 1929 | Painter | Heer | Germany | 96 years, 5 days |
| Ed Mickelson | September 9, 1926 | Baseball player | US Army Air Forces | United States | 98 years, 141 days |
| J. William Middendorf | September 22, 1924 | Diplomat, politician | US Navy | United States | 100 years, 128 days |
| Jim Miller | May 30, 1919 | Australian rules football player | Australian Army
Royal Australian Air Force |
Australia | 105 years, 243 days |
| John H. Miller | April 16, 1925 | General | US Marine Corps | United States | 99 years, 287 days |
| Gwen Moffat | July 3, 1924 | Climber, writer | Auxiliary Territorial Service | United Kingdom | 100 years, 209 days |
| Henry Moore | November 2, 1923 | Bishop of Cyprus and The Gulf | British Army
British Indian Army |
United Kingdom
British India |
101 years, 87 days |
| Shigehiro Mori | January 7, 1928 | General; Chief of the Joint Staff of the JSDF (1986–1987), Chief of Staff, JASDF (1983–1986) | Imperial Japanese Army | Japan | 97 years, 21 days |
| Edgar Morin | July 8, 1921 | Philosopher, sociologist | French Resistance | Free France | 103 years, 204 days |
| Georg Müller | October 1, 1930 | Mineralogist | Hitlerjugend | Germany | 94 years, 119 days |
| Sumio Murai | February 24, 1925 | General; Chief of the Joint Staff of the JSDF (1983–1984), Chief of Staff, JGSDF (1981–1983) | Imperial Japanese Army | Japan | 99 years, 339 days |
| Tomiichi Murayama | March 3, 1924 | Japanese Prime Minister | Imperial Japanese Army | Japan | 100 years, 331 days |
| David H. Murdock | April 11, 1923 | Businessman, billionaire | US Army | United States | 101 years, 292 days |
N
4 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucien Nedzi | May 28, 1925 | Politician | US Army | United States | 99 years, 245 days |
| Joe Negri | June 10, 1926 | Musician, educator | US Army | United States | 98 years, 232 days |
| Frederick M. Nicholas | May 30, 1920 | Lawyer | US Army | United States | 104 years, 243 days |
| George Nigh | June 9, 1927 | Politician; 17th and 22nd governor of Oklahoma (1963, 1979–1987) | US Navy | United States | 97 years, 233 days |
O
3 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiro Ono | October 27, 1925 | Sushi Chef | Japanese Imperial Army | Japan | 99 years, 93 days |
| Edward Ormondroyd | October 8, 1925 | Author | US Navy | United States | 99 years, 112 days |
| Donald Owens | September 12, 1926 | General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene | US Army | United States | 98 years, 138 days |
P
2 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Pate | December 5, 1923 | Bass player, arranger | US Army; played with the 218th AGF Army Band | United States | 101 years, 54 days |
| John Peoples | August 26, 1926 | President of Jackson State University | US Marine Corps | United States | 98 years, 155 days |
R
7 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis V. Razis | May 30, 1923 | Oncologist | Greek Resistance | Greece | 101 years, 243 days |
| Basil Rigg | August 12, 1926 | Cricket player | Australian Army | Australia | 98 years, 169 days |
| Fred Risser | May 5, 1927 | Politician | US Navy | United States | 97 years, 268 days |
| John Roberts | April 4, 1924 | Admiral | Royal Navy | United Kingdom | 100 years, 299 days |
| Arthur Rock | August 19, 1926 | Businessman, investor | US Army | United States | 98 years, 162 days |
| Richard Rohmer | January 24, 1924 | Military writer; Ultimatum | Royal Canadian Air Force | Canada | 101 years, 4 days |
| Philip Ruppe | September 29, 1926 | United States Congressman | V-12 Navy College Training Program | United States | 98 years, 121 days |
S
18 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard F. Sachs | September 13, 1925 | Judge | US Navy | United States | 99 years, 137 days |
| Frank Saucier | May 28, 1926 | Baseball player | US Navy | United States | 98 years, 245 days |
| Art Schallock | April 25, 1924 | Baseball player | US Navy | United States | 100 years, 278 days |
| Rolf Schimpf | November 14, 1924 | German television actor | Heer | Germany | 100 years, 75 days |
| Walter Franz Schleser | October 25, 1930 | Representative of the Vereinigung Heimatvertriebener Deutscher Studenten | Volkssturm | Germany | 94 years, 95 days |
| Wolfgang Schumann | June 5, 1929 | Member of Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate | Wehrmacht | Germany | 95 years, 237 days |
| Sen Sōshitsu XV | April 19, 1923 | Hereditary master of the Urasenke chanoyu school | Imperial Japanese Navy | Japan | 101 years, 284 days |
| Ralph Senensky | May 1, 1923 | TV director, writer | US Army | United States | 101 years, 272 days |
| Doc Severinsen | July 7, 1927 | Trumpeter | US Army | United States | 97 years, 205 days |
| Bobby Shantz | September 26, 1925 | Baseball player | US Army | United States | 99 years, 124 days |
| Charles Norman Shay | June 27, 1924 | Penobscot tribal elder, writer | US Army | United States | 100 years, 215 days |
| Robert G. Shulman | March 3, 1924 | Biophysicist | US Navy | United States | 100 years, 331 days |
| Władysław Siemaszko | June 8, 1919 | Author, Lawyer | Home Army | Poland | 105 years, 234 days |
| Edward H. Sims | May 29, 1923 | Author | US Army Air Forces | United States | 101 years, 244 days |
| Richard T. Spooner | September 10, 1926 | Author | US Marine Corps | United States | 98 years, 140 days |
| Irena Stankiewicz | February 28, 1925 | Graphic artist | Home Army | Poland | 99 years, 335 days |
| Heinz Stöcker | January 22, 1929 | General | Volkssturm | Germany | 96 years, 6 days |
| Fritz Streletz | September 28, 1926 | General | Wehrmacht | Germany | 98 years, 122 days |
T
3 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Tolkowsky | January 17, 1921 | Commander of the Israeli Air Force | Royal Air Force | United Kingdom | 104 years, 11 days |
| Aldo Tortorella | July 10, 1926 | Journalist, politician | Italian Resistance | Italian Resistance | 98 years, 202 days |
| James Wesley Turpin | December 18, 1927 | Founder of Project Concern International, physician, activist | US Navy | United States | 97 years, 41 days |
V
3 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Van Dyke | December 13, 1925 | Actor and comedian | US Army Air Corps | United States | 99 years, 46 days |
| Enrico Vanzini | November 18, 1922 | Holocaust survivor; last Italian sonderkommando | Royal Italian Army | Italy | 102 years, 71 days |
| Thomas Franklin Vaughns | July 7, 1920 | Pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen | United States Army Air Force | United States | 104 years, 205 days |
W
6 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Wallach | September 10, 1923 | Businessman | US Army | United States | 101 years, 140 days |
| William H. Webster | March 6, 1924 | 3rd F.B.I. Director, 10th C.I.A. Director and Chairperson of the Homeland Security Advisory Council | US Navy | United States | 100 years, 328 days |
| G. William Whitehurst | March 12, 1925 | Politician | US Navy | United States | 99 years, 322 days |
| Louis Witten | April 13, 1921 | Theoretical physicist | US Army Air Forces | United States | 103 years, 290 days |
| Woody Woodbury | February 9, 1924 | Comedian, actor | US Marine Corps | United States | 100 years, 354 days |
| Oscar Wyatt | July 11, 1924 | Businessman | US Army Air Corps | United States | 100 years, 201 days |
Y
1 veteran
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Yeaman | December 16, 1924 | Conservationist | Women Airforce Service Pilots | United States | 100 years, 43 days |
Z
3 veterans
| Veteran | Born | Notability | Service | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin B. Zimmerman | June 20, 1923 | Musicologist, conductor | US Army | United States | 101 years, 222 days |
| Zou Jiahua | October 1926 | Politician | National Revolutionary Army | Republic of China | 98 years, 89 days to 98 years, 119 days |
| Leszek Żukowski | February 11, 1929 | President of World Association of Home Army Soldiers | Gray Ranks | Poland | 95 years, 352 days |