Oldest Living US Marine Celebrates Her 107th Birthday in North Carolina

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Dot Cole from North Carolina marked an incredible milestone when she celebrated her 107th birthday at her home on Saturday and became the oldest living U.S. Marine.

Cole’s home town of Kannapolis posted a tribute to her on Twitter, sharing two photos of the former Marine sergeant—a recent color picture and a black-and-white one of Cole as a young woman dressed in Marine attire.

“Happy 107th Birthday to Dot Cole!” the city captioned. “Sgt. Cole, of Kannapolis, is the oldest living U.S. Marine in the United States”

Cole joined the Marines during WW II in 1943. She completed her training at Camp Lejeune and was then stationed at Quantico to primarily serve in an administrative role.

Just one week earlier, another U.S. veteran marked a milestone birthday.

The nation’s oldest living World War II veteran, Lawrence Brooks of Louisiana turned 111 years old on Sept. 12.

Brooks normally celebrates his birthday at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans with friends, family, and fellow veterans. But because of the continuing pandemic, different arrangements were made, and the museum had well-wishers mail in birthday cards instead.

Brooks enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and served in the predominantly African American 91st Engineer Battalion between 1941 and 1945.

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