Woman deemed oldest United States veteran set for flight to meet Obama

Longtime Detroiter Emma Didlake, believed to be the nation’s oldest living veteran at age 110, met President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday.

“Oakland County is proud to salute Mrs. Didlake and her service to our country as she returns from her Honor Flight”, County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said in a release.

Didlake arrived here Friday morning courtesy of Delta Private Jets and Talons Out Honor Flight, the southwest Michigan chapter of a nonprofit organization that provides free day trips for veterans to visit their memorial in Washington.

When Didlake was considered the oldest US veteran, arrangements were made for her to go to the White House this year. That status is based on information gleaned by Honor Flight representatives nationwide.

One of the very first female soldiers, she served as a truck driver.

“We are so grateful that she is here with us today”, the president said, speaking to the media.

Didlake served in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II.

Horne told reporters her great-grandmother was excited about the trip, but was anxious about what to wear. After she was honorably discharged, and she and her family moved to Detroit.

On top of that, she’s a mother of 5, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and was friends with Rosa Parks. A retired nurse has volunteered to accompany her as a precaution.

Didlake was born in Boligee, Alabama in 1905.

Horne, Didlake’s granddaughter, said Didlake fell a couple weeks ago, which put the trip in question.

Though her eyesight is failing and hearing is going, she still has a sense of humor.

Obama tweeted afterward that Didlake is a “true American hero”.