Emma Didlake, Nation's Oldest Known Veteran, Dies at 110

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Almost a month to the day of her meeting with President Obama, the Michigan woman believed to be the nation’s oldest veteran has died.

Emma Didlake, 110, died Sunday in West Bloomfield, WWJ/CBS Detroit reports.

She met the president on July 17 during a whirlwind trip arranged by Talons Out Honor Flight, the southwest Michigan chapter of a national nonprofit that provides free, one-day flights to Washington, DC, so veterans can see the monuments erected to honor their service.

Didlake was a 38-year-old wife and mother of five when she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1943. She served about seven months stateside during the war, as a private and a driver.

“Emma Didlake served her country with distinction and honor, a true trailblazer for generations of Americans who have sacrificed so much for their country,” Obama said in a statement Monday afternoon. “I was humbled and grateful to welcome Emma to the White House last month, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to Emma’s family, friends, and everyone she inspired over her long and quintessentially American life.”

Related:

• Nation’s ‘Oldest Veteran’ Tours Capital, Meets Obama

After Didlake was honorably discharged from the military, she and her family moved from her native Alabama to Detroit, where she became a force in the civil rights movement. She marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King in 1963. Two years ago, the Detroit chapter of the NAACP honored her with a lifetime achievement award.

During her visit to the White House last month, Didlake sat in the same spot of honor in the Oval Office as foreign leaders and dignitaries who visit Obama.

While deciding what to wear for the historic meeting with the president, she reportedly joked with granddaughter Marilyn Horne that she wanted an ensemble with sleeves because “I don’t have Michelle Obama arms – I’m going to need a jacket.”

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Screenshot via CBS News