Oldest living female WWII veteran visits memorial

Updated
Oldest Living Female WWII Veteran Visits Memorial
Oldest Living Female WWII Veteran Visits Memorial


At 108 years old, Lucy Coffey is the world's oldest living female World War II veteran.



Coffey served as a member of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, and KENS reports that last weekend, she was able to see a memorial in Washington, D.C. that honors women who served during World War II.

Service men and women from days past and even those currently in the military were on hand to greet the centenarian as she arrived with a police escort at San Antonio International Airport.​

It was all thanks to the nonprofit Honor Flight, which flies veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit their memorials. The website says that top priority is given to World War II survivors and the terminally ill.

News outlets in Washington picked up the story about Coffey's visit and highlighted her time at her memorial.

WJLA reports that after a personal tour of the World War II Memorial, Coffey went over to the women's memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, a place she personally requested to see.

Stars and Stripes reports that upon seeing it, Coffey did a little dance. The outlet also emphasizes Coffey's determination. Although she successfully enlisted in 1943, she had tried before then but was denied for "being too short or too slim."

​Donning extra weights on her legs, she passed the weight minimum of 100 pounds.

KSAT reports that Coffey received a send-off worthy of royalty when she flew out of the San Antonio International Airport and was greeted at the Reagan National Airport upon landing.

During her stay in D.C., she also got to meet President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

The office of the VP even tweeted out a photo introducing her to the world as the nation's oldest female veteran.

Also on AOL:
Kevin McGroarty: The man behind the self-written obituary that went viral
Trees save more than 850 lives a year
TV crew claims they were attacked by ghosts

Advertisement