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325:. The youngest of his eight children, Jean Dukes, was born in the late 1940s. He also served as a deacon and superintendent of a Sunday School class at Mount Olive Church for over 75 years. His son claimed that, until about four years before he died, his father was healthy enough to drive his car into town every day. Hardy's longevity was also credited to a daily meal that consisted of cabbage, corn bread, butter milk, potatoes and
329:, and the fact that he never drank alcohol or smoked in his life. Until a few years before his death, it was claimed that Hardy had never had a seriously ill day in his life and that he never took medicine, as it only made him sick. Hardy lived on his own until 2004 when his legs weakened and he found it almost impossible to walk. He was placed in a rest home, but was still able to feed himself and pass the days watching
171:, which was assigned a variety of manual labor and support tasks. Hardy himself served as a scout, supplying the front line troops when necessary. Though Hardy did experience combat, he was never seriously injured and rarely discussed his experiences concerning the fighting. Instead, he preferred to recount stories about the food, the bravery of the soldiers and the weather in France.
270:, which he found to be surprisingly filling. To go with this, there was often little more than small tins of ham or chicken and occasionally coffee to drink and pudding or pie for dessert. Hardy also witnessed many of his friends get killed in action, and relied on his faith in God to get him through the toughest times.
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Hardy himself admitted to his family that he was "scared to death" when he first arrived overseas, but believed that the soldiers were fed something to make them brave, which he referred to as "brave pills". After a short time in the military, he claimed that he was not afraid of anything that he
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At the time of his death, he was the oldest United States combat veteran ever, the oldest male ever recorded in
Mississippi and had outlived at least three of his eight children. It was reported that he had several dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was also ranked as
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experienced from then on. Even in the heat of battle, Hardy professed that he would get "wound up" at times, but never frightened. He recalled many strange experiences with food and drink, such as getting used to drinking green water from canteens and eating
302:. In 1999, when he was 105 years old, the Mississippi Legislature adopted a resolution recognizing him as an outstanding citizen of Mississippi. At the time, he was known as the oldest living World War I veteran, as
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attack and, at some point during the war, he received an injury to his knee. Hardy rarely spoke about the fighting itself, and preferred to talk about France's weather when asked about his experiences overseas.
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in 1894. Although he claimed to have been born in 1893, census records show he was born in 1894. Hardy's parents, Morris Hardy—born in the 1840s—and Nancy Hardy, were former slaves who after the
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had not yet been discovered. He was interviewed by
Treehouse Productions in 2006 as part of their Living History Project, a radio tribute to the last surviving World War I veterans that was hosted by
198:. At the time of his death, aged 112, he was recognized as the oldest combat veteran ever, the oldest male ever recorded in Mississippi and the second-oldest man and World War I veteran in the world.
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and instead drove a school bus, farmed and sold liniments and wigs for "Lucky Heart" cosmetics until his retirement. He reportedly continued to go door-to-door for several years past his
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in his later years and had trouble speaking coherently, he was reported to have been completely lucid through his final days and his death was attributed to natural causes.
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Hardy's service in France lasted from July 1918 to July 1919, and included thirty-nine combat days. As an
African American, he served in a segregated army unit, the
163:, Hardy was born in 1894 and lived a religious and farming life until he signed up to serve overseas in World War I in July 1918. As an African American during the
254:, such as unloading cargo from ships, but also performed other manual labor tasks, such as cooking and organizing burials. Hardy's outfit was armed solely with
310:. Though he could not speak coherently, his son Haywood Hardy, himself 80 years old at the time, recalled some of the stories that his father had told him.
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passage and one which he lived by. Hardy was married once, to a woman by the name of Fannie
Marshall, with whom he would end up having eight children.
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Hardy often acted as a scout who would help bring supplies to troops on the front line. On
September 25, 1918, he was present at the
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Pettus, Gary (May 28, 2006). "At 113 years, Moses Hardy is
America's oldest living combat vet". Clarion Ledger.
390:"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."
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and cosmetics salesman, the latter of which he performed well past his 100th birthday. He received the
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for a dollar. The Hardy family was a deeply religious one, and Moses would later recount that
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unit that was equipped to fight if necessary. The unit focused mainly of the tasks of
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After the war, he took on a variety of jobs including school bus driver, farmer,
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and one of the last surviving
American veterans of that war. The son of former
151:(January 6, 1894 – December 7, 2006) was, at age 112, the last surviving
591:"Recognition Long Overdue - World War I veteran Moses Hardy - Brief Article"
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20:12, which instructed one to honor their parents, was his favorite
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had purchased 265 acres (1.07 km) of land in
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adopted a resolution recognizing him as an outstanding citizen of
565:"I was in World War One, so you know I'm pretty old"
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the sixth-oldest living verified person in the world
455:"Moses Hardy, last known black WWI veteran; at 113"
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649:The 805th Infantry Regimental history, p. 121
623:. Treehouse Productions. 2006. Archived from
567:. Treehouse Productions. 2006. Archived from
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530:"America's last veterans of the "Great War""
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290:Throughout the years, he received the
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18:American supercentenarian (1894–2006)
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597:. September 27, 1999. Archived from
61:(aged 112 years, 335 days)
423:Hoffman, Lisa (November 15, 2006).
393:"Exodus 20:12 (King James Version)"
711:Recipients of the Legion of Honour
363:List of the verified oldest people
294:, the Occupational Medal from the
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716:People from Aberdeen, Mississippi
453:Harrist, Ron (December 9, 2006).
681:African Americans in World War I
510:. The State of Mississippi. 1999
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296:Mississippi Army National Guard
167:, he served in the segregated
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696:African-American centenarians
427:. ScrippsNews. Archived from
425:"Meet the remaining WWI vets"
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721:United States Army soldiers
676:African-American Christians
182:, a special medal from the
63:Aberdeen, Mississippi, U.S.
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691:American supercentenarians
246:regiments, it was also an
184:Mississippi National Guard
701:American men centenarians
304:Emiliano Mercado del Toro
105:July 1918–July 1919
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399:. BibleGateway.com. 2007
79:United States of America
313:Hardy did not serve in
192:Mississippi Legislature
37:Hardy at age 110 or 111
332:The Oprah Winfrey Show
240:805th Pioneer Infantry
169:805th Pioneer Infantry
706:Men supercentenarians
536:on September 28, 2007
508:"House Resolution 15"
208:Aberdeen, Mississippi
102:Years of service
49:Aberdeen, Mississippi
601:on November 20, 2018
627:on August 22, 2007
461:. The Boston Globe
338:The Price Is Right
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279:mustard gas
275:Meuse River
196:Mississippi
157:World War I
155:veteran of
149:Moses Hardy
125:World War I
25:Moses Hardy
660:Categories
459:Obituaries
379:References
252:stevedores
202:Early life
68:Allegiance
368:Longevity
327:Dr Pepper
319:centenary
277:during a
268:hardtacks
217:Chickasaw
213:Civil War
357:See also
351:dementia
248:infantry
244:engineer
85:Service/
605:May 4,
256:rifles
224:Exodus
176:deacon
161:slaves
131:Awards
113:805th
87:branch
51:, U.S.
228:Bible
633:2007
607:2017
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335:and
110:Unit
56:Died
43:Born
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