110-year-old vet meets Obama in whirlwind day in D.C.

WASHINGTON — For her big day in the nation's capital Friday, Emma Didlake of Detroit got to see the sights, visit the memorials and spend a few minutes with the leader of the free world singing her praises.

What, that doesn't happen to you when you go to Washington?

For the record, Didlake isn't just anyone: She's 110 years old, reason enough to give her some extra attention.

And she also is believed to be the oldest living veteran in the USA, so you can understand why the president might be willing to sit for a few moments with her in the White House.

"She served with distinction and honor and received all sorts of commendations for her service during World War II," President Barack Obama told reporters brought into the Oval Office to see part of the meeting, Didlake sitting by quietly in a blue suit and red sneakers, her hands folded in her lap. "We are so grateful that she is here with us today.

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"It's a great reminder of not only the sacrifices the greatest generation made on our behalf but also the kind of trailblazing that our women veterans made, African American veterans who helped to integrate our armed services," Obama said. "We are very, very proud of them."

Leaving the White House later, all Didlake could do when asked about her time with the president was to repeat a reporter's question back to him, in what seemed like amazement: "How was he," she said, as if she didn't have words to describe it. "How was he."

Point taken: It's not every day even Big Mama Didlake gets to meet a president. Her whirlwind, one-day tour of Washington was arranged thanks to Talons Out Honor Flight, the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based branch of a national network that arranges free flights for veterans, especially those from WWII, to visit the memorials dedicated to the wars they fought in.

Staffers for Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., also helped.

Landing Friday in Washington, Didlake and her granddaughter, Marilyn Horne of Farmington Hills, Mich., first visited the Women's Memorial, dedicated to women who served in the military. There she met with officials who presented her with her official record.

After the White House, with Horne pushing Didlake's wheelchair, visited the World War II Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial before seeing a changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery.

Didlake, who is African-American and was born in Alabama, is not only believed to be the nation's oldest surviving veteran, she was a trailblazer, joining the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in 1943 when she was 38 and a mother of five.

As for Friday's meeting with Obama, Didlake, who is a little hard of hearing, had little to say. But when her granddaughter asked her if it was "fantastic," Didlake beamed like a schoolgirl, saying, "Yeah."

"She was just totally amazed," Horne said, adding that the president asked her about her time in the service and her years growing up in Alabama.

"He is just a such a beautiful person in person, to see him standing so close," Horne said. "He was just asking her questions.

"It is a beautiful honor for our family," she said. "We're just so overwhelmed about everything."e is just a such a beautiful person in person, to see him standing so close," Horne said. "He was just asking her questions.

Like a lot of older folks, though, you could tell Didlake wasn't looking to linger. When a reporter asked Horne where they were headed next, Didlake understood entirely.

"Home," she said briskly.