https://longeviquest.com/2025/12/james-clayton-flowers-wwii-veteran-and-new-mexicos-oldest-man-turns-110/

James Clayton Flowers, WWII Veteran and New Mexico’s Oldest Man, Turns 110

James Clayton Flowers, a resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, celebrated her 110th birthday on 25 December, according to KDBC. He is a retired military pilot who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, and is currently the oldest known living man in New Mexico.

James Clayton Flowers was born in Surry County, Virginia, on 25 December 1915. His parents were among the first residents of Frederick Douglass Court in Richmond, Virginia. A precocious student and voracious reader, Flowers earned his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Union University. He went on to study at the New School for Social Research in New York City, where he mastered six languages and pursued doctoral studies in economics, political science, and prehistoric archaeology.

During World War II, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1941 and joined the Army Air Corps. He was assigned to Officer Candidate School in Tuskegee, Alabama, where he became a member of the 477th Medium Bomber Group—better known as the Tuskegee Airmen. His unit was later transferred to Freeman Field near Seymour, Indiana. After five years of service, Flowers left the Army with the rank of first lieutenant.

In 1951, he married Evelyn Lorraine Church, and the couple had three children.