President Barack Obama on Friday opened the Oval Office to a 110-year-old Detroit woman believed to be the nation's oldest veteran.
Emma Didlake's service is a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought in World War II or supported those who did, Obama said.
Didlake was a 38-year-old wife and mother of five when she signed up for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in 1943. She held the rank of private and served stateside for about seven months as a driver.
The longtime Detroit resident wore a patriotic-themed neck scarf Friday. She sat in her wheelchair in the same spot in the Oval Office where foreign leaders sit when they meet with Obama.
As a scrum of reporters and photographers rushed in, Obama told Didlake: "Don't worry about these folks."
The president later tweeted: "Had a great visit today with Emma Didlake — our oldest living veteran at 110-years-young! She's a true American hero."
Didlake visited the Women In Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, before meeting Obama, said Dan Moyle, co-founder of Talons Out Honor Flight.
Didlake was returning home Friday evening.
"Oakland County is proud to salute Mrs. Didlake and her service to our country as she returns from her Honor Flight," County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said in a release. "She is a trailblazer who represents both the greatest generation and the civil rights movement. She is living history."