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Thomas Nelson, Sr.

Does anyone know whether or not Mr. Thomas Nelson, Sr., age 111, currently residing in Texas, formerly of Louisiana, served in the military before, during or after World War I?  Can anyone provide any further biographical information on Mr. Nelson  where he was born, where he lives now, etc.?  Finally, can anyone post links to any articles about Mr. Nelson?  Any information would be appreciated.

Well, let's look at what Ancestry says:-
There are 13 Draft Cards for WWI for a Thomas Nelson, of Louisiana 6 of which fit into the age category. There are other bits & pieces of information that can then be found from there, providing that is the correct info. Have you got any more details - middle name, initial, date of birth etc. to help us so we can help you?

Why speculate?  It was never mentioned anywhere that he is a WWI veteran.  He runs a candy store.  However, Silas Simmons is a closer candidate, based on what he said about 'loading ammunition' during WWI (at the shipyards). 

Why speculate?  Because he's in the right age range, and if there's a chance he served we sould check it out.  What's this about him running a candy store?

Thomas Nelson spent most of his life running a candy store.  He doesn't strike me as someone who would have served.  He is African-American.  →  {yakłtalk} 

""Doesn't strike you?""  Keep in mind the draft was in full force at the time, it didn't matter what you did.   

I agree  that kind of speculation is bizarre.  If you had the opportunity to meet and talk with him, Robert, why didn't you just ask him if he'd served?  What is it about running a candy store that makes someone unlikely to be called up for the draft?  Does he have a draft card on file?

One would think that if he served, the news article would have mentioned it.  But I find your statements hypocritical vis-a-vis the Silas Simmons comment. 

Silas Simmons?

Who is Silas Simmons?

Silas Simmons was born Oct 14 1895, according to his WWI draft card:

Name: Silas Joseph Simmons 
City: Philadelphia  
County: Philadelphia  
State: Pennsylvania  
BirthPlace: Delaware  
Birth Date: 14 Oct 1895  
Race: African  
Roll: 1907647  
DraftBoard: 27  

→  {yakłtalk} 

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/16/Neighborhoodtimes/A_senior_among_seniors.shtml

Note: During both World War I and World War II, he loaded live ammunition for U.S. troops onto ships bound for Europe.

He is not on the GRG list because the 1900 census lists him as born in '1897' (which would make him 'only' 108, instead of 110 as claimed).  However, it's possible the census in this case is incorrect.  In any case, he was still alive a month ago, has a WWI draft card, and participated in an activity which was directly related to the war effort.  Whether he is a 'veteran' or not, I don't know if he was drafted.  But considering some 'veterans' on the current list were little more than telephone operators and ROTC students, Silas's efforts were a tangible contribution to the war.  He was also a Negro league ballplayer.→  {yakłtalk} 

This is not a discussion of the relative merits of peoples' service.  It's merely a question of service.  A veteran is someone who served in the armed forces; it's irrelevant where he or she served and what exactly they did.  Do we know whether Mr. Simmons loaded ships as a civ