Nathan E . Cook Nathan Edward Cook ( October 10 , 1885 - September 10 , 1992 ) was a sailor in the United States Navy during the Philippine American War whose naval career continued through the Second World War . When he died at the age of 106 he was the oldest surviving American war veteran . Biography . Military career . Cook left a 50 - cent - a - day job at a packing plant in a city from Kansas . He lied about his age ( then 15 ) in order to join the Navy on July 9 , 1901 , after he saw a recruiting poster which said , " Join the Navy and See the World . " He was assigned to the USS " Pensacola " . He served during the Philippine - American War , which began shortly after Spain had ceded the Philippines to the United States after losing the Spanish - American War of 1898 . The Philippine - American War lasted from 1899 until July 4 , 1902 - one year after Cook ' s enlistment in the Navy . Cook also saw service in the Boxer Rebellion and clashes along the U . S . - Mexico border . After 12 and a half years of service as an enlisted man , he was appointed to the warrant officer rank of boatswain on January 11 , 1913 . During the First World War he commanded a submarine chaser that sank two German U - boat s . Cook was promoted on August 15 , 1918 to the temporary rank of lieutenant and was given command of the tugboat USS " Favorite " on the 21st of the same month . Cook received a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy for his role in salvaging the USS " Narragansett " in February 1919 . The text of his commendation is as follows - " As Commanding Officer of the U . S . S . " Favorite " he took a conspicuous and creditable part in the operation of salvaging the U . S . S . " Narragansett " . " With the conclusion of the First World War , Cook was reduced to the his permanent rank of Boatswain and was promoted to Chief Boatswain on January 11 , 1919 . He also served in the early days of World War II , and was stationed at Port - au - Prince Haiti and in Panama . As of November 1 , 1940 he was assigned as the executive officer of the SS " Mormacyork " which served as a transport from the United States to South America . He retired on April 1 , 1942 on his own request after 40 years of service . He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant the same day in recognition of his service in the First World War . Cook once said his Navy life was tough but that it beat living on his Missouri farm . During his naval career , Cook ' s shipmates nicknamed him " Northeast , " derived from his first two initials . Personal life . His father , William Cook , had died in 1895 , and his mother Ellen later re - married and from there Cook ' s family moved to Kansas City , Missouri . Cook went back to his Virginia home in 1982 after his wife of 76 years , Elizabeth ( July 4 , 1887 - October 13 , 1982 ) , died . They had met in New York in 1901 and married in 1905 . Elizabeth is buried beside Nathan in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona . Cook attributed his longevity to clean living , although he once smoked cigars . He never drank alcohol , preferring to keep tea in his flask . Cook had two daughters and a son , five grandchildren , 12 great - grandchildren and four great - great grandchildren . Legacy . Cook was the last living member of the United Spanish War Veterans ( USWV ) . The USWV was an organization of veterans of the Spanish - American War and the Philippine Insurrection who had served from 1898 to 1902 . Cook was eligible to be a member of the USWV because he had enlisted during the Philippine Insurrection . Cook was frequently referred to as a veteran of the Spanish - American War , but the truth is that he was not . The Spanish - American War officially ended in August 1898 and Cook enlisted in the Navy in April 1901 . Because Cook was a member of the USWV , many assumed that he was a Spanish - American War veteran but this was not the case . Cook was erroneously recognized as the longest surviving U . S . veteran of that war at the time of his death in 1992 ( although there is a claim that Jones Morgan was a Spanish - American war veteran and survived longer ) . He was , however , most probably the last surviving veteran of the Philippine - American War and deserves recognition as such . When Cook turned 104 , he received a congratulatory letter from George H . W . Bush and guests watched a video presentation about his life . Cook ' s younger daughter , Eleanor Kay of Tempe , Arizona , also said around this time : " He was a Navy man throughout . Navy . Navy . Navy . He lived for the Navy . Yes , he had a wife and family , and he enjoyed coming home to see them . But he also enjoyed getting back to his ship . "