Oldest living veteran Emma Didlake, 110, to meet President Obama

The nation's oldest living veteran is 110-year-old Emma Didlake. 

On Friday she is taking a special honor flight to Washington DC to meet President Barack Obama.

"She said 'Am I going really?'" said Marilyn Horne, Emma's granddaughter. "I said yes if we can keep you well enough."

A fall a few weeks ago hasn't stopped the country's oldest living veteran from going on a trip to meet the president.

Didlake is resting right now, but Marilyn, who will be escorting her to the White House, says she couldn't be happier.

"As you can imagine she is very weak," Marilyn said. "But she is looking forward to just meeting him. She never thought she would see this in her lifetime."

Big Mama as Emma is known, joined the Military in 1943 at the age of 38. She was already a wife and mother and she served for seven months as an Army private and a driver.

 "She said she didn't know she was doing anything," Marilyn said. "She just wanted to do something different and decided to join the military."

Emma and her family moved to Detroit after she was discharged where she became a member of the Detroit chapter of the NAACP and marched with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963. 

A couple of years ago she received a lifetime achievement award from the chapter.

The Talons out of Southwest Michigan, a non-profit which honors veterans for their service and sacrifice learned Emma was the oldest living veteran -  and of her accomplishments. 

They organized the Friday trip to the nation's capital.

Dan Moyle, co-founder of the group helped to make it happen.

"She broke so many barriers as a woman back in those days," Moyle said. "Especially as a minority woman, we really wanted to honor her with a visit with the president because it's an honor for him to meet her.

"So it was important to make that happen."

Marilyn says her grandmother is so excited, but just like any true woman, she was worried about what to wear.

"It was supposed to be a short sleeve shirt," Marilyn said. "But we decided to give her a blouse, she's going to have her arms covered up because she says she doesn't have 'Michelle Obama arms' so she cannot go in there short sleeves on, she said that's not happening."

Big Mama as they call her, has five children, 11 grandchildren and five great great grandchildren. They know how special she is, now they are happy so many others will too.

"As they say, get your roses while you're here," Marilyn said. "As opposed to waiting until she's gone and saying 'she did this, she did that.' 

"Now she gets to hear all of that stuff now."