World War I - The Last Surviving Soldier

At 16, Frank Woodruff Buckles was itching to enlist in the Army. He wanted to go to Europe and fight in the Great World War. After convincing officials that he was actually 21, his commanders sent him to France where he drove ambulances, and motorcycles, sometimes with a dignitary in the sidecar. After Armistice Day he was charged with escorting prisoners of war back to Germany.

That was 1917, a very long time ago. Now Buckles has the distinct honor of being the last surviving American WWI soldier. At the spry age of 107 he has much to look back on and talk about.

He's been interviewed many times by most every magazine and archival entity with an interest in veterans. The Library of Congress's Veterans History Project maintains extensive audio and video interviews with him.

Not only did Buckles serve in WWI but he survived 3 years in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. In 1940 he went to Manila to accept a job with a shipping company. He was captured by the Japanese when they invaded the Philippines and nearly starved to death before his rescue in 1945.

Buckles is a true American hero. He has an incredible memory and loves to talk about his earliest childhood memories listening to voices from the cradle in his family's kitchen. He vividly remembers meeting General "Black Jack" Pershing in 1920. He jokes that he's probably the last person alive who personally knew the man.

When Mr. Buckles dies we will lose a living touchstone to history. World War I was the last war fought without modern methods of bearing witness. There are virtually no film reels, only a few battle photographs, a smattering of reliable front line news reports, and much of what exists was either produced under strict censorship or made as propaganda. Case in point, Frank has only 3 photos of himself in uniform during that time - all are formal portraits.

Even with all he's given to his country, the United States has no formal plans to mark the passing of its last WWI veteran. Great Britain plans to hold an elaborate ceremony in Westminster Abbey when the last of its 3 remaining vets passes away. Canada and France, each with one remaining WWI veteran, plan to hold state funerals.

So why is our government so ambivalent where Mr. Buckles is concerned? I don't know but I'll quote Phil Budahan, director of media relations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, "Frankly, we're trying to keep the focus on the living."

Shame on you, Mr. Budahan. I hope your department changes its mind and when the time comes we honor this man in the way he truly deserves.