Veterans Day Message from America’s oldest veteran

November 10, 2010 · By Jerry Castillo

Frank Buckles, at 107 is currently the oldest WWI Veteran

Frank Buckles, at 109 is currently the oldest WWI Veteran

Veterans Day is a time to thank and acknowledge our military veteran’s service to our country. It should also serve as a reminder for veterans and their families to support those who wish to memorialize their loved ones. Below is AP’s story as reported on herald-mail.com, America’s last WWI veteran urges Congress to fund war memorial.

November 10, 2010

On the eve of Veterans Day, America’s last surviving World War I veteran said Congress should pass legislation to create a memorial in the nation’s capital honoring veterans of that conflict.

Frank Buckles, of Charles Town, W.Va., is honorary chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation and said such a memorial is long overdue.

“I’ve had a long time to reflect on what it means to ’remember well,”’ he said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Being nearly 110 years old and the last of the 5 million Americans who served in World War I gives me some insight on how our nation should mark this great conflict and the generation that fought and died in it.”

Germany recently completed its reparations payments, he said, clearing a ledger that few knew existed.

But that, Buckles argues, does not bring closure.

“The reason is simple: We still do not have a national memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor the Americans who sacrificed with their lives during World War I,” he said. “… I call upon the American people and the world to help me in asking our elected officials to pass the law for a memorial to World War I in our nation’s capital.”

He says it doesn’t have to be elaborate, but a monument belongs alongside those commemorating other great 20th century conflicts.

Buckles has become a celebrity over the past several years, and in 2008, friends persuaded the federal government to allow him to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery when he dies.

He was already eligible to have his cremated remains housed in a columbarium at Arlington. To be buried underground, however, Buckles would have had to meet several criteria, including earning one of five medals, such as a Purple Heart.

Buckles never saw combat, but a cemetery spokeswoman said he was granted an exception.

Born in Missouri in 1901 and raised in Oklahoma, Buckles visited a string of military recruiters after the United States entered the “war to end all wars” in April 1917.

He was rejected by the Marines and the Navy, but eventually persuaded an Army captain he was 18 and enlisted. He was 16.

Buckles spent his tour of duty working mainly as a driver and a warehouse clerk in Germany and France. After Armistice Day, he helped return prisoners of war to Germany. In January 1920, he returned to the States aboard the USS Pocahontas.

For more on the story visit: http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=256443&format=html

And for more information regarding the memorial visit the WWI Memorial Foundation: http://www.wwimemorial.org/

7 Responses

  1. Tweets that mention Veterans Day Message from America's oldest veteran | USFallen.org -- Topsy.com

    November 10th, 2010 at 4:40 PM

    1

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by USFALLENORG, AllMilitaryNews. AllMilitaryNews said: (USFallen.org) Veterans Day Message from America’s oldest veteran: Veterans Day is a time to thank and… http://bit.ly/aLc4ll #Military [...]

  2. Jeffry Angley

    November 24th, 2010 at 3:01 PM

    2

    WWI vets deserve a memorial too.

  3. Kari Searson

    November 24th, 2010 at 7:18 PM

    3

    Thank God for men like him.

  4. Jorge Umlauf

    November 24th, 2010 at 7:28 PM

    4

    This is unquestionably a splendid blog post. Thank You

  5. Karin Vangalder

    November 25th, 2010 at 4:29 PM

    5

    I’m so glad to have found your web page. My pal mentioned it to me before, yet never got around to checking it out until now. I must express, my appreciation for the work you do here.

  6. Edris Crois

    November 26th, 2010 at 8:10 PM

    6

    Wow what an amazing veteran. Thank you for your service.

  7. Fotografia

    November 27th, 2010 at 4:28 AM

    7

    Nice post :) Best regards :)


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