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On February 28, 2011, ] ] issued a presidential order that on the day of interment the United States flag will be flown at half mast on all government buildings, embassies and at the White House.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/02/frank-buckles-obama-proclamation.html|title=By the President of the United States of America, A Proclamation|date=2011-02-28|publisher='']''}}</ref> On February 28, 2011, ] ] issued a presidential order that on the day of interment the United States flag will be flown at half mast on all government buildings, embassies and at the White House.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/02/frank-buckles-obama-proclamation.html|title=By the President of the United States of America, A Proclamation|date=2011-02-28|publisher='']''}}</ref>
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On March 2, 2011, ] acting-Governor ] issued a proclamation that ordered all US and West Virginia state flags to be lowered to half-staff through the day of Buckles interment at ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/557109/5-15-p-m---Gov--orders-flags-lowered-for-Buckles.html?nav=5006|title=5:15 p.m.: Gov. orders flags lowered for Buckles|publisher=''Martinsburg Journal''}}</ref> On March 2, 2011, ] acting-Governor ] issued a proclamation that ordered all US and West Virginia state flags to be lowered to half-staff through the day of Buckles interment at ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/557109/5-15-p-m---Gov--orders-flags-lowered-for-Buckles.html?nav=5006|title=5:15 p.m.: Gov. orders flags lowered for Buckles|publisher=''Martinsburg Journal''}}</ref>


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A ceremony at the Liberty Memorial to honor Buckles and the "passing of the generation that fought World War I" is scheduled to be held on 12 March 2011.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/03/2696829/ceremony-at-liberty-memorial-to.html|title=Ceremony at Liberty Memorial to honor Buckles will be March 12||date=2011-03-03|publisher=online edition of '']''}}</ref> A ceremony at the Liberty Memorial to honor Buckles and the "passing of the generation that fought World War I" is scheduled to be held on 12 March 2011.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/03/2696829/ceremony-at-liberty-memorial-to.html|title=Ceremony at Liberty Memorial to honor Buckles will be March 12||date=2011-03-03|publisher=online edition of '']''}}</ref>

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==Further bibliographic material and resources== ==Further bibliographic material and resources==

Revision as of 02:13, 5 March 2011

Frank W. Buckles
File:Frank Buckles WW1 at 16 edited.jpgBuckles in 1917 (age 16)
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Army
Years of serviceAugust 1917 – January 1920
Rank Corporal
Service number15577
Unit1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment
Battles / warsWorld War I (soldier)
World War II (civilian POW)
Raid at Los Baños (WWII)
AwardsWorld War I Victory Medal
Army of Occupation of Germany Medal
French Legion of Honor

Frank Woodruff Buckles (February 1, 1901– February 27, 2011) was one of the last three surviving World War I veterans in the world, and was the last living American veteran of the war. At the time of his death, Buckles was also the oldest verified World War I veteran in the world, and the second-oldest male military veteran in the world. Although not in the military at the time, Buckles spent the majority of World War II as a prisoner of war. After the world wars, he lived at Gap View Farm, in Charles Town, West Virginia, and was the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation.

Life during the twentieth century

Frank Buckles was born Wood Buckles on February 1, 1901, to a farming family in Bethany, Missouri. He and his family subsequently moved to Dewey County, Oklahoma.

After the United States entered World War I, Buckles sought to enlist in the armed forces despite his youth. He was turned down by the Marine Corps because of his slight weight and for being under 21, and by the Navy for being flat-footed. Buckles finally was successful in enlisting in the United States Army in August 1917. Only 16 years old at the time, Buckles was asked by his recruiter to show a birth certificate. Later Buckles said of that event:

I was just 16 and didn’t look a day older. I confess to you that I lied to more than one recruiter. I gave them my solemn word that I was 18, but I’d left my birth certificate back home in the family Bible. They’d take one look at me and laugh and tell me to go home before my mother noticed I was gone. Somehow I got the idea that telling an even bigger whopper was the way to go. So I told the next recruiter that I was 21 and darned if he didn’t sign me up on the spot! I enlisted in the Army on 14 August 1917.

In 1917, Buckles was sent to Europe on the RMS Carpathia, which had rescued RMS Titanic survivors five years earlier. While on the Carpathia, Buckles spoke with crew members who had taken part in the rescue of Titanic survivors. During the war Buckles served in England and France, driving ambulances and motorcycles for the Army's 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment. After the Armistice in 1918, Buckles escorted prisoners of war back to Germany. Following his discharge in 1920, he attended the dedication of the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, in honor of those Americans who died in World War I, and he met General John Pershing, commander of all United States forces in France during the war.

Gap View Farm in the 1930s

As of 1942, Buckles had worked for the White Star and W.R. Grace shipping companies, and shipping business took him to Manila in the Philippines. He was captured there by the Japanese in 1942, and spent the next three and a half years in the Los Baños prison camp. He became malnourished, with a weight below 100 pounds, and developed beriberi, yet led his fellow inmates in calisthenics. He was rescued on February 23, 1945.

After World War II he moved to San Francisco, where he married Audrey Mayo in 1946. In the mid-1950s, he retired from steamship work, and bought the 330-acre (1.3 km) Gap View Farm in West Virginia where he raised cattle. His wife died in 1999 and their daughter moved back to the farm to care for him.

Life during the twenty-first century

After the turn of the century, Buckles continued living near Charles Town, West Virginia. He stated in an interview with The Washington Post on Veterans' Day 2007 that he believed the United States should go to war only "when it's an emergency." When asked about the secret of his long life, Buckles replied: "Hope," adding, "hen you start to die... don't." He also said the reason he had lived so long was that, "I never got in a hurry."

Buckles (wearing World War I Victory Medal and Army of Occupation Medal) with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Buckles' life was featured on the Memorial Day 2007 episode of NBC Nightly News. On February 4, 2008, with the death of 108-year-old Harry Richard Landis, Buckles became the last surviving American World War I veteran.

On March 6, 2008, he met with President George W. Bush at the White House. The same day, he attended the opening of a Pentagon exhibit featuring photos of nine centenarian World War I veterans created by historian and photographer David DeJonge.

Businessman Ross Perot, whom Frank Buckles had met at a history seminar in 2001, intervened in 2008 with the White House regarding a resting place. On March 19, 2008, Buckles received special approval for underground burial at Arlington National Cemetary.

Buckles was the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation, which seeks refurbishment of the District of Columbia War Memorial and its establishment as the National World War I Memorial on the National Mall. Buckles appeared before Congress on December 3, 2009, advocating on behalf of such legislation.

On February 1, 2010, which was Buckles' 109th birthday, his official biographer announced that he will be completing a film—currently in production—on Buckles' life. The film is a cumulative work of three years of interviews and intimate moments gathered by DeJonge as he traveled the nation with Buckles.

Buckles at age 107 meeting with President George W. Bush in the Oval Office on March 6, 2008.

Months away from his 110th birthday, in autumn 2010, Buckles was still giving media interviews. Buckles reached supercentenarian status upon his 110th birthday, on February 1, 2011.

On February 27, 2011, Buckles died of natural causes at his home. His death led to renewed calls for a national World War I memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The French plan to send a Defense Ministry official to his funeral, and hope to also send two honor guards and pallbearers. The British will send the air-vice marshal and possibly the British Ambassador.

Honors and awards

For his service during World War I, Buckles received (from the U.S. Government) the World War I Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal, and qualified for four Overseas Service Bars. In addition, French president Jacques Chirac awarded him France's Légion d'honneur, in 1999.

In April of 2008, a section of West Virginia Route 9, which passes by his Gap View Farm home, was named and dedicated in his honor by then-West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.

On May 25, 2008, Buckles received the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Gold Medal of Merit at the Liberty Memorial. He sat for a portrait taken by David DeJonge that will hang in the National World War I Museum, as "the last surviving link."

Buckles received the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry's Knight Commander of the Court of Honour (KCCH) on September 24, 2008. The KCCH is the last honor bestowed by the Southern Jurisdiction prior to the 33°. The ceremony was hosted by Ronald Seale, 33°, Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. The keynote address was provided by James Peake, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Buckles also received other awards.

On February 28, 2011, President of the United States Barack Obama issued a presidential order that on the day of interment the United States flag will be flown at half mast on all government buildings, embassies and at the White House.

Buckles' U.S. Army ribbons

On March 2, 2011, West Virginia acting-Governor Earl Ray Tomblin issued a proclamation that ordered all US and West Virginia state flags to be lowered to half-staff through the day of Buckles interment at Arlington National Cemetery.

On 3 March 2011, the Senate passed a resolution honoring Buckles as "the last veteran to represent the extraordinary legacy of the World War I veterans". A number of statements were made by representatives and senators paying tribute to Buckles and the World War I veterans, and concurrent resolutions were proposed in both the Senate and the House to allow Buckles to lie in state in the Rotunda of the US Capitol. However, the resolution has been reported as being blocked by the House Speaker John Boehner, who is seeking permission instead for a ceremony to be held in the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.

A ceremony at the Liberty Memorial to honor Buckles and the "passing of the generation that fought World War I" is scheduled to be held on 12 March 2011.

Further bibliographic material and resources

The U.S. Library of Congress included Buckles in its Veterans History Project and has audio, video and pictorial information on Buckles' experiences in both world wars, including a full 148-minute video interview. Photographer David DeJonge estimates a 2011 release of a documentary on Frank Buckles entitled "Pershing's Last Patriot", and donations are accepted toward production of the film.

Frank Buckles had his own web site, at frankbuckles.org. The site continued to operate after his death. The following statement at his web site introduces Buckles' brief account of his life:

Frank Woodruff Buckles’ life spanned the awesome, horrible, fantastic, dreadful Twentieth Century. He saw and experienced much. As America’s last surviving veteran witness to the First World War, his life experiences and perspective are an artifact in our day which often lacks perspective.

His web site adds: "it is not so much about Frank, but all he represents".

See also

References

  1. ^ Rubin, Richard (2008). "The Last Doughboy of World War I". Smithsonian. He was sent home in January 1920 and mustered out of service {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  2. Smith, Vicki (2011-02-28). "Last WWI veteran from US dies in W. Va". Christian Science Monitor. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. One definition of the word “casual” is the following: “a soldier temporarily at a station or other place of duty, and usually en route to another station.” See Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
  4. "America's last surviving veteran of World War I dies aged 110 years old". Daily Mail. 2011-02-28. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Martinez, Luis (2008-03-06). "Last doughboy gets Presidential 'Thank You'". ABC News.
  6. ^ Duggan, Paul (2011-02-28). "Last U.S. World War I veteran Frank W. Buckles dies at 110". Washington Post. Wood Buckles - his given name, recorded in the family Bible before birth certificates were required in his home state - was born Feb. 1, 1901. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ McLellan, Dennis (2011-03-01). "Frank Buckles, last American veteran of World War I, dies at 110". Los Angeles Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. Collins, Elizabeth and Lopez, Todd (2011-02-28). "Last WWI veteran dies". Army News Service. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "CNN video of House Representative Ted Poe reading Buckles letter into the Congressional record". {{cite web}}: Text "2010-02-03" ignored (help)
  10. Duggan, Paul (2006-11-12). "Back From Battle, a Generation Kept Fighting". Washington Post. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Kunkle, Fredrick (2007-11-12). "World War I Veteran Reflects on Lessons". Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. "Frank Buckles, last living U.S. WWI vet, dies", CBS News (2011-02-28).
  13. Rubin, Richard (2007-11-12). "Over There — and Gone Forever". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. Stone, Andrea (2007-03-27). "One of the last': WWI vet recalls Great War". USA Today. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. "About Frank". pershingslastpatriot.com. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  16. Goldstein, Richard (2011-02-28). "Frank Buckles, Last World War I Doughboy, Is Dead at 110". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. Courson, Paul (2008-03-16). "Bush thanks WWI veteran for 'love for America'". CNN.
  18. Courson, Paul (2008-03-08). "Last surviving U.S. World War I vet honored by president". CNN.
  19. "Arlington Cemetery Makes Historic Exception for World War I Veteran". The Salem News. 2008-04-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. Associated Press (2008-04-10). "Feds Approve Burial of Last WWI Vet at Arlington". WSAZ-TV.
  21. World War I Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
  22. Courson, Paul (2009-12-03). "Last U.S. veteran of World War I testifies for memorial". CNN.
  23. Henry, Beth (2009-12-04). "Buckles seeks dedication of national WWI memorial". Martinsburg Journal. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. Henry, Beth (2010-02-02). "109 and counting". Martinsburg Journal. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. Ford, Chris (2010-05-16). "Volunteers gather at neglected WWI monument". CNN. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  26. Tomaszycki, Scott (2010-09-30). "Centenarian Soldier: Last known surviving American World War I veteran tells his story". dvidshub.net.
  27. Courson, Paul (2011-02-27). "Last living U.S. World War I veteran dies". CNN.
  28. Barrett, Wes (2011-02-28). "New Calls for WWI Memorial as Washington Reacts to the Passing of Frank Buckles". Fox News.
  29. Courson, Paul (2010-12-29). "Family of WWI veteran looks forward to 110th birthday". CNN.
  30. Campbell, Matt (2008-05-29). "'Last surviving link' to World War I earns a fitting salute". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on 2008-05-29. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. E.g. the Patrick Henry Medallion. See “Honoring and Remembering America’s Veterans”, The BVA Bulletin (Summer 2007).
  32. "By the President of the United States of America, A Proclamation". Los Angeles Times. 2011-02-28. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. "5:15 p.m.: Gov. orders flags lowered for Buckles". Martinsburg Journal. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. SENATE RESOLUTION 89--RELATING TO THE DEATH OF FRANK W. BUCKLES, THE LONGEST SURVIVING UNITED STATES VETERAN OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR, Congressional Record Senate, March 3, 2011, S1237
  35. Last WWI vet gets caught up in politics, Associated Press, 04/03/2011, accessed 05/03/2011
  36. "Ceremony at Liberty Memorial to honor Buckles will be March 12". online edition of The Kansas City Star. 2011-03-03. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. "Veterans History Project". Library of Congress. 2007-05-29.
  38. "Pershing's Last Patriot, a film about the life of Frank Buckles (Release date: 2012)". Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  39. "www.kickstarter.com". Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  40. ^ "www.frankbuckles.org". Retrieved 2011-02-28.

External links

  • "Buckles", a film by Sean Dunne at Vimeo, August 2009.

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