Last Doughboy of the AEF dies at 110

[Goldbricker]

The last doughboy passes – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

Last U.S. WWI veteran dies | Richmond Times-Dispatch

Last World War I veteran Frank W. Buckles dies at 110

Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, died Sunday at 110.

A family spokesman said Buckles died peacefully at his farm near Charles Town, W.Va.

Buckles grew up in Missouri and lied about his age to enlist in the Army at 16. He joined the ambulance service, serving in England and France. After WWI ended, he escorted prisoners back to Germany.

As a civilian in the Philippines during WWII, he was captured by the Japanese and held prisoner for three years.

Buckles celebrated his 110th birthday in February.

His family asks that donations be made to the National World War I Legacy Project to honor Frank Buckles and the 4,734,991 Americans that he served with during World War I. Details can be found at: Frank Woodruff Buckles :: America's Last Survivor of the First World War




Hell of a thing survive WWI and being a Prisoner of the Japanese and live till now

 

[Travelgall]

Very sad. Thanks to the man for his service. We lost our last ones last year.

Harry Patch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[chocolate_frog]

That must be all the lines cut now?

Are there any left at all (from either side)?

 

[rgjbloke]

Rest in Peace Mr Buckles sir.

 

[rampant]

That must be all the lines cut now?

Are there any left at all (from either side)?

Buckles was the last of the soldiers.

However there are 2 remaining veterans of the war still alive:

Claude Choules - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Florence Green - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Twizzlelehope]

Mr Buckles RIP.

 

[Benjamin1876]

Very sad. Thanks to the man for his service. We lost our last ones last year.

Harry Patch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And another man with the same name as that last British survivor of WW1 was the Australian Cpl Harry Patch, who I had the pleasure of serving with in 1960/61 at the Jungle Training Centre at Canungra in Queensland, Our Harry Patch was awarded the US Silver Star for his bravery in October 1952 in Korea, and was then awarded a second US Silver Star while serving in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

I forgot to mention, Cpl Harry Patch, silver star twice, was a member of 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, when he was awarded his first silver star in Korea, and his second silver star was awarded when he was a member of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) and 1 RAR was the unit that had Septimus as mascot, the shetland pony mentioned in another thread about the mascot of a Welsh Regiment, Septimus, all of them, over the years, have gone up and down in rank as they do things like poop on the parade ground, bite people etc, they rarely ever get above the rank of Cpl, and never last long in any rank before being demoted again.

 

[BuggerAll]

Thank you for posting Goldbricker. I'm not sure we can say it's sad when a man of 110 years old dies, except for his family, but it's certainly worthy of note. It does remind us of the passing of that generation.

My grandmother who was born in 1910 vividly remembers the Great War. Particularly troop trains taking chaps to the ports and returning them from the front. Often still covered in mud and blood and of course she remembers the effect it had on her parents and other relatives.

I am going on a Battlefield Tour to Ypres, Vimy Ridge etc this weekend. The 1st time I went there there were veterans to tell us what happened.

RIP

 

[cernunnos]

Hat off!

110 is a good batting average in my book, I wouldn't want to be that old.

My grandad was an old contemptible, he was very proud of that and had a chest full of gongs but he never really got over that war. His chest was bad, (a mere whiff of chlorine gas near Ypres), he was scarred facially by sulphur mustard burns (about which he would never speak) and if you slammed a door or let a pot lid rattle on the stove he'd be diving for cover. He told some horrendous stories about trench life, he died aged 88, which after years of pain was old enough.

I still have his Webley Mk IV and it shoots well even now.

 

[smudge5611]

I hope Mr Buckles can truly rest in peace.

I doff my cap to all of their generation.

And I shall raise a glass to him, and them, tonight.

 

[DavidBOC]

RIP Mr Buckles, the last of his generation here.

It brings back memories of 30 years ago and the funeral of my great aunt Kate Corcoran, Yeoman-F, USN during WW I. After the war she became a schoolteacher and never married. She was very active in the WW I veterans association in her Boston suburb and she was always very proud of her service in the USN. She had been the head clerk for the Commandant of the District. She was one of the first group of women to join in the 1st Naval District (i.e. New England). Ankle length skirts and a big flat hat with US Navy embroidered on the front.

At her funeral it was a very cold winter day and I recall that her "buddies" from the local WW I veterans group were her honor guard at the funeral, saluting with somewaht shaky hands during "Taps" and slowly and carefully folding the US flag from her coffin. Old, shaky with rheumy eyes but out on a cold morning to honor one of their own.

 

[British_And_Proud]

When men were men and even the boys were men.....

Rest In Peace.