Frank Buckles

Last month, on February 27, Frank Buckles of Charlestown, WV , the last Doughboy, passed away. He recently celebrated his 110th birthday. According to the Memphis Commerical Appeal, “Sixteen years old, he lied about his age to get into the Army and badgered his superiors until they sent him to the French front with an ambulance unit, one of 4.7 million Yanks who answered the call to go “Over There.””

There are only two British veterans left of all the millions of soldiers who fought in the ‘Great War’ . For Americans, WWI has become, like the Civil War, only accessible through secondary sources and photographs. I remember, as a child, listening to one of my older friends talking about fighting Germans in the Argonne Forest and what it was like to be gassed. Fortunately, he was one of the lucky ones who did not get a bad case of it.  Conversations like those will never be heard again in this country. I wish I could remember more about his stories, but I was a kid and only paid a certain amount of attention.

Those of us who have known WWI veterans can treasure that memory and that connection to the past.  But it is also a reminder to make the most of our relationships to the Veterans of the intervening periods. The WWII generation is leaving us an increasingly accelerating rate. After them will come Korea and so on. While we have the chance, we should be sure to let these men and women tell us their stories. If possible, and this is something that I admit that I have been lax about myself, write them down or better still, record them. They are truly Living History and the opportunity to listen to them and express our gratitude won’t last forever.

So, rest in peace, Frank Buckles. God bless you and your comrades-in-arms!