For you Del.... WW1 Vets

[duie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_last_surviving_World_War_I_veterans_by_country

enjoy sir

[Threeup]

If you want to be a bit sexist and separate those who saw action, I think the winner (?) is this guy.
I remember the press upon his passing.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-05/last-male-wwi-veteran-dies/2704674

[JunkyII]

If you want to be a bit sexist and separate those who saw action, I think the winner (?) is this guy.
I remember the press upon his passing.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-05/last-male-wwi-veteran-dies/2704674

The wiki he posted does split them up...to even the ones who actually saw Trench Combat which would do the biggest toll on a body.

[Threeup]

It does, that passing was close to home as it happened in Perth and was notable from that perspective. That was all.

On the trenches; we've visited them and when you look about and get told that x amount of Aussies died in the space of 24 hours for an area the size of 2 tennis courts it's particularly sobering. Pride and sadness as a simultaneous emotion.

Cheers

[mthrockmor]

Years ago the Governor of Utah brought in an old man to hype a health care proposal for old people the Governor was pushing. This old guy, 105 at the time, was spry, witty and had some fun. This was during the State of the State address, similar to the US President doing the State of the Union. At one point this old guy takes the microphone and pops off a couple funny statements. We got a kick out of it, didn't think much other than a liberal Governor was wanting more money.

A few weeks later the Salt Lake Tribune ran a story covering the death of Utah's last WW1 Veteran, which was the same old guy. I will forever be annoyed at the Governor for being so selfish as to not tell the whole story. He was only worried about a political win. The one chance in my life to talk with a WW1 vet...had I known I would have beat a path through the crowds and introduced myself, offered to take him to dinner, etc.

Anyway, to my knowledge my one and only chance to meet a WW1 vet.

I did have another close call. I paid my way through college installing carpet. I did a carpet repair for a really old lady, in her 90's. Her Dad fought in the Spanish-American War. She had vivid recollections of his stories and spent an hour or so telling me what she remembered.

Who else has stories of WW1 vets?

Boo
 

[JunkyII]

Years ago the Governor of Utah brought in an old man to hype a health care proposal for old people the Governor was pushing. This old guy, 105 at the time, was spry, witty and had some fun. This was during the State of the State address, similar to the US President doing the State of the Union. At one point this old guy takes the microphone and pops off a couple funny statements. We got a kick out of it, didn't think much other than a liberal Governor was wanting more money.

A few weeks later the Salt Lake Tribune ran a story covering the death of Utah's last WW1 Veteran, which was the same old guy. I will forever be annoyed at the Governor for being so selfish as to not tell the whole story. He was only worried about a political win. The one chance in my life to talk with a WW1 vet...had I known I would have beat a path through the crowds and introduced myself, offered to take him to dinner, etc.

Anyway, to my knowledge my one and only chance to meet a WW1 vet.

I did have another close call. I paid my way through college installing carpet. I did a carpet repair for a really old lady, in her 90's. Her Dad fought in the Spanish-American War. She had vivid recollections of his stories and spent an hour or so telling me what she remembered.

Who else has stories of WW1 vets?

Boo
 

I've never had an opportunity to shake a WW1 vets hand...I did however this past Veterans Day shake the hand of a COL and CSM (ret.) who both fought in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. That sort of service should be more well known in my opinion.

[cpxxx]

I did meet a couple of WW1 veterans over the years. The one I had most interaction with was my friend's granddad. He served in both wars and rose to the rank of Sergeant Major in the British army. I think he was regular army His name was Andy and he was quite happy to talk about his experiences unlike many particularly in Ireland where there was a general amnesia about Irishmen who joined the British army. Thankfully that's changed. He was a splendid old gentleman and taught me and his grandson how to stand to attention. His claim to fame was that he shot down a plane with a machine gun. He also served in the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry which some of you might know took part in the D-day attack on Pegasus bridge during WW2. Although I doubt he was involved in that particular escapade.

He died when I was a teenager. The pity of it was that I didn't get another chance to chat to him.

Ironically another friend of mine lived directly across the road and his granddad had fought the British during the war of Independence in 1921 then later against the Irish army during the civil war. In fact he still had his rifle in the attic for many years. He would have been equally interesting to talk to.

But it was not to be.

In my own family it was said that my maternal grandfather may have fought in the trenches in WW1 and may even have been wounded but he died in the 1940s. My paternal grandfather was a merchant seamen so may well have at sea during the war but he disappeared or walked out on his family during WW2 and no one knows his fate. Other than that I don't know of any family member who served in either war or frankly who even served in the military. My Father never did although he was 20 in 1944.

It's ironic to have a strong interest in military history and have no family members involved with the military. It's a pity really.

[Delirium]

Apologies for not responding sooner, Duie.

Thanks for the info, I had a feeling there were no WWI veterans left, aside from maybe a few spouses. It reminds me of the rare film of United States Civil War veterans coming together and later just the few spouses that were left to commemorate the war.

[-ammo-]

I never met a WWI vet, but my grandfather and uncle (brothers) both fought under Pershing.  My grandfather made it home but alas, I never met him.  He died in '66 and I was born in '67.

My uncle never made it home, and no one in the family ever knew what happened to him in battle.  

In 2011, I retired from the USAF in Stuttgart Germany.  I wanted it to be special for me and flew my father, then 80 years old, over for the ceremony.  He stayed with us for about three weeks and we didn't waste the time!  We spent the better part of those days traveling Europe.  My dad wanted to see Normandy and we obliged.

On the way to Normandy, we made the obligatory stop in Paris for a couple of dasy.  The ladies liked it but dad and I were ready to move on.  We did manage to spend a day in Verdun prior to the Paris stop which was good.  It was at that point that dad told me about his uncle Oscar fighting close by and not making it home.

We saw Normandy, a bed and breakfast in a small French town, a castle or two, and just enjoyed each others company.  All the while, my dad surmised how great it would be if we could find uncle Oscar's resting place.  I looked at our route back to Stuttgart and noted the ABMC cemeteries that were on our way.  By chance, and it was a long shot, the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery was close to our next stop  outside of Verdun.  

We visited Meuse-Argonne after a night's rest and upon inquiry, we found uncle Oscar's grave.  We were the first to visit and honor him there.  What a wonderful experience it was!  Since then, I have taken the family there to honor him the past few Memorial Day weekends.  

[Plazus]

Or how about the last Civil War veteran? Really puts things into perspective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Td4xzS6r2E