Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Sundowner on July 05, 2007, 04:18:56 AM

Title: Veteran among last 3 known survivors of World War I
Post by: Sundowner on July 05, 2007, 04:18:56 AM

Looks like an era and a generation is poised to pass away.



Regards,
Sun

Veteran among last 3 known survivors of World War I

Frank Buckles is 106 and not as spry as he used to be. But try to help him from a chair to his feet, and he will bellow a loud, clear "No."

Ninety years after the headstrong teenager lied his way into a uniform, then into the European theater of World War I, Buckles remains fiercely independent.

More than 4.7 million Americans joined the military from 1917-18, but the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says only three survive. For decades, Buckles sat in his living room and read issues of a military magazine called The Torch, watching the list of fellow veterans dwindle.

"Soon, I was able to say, 'Oh my gosh, I am going to be one of the last,"' he said.

Buckles is the youngest of the known survivors. The others are 107-year-old Harry Landis of Florida and 108-year-old J. Russell Coffey of Ohio. None of the three saw action....
Full Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/04/wwi.survivors.ap/index.html

Title: Veteran among last 3 known survivors of World War I
Post by: MiloMorai on July 05, 2007, 05:58:39 AM

Any vets left from other countries that participated in WW1, besides the USA?

Title: Veteran among last 3 known survivors of World War I
Post by: Nashwan on July 05, 2007, 07:59:01 AM

3 in Britain.

Harry Patch (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6760973.stm) fought at Passchendaele.

Henry Allingham (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6724313.stm) was at Jutland

William Stone (http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/49/a8913549.shtml) the last surviving British veteran of both world wars.

Title: Veteran among last 3 known survivors of World War I
Post by: straffo on July 05, 2007, 09:26:05 AM

2 in france :

Louis de Cazenave
Lazare Ponticelli

Title: Veteran among last 3 known survivors of World War I
Post by: Maverick on July 05, 2007, 10:19:02 AM

Survivors of a terrible time and experiance. to them all.

Title: Veteran among last 3 known survivors of World War I
Post by: cpxxx on July 05, 2007, 10:53:01 AM

Amazing to think of all the changes they've seen over the years. Growing up in Ireland, I met one WW1 veteran as a kid, my friend's Grandad. He actually served in ww2 as well being a career soldier in the British army ending up as a warrant officer. He taught us how to drill and told us the story of how he shot down a plane once.

Actually both my Grandfathers served in the British army in WW1 but both had died before I was born.

Sad to think they're nearly all gone.

Title: Veteran among last 3 known survivors of World War I
Post by: midnight Target on July 05, 2007, 10:56:50 AM

My Grandfather served in the French army and the American Navy during WW1.

That was after he went AWOL from the Stokholm Guard.