Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/26110
8A – Daily News – Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Last American veteran of World War I, dies at 110 LOS ANGELES (MCT) — Frank Woodruff Buckles, a one-time Missouri farm boy who was the last known living American veteran of World War I, has died. He was 110. Buckles, who later spent more than three years in a Japanese POW camp as a civilian in the Philippines dur- ing World War II, died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Charles Town, W.Va., family spokesman David DeJonge said. A total of 4,734,991 Americans served in the military during World War I. When 108-year-old Harry Landis died in Sun City Center, Fla., on Feb. 4, 2008, Buckles became the war's last standing U.S. veteran. "I always knew I'd be one of the last because I was one of the youngest when I joined," Buckles, then 107, told the New York Daily News. "But I never thought I'd be the last one." Earning that distinction resulted in numerous honors for Buckles in 2008. In March 2008, he met with President George W. Bush at the White House, then attended the unveiling of an exhibit at the Pentagon of recent photographic por- traits of nine World War I veterans, including himself, who had lived to age 100 or older. In April, then-West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin for- mally dedicated a section of the new, four-lane state Route 9 in honor of Buckles, who lived with his daugh- ter, Susannah Flanagan, and her husband on a cattle farm near Charles Town, a small community in West Virginia's eastern panhandle. And on Nov. 11 — the 90th anniversary of the signing of the armistice — Buckles was recognized by the secre- tary of the Department of Veterans Affairs as "our last liv- ing link" to World War I. He was born Feb. 1, 1901, on a farm near Bethany, Mo., and moved with his family to a farm in Oklahoma's Dewey County as a teenager. When the United States entered the war in April 1917, Buckles was eager to enlist — even though he was only 16. After being rejected by Marine and Navy recruiters, Buckles tried the Army. When the recruiter asked to see his birth certificate, Buckles said Missouri didn't keep birth records when he was born and the only record was what was written in the family Bible. His word was good enough for the Army. Buckles enlisted on Aug. 14, 1917, and went through basic training at Fort Riley, Kan. "I was a snappy soldier," he told USA Today in 2007 while looking at a sepia-toned photo of himself in his uni- form. "All gung-ho." In his Daily News interview, Buckles recalled that an old sergeant told him, "If you want to get to France in a hurry, then join the ambulance service." He shipped off to England in December 1917 on the RMS Carpathia, the ocean liner that had rescued sur- vivors of the Titanic in 1912. Initially stationed in England, where he drove digni- taries around, he successfully hounded his officers for an assignment in France. He never got close to the action. But, as he told columnist George F. Will in 2008, "I saw the results." MCT file photos Frank Buckles, believed to be the last known living American veteran of World War I, passed away, Sunday, at age 110. When the war ended, Buckles remained in Europe to help escort prisoners of war back to Germany. After returning home a corporal, he attended a busi- ness school in Oklahoma City for several months and, among other jobs, worked for a bank. But he grew bored. Satisfying a desire for adventure, he got a job with the White Star Line shipping company and traveled the world. He was in Manila when the Japanese attacked the Philippines on Dec. 8, 1941, and was among the Western civilians later taken prisoner. Buckles spent about 3{ years at the Santo Tomas and Los Banos internment camps. At Los Banos, he said in a 2009 interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, he once saw three prisoners nearly beaten to death. "There was no mercy as far as the Japanese were con- cerned," he said. Buckles, who led daily fitness classes in the camp, said food became scarce as Japan began losing the war. He had gone in weighing 140 pounds and had lost more than 50 pounds by the time the camp was liberated in February 1945. After returning home, Buckles married Audrey Mayo, whom he had met in California before the war. In 1954, they moved to the 330-acre West Virginia cattle farm. "I had been bouncing around from one place to anoth- er for years at sea," Buckles told the Charleston Daily Mail in 2007. "It was time to settle down in one place." Buckles' wife died in 1999, the same year French President Jacques Chirac awarded him the French Legion of Honor. He continued to live on his farm and reportedly drove a car and a farm tractor until he was 102. Just before his 108th birthday in 2009, Buckles told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he always knew he'd live a long life: His father died at 97, a sister at 104. And other relatives on his mother's side of the family hit the centu- ry mark. As for living long enough to be the last U.S. military veteran of World War I, he grinned and said, "If it has to be somebody, it might as well be me." Tehama County Business Spotlight Highlighting selected Tehama County businesses for their customer and community service! North State Blinds & Draperies 527-0842 stubbsrb@sbcglobal.net • www.nsbd.biz Paul Stubbs began working for Monson Drapery Contract Services at the end of 2004. Paul did all of the installations as training toward getting his own contractor’s license for window coverings, which he did receive in November 2007 (CA#906022). After that, Paul bought the business from Jim Monson and renamed it North State Blinds & Draperies. It is truly a North State business as he has sold and installed window coverings in McKinleyville, Fort Bragg, North Lake Tahoe, Yreka, Cedarville, and many towns in between, including many places in Tehama County. Working with both commercial and residential projects, he is willing to dive into projects both big and small. Window covering repair is also part of his service. North State Blinds & Draperies sells products from companies such as Hunter Douglas, Bail/Graber, Levelor, Kirsch, Draper, and many others. The company works out of a home office which keeps its overhead low so that those savings can be passed on with reasonable prices to the consumer. If you would like a free in-home demonstra- tion of the variety of options of blinds or draperies for your home, call 527-0842 to ask for an appointment. Local Businesses create and maintain jobs, provide personal customer service, donate to local charitable causes and community betterment projects, generate sales tax revenue ... and turn cities into communities. We hope you will always remember to shop locally first for the goods and services you need! 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