Friday, March 07, 2008

HONORING THE LAST DOUGHBOY

The last living American WWI veteran, FRANK WOODRUFF BUCKLES, was honored in Washington this week!

From CNN.com:
World War I veteran Frank Buckles entered the Army at age 15. "I didn't lie; nobody calls me a liar," he said with a laugh, and then conceded, "I may have increased my age."

He drove ambulances in Britain and France for soldiers wounded during World War I. A few decades later, Buckles was in the Philippines as a civilian, on December 7, 1941, the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. He was taken as a prisoner of war for 39 months in Manila, eating his meals out of a single tin cup.

More than 60 years later, he still clings to that cup, the one that sustained his life. Weathered with age, the cup has flecks of white paint chipped off. He keeps it as a reminder of his sacrifice for the country he so loves. He also still has his dog tags.

He now lives on his family's cattle farm near Charles Town, West Virginia.
(more)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i salute you,...and thank you .....