Frank Woodruff Buckles lived a long and very full life. Being the last surviving WW1 Veteran had to have been an honor for Mr. Buckles, a man who did much during his 110 years. God bless Frank Buckles and all of those who serve or served this great nation.
What a life Buckled led! Thanks for sharing. Makes us reflect on our own past present and future & what we as individuals can contribute of value to our families, community and nation.
Every generation has the chance to address its challenges; are we up to ours?
What an long and interesting life Frank Woodruff Buckles lived. He even became a POW without ever seeing combat. He did make every attempt to join in the fight.
I got curious about whether he might have been tied into the Spanish 'Flu epidemic; Nope. He left for Europe they year before that began. The reason I was curious was that military bases, particularly starting in KS, marked the 'flu's expansion.
I read a story about how he crashed on an empty hospital bed one night (while he was being an ambulance driver). Fell asleep talking to the person on the next bed. The next morning, he awoke to find that the person he'd been talking to had passed away from the Spanish flu. I wonder if that one was true. I didn't dig further because I didn't plan to use the story.
There are a lot of stories about the 'flu. It cut a swath through major league baseball spring training camp... a lot of cities did do lockdowns of a sort as with COVID-19. Before antibiotics were commonly available, bacterial infections such as scarlet fever would result in quarantines (doors were placarded, and people living in the house could not go out - I remember my grandmother describing that, though she didn't live in CT, where the linked Smithsonian placard came from). Inside that story are those like what you just shared. Now all are lost - nobody who lived through that is alive any more, and very few got written down.
Thank you good sir for your service to the USA in France and the Philippines. In my life, I've met some of your WWI colleagues. Truly weird knowing we've lost our connections to that time in our country's life. RIP.
Frank Woodruff Buckles lived a long and very full life. Being the last surviving WW1 Veteran had to have been an honor for Mr. Buckles, a man who did much during his 110 years. God bless Frank Buckles and all of those who serve or served this great nation.
Thank you Tara.
Certainly a persevering patriot with patriotic grit and determination. He is one I would like to sit down and talk with for hours.
Great article and a really interesting biography.
It was always a shame it took America so long to establish a World War I memorial.
Great American!
Great story and his final efforts resulted in a great Memorial in Washington DC.
❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
He certainly had a good attitude!
Frank Woodruff was persistent throughout his long life!
He fought to get into two World Wars and helped make the World War I Memorial an asset to the public on April 16, 2021, 10 years after his passing!
He saw history being made throughout the whole 20th century!
Thank you, Tara, for this story of persistence paying off for America!
What a life Buckled led! Thanks for sharing. Makes us reflect on our own past present and future & what we as individuals can contribute of value to our families, community and nation.
Every generation has the chance to address its challenges; are we up to ours?
What an long and interesting life Frank Woodruff Buckles lived. He even became a POW without ever seeing combat. He did make every attempt to join in the fight.
Tara an outstanding read on an outstanding American
What a life.
Another gem...thank you Tara!
Good bless this wonderful person. May he always rest in peace.
I got curious about whether he might have been tied into the Spanish 'Flu epidemic; Nope. He left for Europe they year before that began. The reason I was curious was that military bases, particularly starting in KS, marked the 'flu's expansion.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC340389/
I read a story about how he crashed on an empty hospital bed one night (while he was being an ambulance driver). Fell asleep talking to the person on the next bed. The next morning, he awoke to find that the person he'd been talking to had passed away from the Spanish flu. I wonder if that one was true. I didn't dig further because I didn't plan to use the story.
There are a lot of stories about the 'flu. It cut a swath through major league baseball spring training camp... a lot of cities did do lockdowns of a sort as with COVID-19. Before antibiotics were commonly available, bacterial infections such as scarlet fever would result in quarantines (doors were placarded, and people living in the house could not go out - I remember my grandmother describing that, though she didn't live in CT, where the linked Smithsonian placard came from). Inside that story are those like what you just shared. Now all are lost - nobody who lived through that is alive any more, and very few got written down.
https://www.si.edu/object/quarantine-scarlet-fever-all-persons-are-forbidden-enter-or-leave-these-premises-without-permission%3Anmah_1292351
Thank you good sir for your service to the USA in France and the Philippines. In my life, I've met some of your WWI colleagues. Truly weird knowing we've lost our connections to that time in our country's life. RIP.
Very distant cousin of mine.
Did you get to meet him? I bet he had a lot of interesting stories!
God led him to his greatest glory..🇺🇸