Last surviving American World War I veteran dies by Skywalken

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Last surviving American World War I veteran dies

POSTED BY: SKYWALKEN
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 2, 2011 02:22
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Monday, February 28, 2011 10:11 AM

It's a sad event that we've lost our last link to such an important part of American history and the whole of human history for that matter. May he rest in peace.

Quote:
Frank Buckles, who drove an Army ambulance in France in 1918 and came to symbolize a generation of embattled young Americans as the last of the World War I doughboys, died on Sunday at his home in Charles Town, W. Va. He was 110.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/us/01buckles.html?_r=1&src=mv

Here's President Obama's statement

Quote:
Michelle and I were inspired by the service and life story of former Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I and the oldest known World War I era veteran in the world, who passed away yesterday at the age of 110. A decorated soldier in the Great War, he also survived more than three years in Japanese prisoner of war camps during the Second World War.

Frank Buckles lived the American Century. Like so many veterans, he returned home, continued his education, began a career, and along with his late wife Audrey, raised their daughter Susannah. And just as Frank continued to serve America until his passing, as the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation, our nation has a sacred obligation to always serve our veterans and their families as well as they’ve served us. We join Susannah and all those who knew and loved her father in celebrating a remarkable life that reminds us of the true meaning of patriotism and our obligations to each other as Americans.

http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/28/potus-pays-tribute-to-world
-war-i-vet

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Monday, February 28, 2011 3:13 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

He'll be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors, I heard.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Monday, February 28, 2011 3:23 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

Wow, he must be really old, do you know how old he was when he died? It makes me sad that we are loosing all of our veterans from the old wars, those guys are amazing, and as they die I feel like we lose a piece of our history and the American experience. I'm sure people felt that way when the last Civil War veteran died etc. so I guess it isn't a new thing to ponder. Of course our new veterans are super brave too and should be respected as well.

Whenever I watch the history channel or whatever I'm always transfixed by the personal accounts of World War II especially.

This thread puts me in a reflective mood. Time must march onward, the best thing we can do is to take what we can and gain knowledge from each other, share mutual respect and use what we learn to make a better, more rounded, more aware world.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, February 28, 2011 3:35 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER

One of the stupidist, most pointless, savage wars ever waged. Glad he survived it and went on to have a life unlike the 16 million who died for ?????? Does anyone remember what that war was fought? What it achieved?

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Monday, February 28, 2011 3:37 PM

CANTTAKESKY

Quote:
Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
One of the stupidist, most pointless, savage wars ever waged. ... Does anyone remember what that war was fought? What it achieved?

To me, you just described ALL wars.

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Monday, February 28, 2011 3:40 PM

KWICKO

Riona - News said he was 110 years old. He lied about his age to get into the war at 16.

He was also captured (as a civilian) in WWII by the Japanese, and survived 3 years in a Japanese prison camp.

Guy had one hell of a life, that's for sure!

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Monday, February 28, 2011 3:58 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

Sounds like a pretty amazing guy, wishing the best to his descendants.

Megan's, I choose not to respond to you in this thread because this thread, for me, is about respecting this person. Thus my opinions about WWI are irrelevent in this thread.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, February 28, 2011 8:54 PM

TRAVELER

Quote:
Originally posted by canttakesky:
Quote:
Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
One of the stupidist, most pointless, savage wars ever waged. ... Does anyone remember what that war was fought? What it achieved?
To me, you just described ALL wars.

Took the words out of my mouth.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

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Monday, February 28, 2011 8:54 PM

TRAVELER

Sorry for the multiple posts. The system is giving me a hard time today.

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Monday, February 28, 2011 8:55 PM

TRAVELER

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Monday, February 28, 2011 8:55 PM

TRAVELER

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Monday, February 28, 2011 8:55 PM

TRAVELER

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Tuesday, March 1, 2011 2:01 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER

Quote:
Originally posted by RionaEire:
Sounds like a pretty amazing guy, wishing the best to his descendants.

Megan's, I choose not to respond to you in this thread because this thread, for me, is about respecting this person. Thus my opinions about WWI are irrelevent in this thread.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

It's that kind of attitude that keeps us having wars. The monuments, the memorials, the reverence that we place upon servicemen.

The ones that I know from wars dont consider themselves heroic, they found themselves caught up in something awful and managed to survive and thought themselves lucky for it.

Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering,choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.

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Tuesday, March 1, 2011 7:33 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

I agree with you that war is horrid and hellish, I'm not disputing that. All the more reason to respect those who survived and pushed through the horror.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Tuesday, March 1, 2011 10:06 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER

The reason that this man's death is making news is because he was the last living connection with that war. No more primary sources exist (in the US at least). This man's passing is a cause for grief for his family and friends, or at least sadness, because at 110, he's had a damn good innings. For the rest of us, his death is a reminder of the passing of time, and it can be a time for reflection on that part of history. Therefore discussing WW1 is not in anyway disrespectful to this man and I find it overly obsequiese of you to suggest such a thing.

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Wednesday, March 2, 2011 2:22 AM

DREAMTROVE

Quote:
Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
One of the stupidist, most pointless, savage wars ever waged. Glad he survived it and went on to have a life unlike the 16 million who died for ?????? Does anyone remember what that war was fought? What it achieved?

The destruction of Austria, and the creation of a global oil cartel, both keystones in a new world order agenda. The aptly named Warburgs who funded both sides of the war wanted to achieve the League of Nations. That failed, so they had to create WWII, to found the UN, which was only possible because they had dissolved Austria.

The ultimate goal of that is perpetual war under the name of world peace.

Oh, and the extermination of lots of people by the global population control crowd. I don't think the ordering of allied forces into German machinegun fire was just stupidity, I think it was intentional, like the ordering of Jews into ovens.

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