Monday, February 28, 2011

A Passing

Last US World War I veteran Frank Buckles dies aged 110

Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last known US veteran of World War I, died Sunday at age 110, the Richmond Times Dispatch reported.

A family spokesman told the newspaper that Buckles had died peacefully at his farm near Charles Town, West Virginia.

The last known American veteran who served in World War I was said to be in great spirits earlier this month as he celebrated his 110th birthday at his farmhouse with his daughter and his 24-hour-a-day caregivers.

Buckles enlisted in the US Military at age 16 and joined the ambulance service. He was sent to England in late 1917, before heading to France in 1918.

By World War II, Buckles was no longer serving in the military, but was taken prisoner by the Japanese while working in the steamship business in the Philippines, and held for over three years.

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A simple question. In 100 years, will anyone mourn the death of the LAST Iraq / Afghan War Veteran?
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Schteveo

6 comments:

Spider said...

The answer to your question is, unfortunately, no one will remember. But you can bet the public will remember some loser from American Idol, or who A-Rod slept with last week. It is, IMO, an indictment on us as a society that our fearless and dedicated warriors are the last people we think of, when they should be the first. Just another indication (IMO) of a society that is rotting away.

Yesterday also marked the passing of one of my childhood heros. The "Duke of Flatbush".

"Leading home run hitter and Hall of Fame baseball player Duke Snider died Feb. 27 at the age of 84. Snider played for the Brooklyn Dodger teams in the 1940s and '50s."

Aside from his outstanding and consistent talents in centerfield, (he hit 40+ homers almost every year) the Duke was also known for something else. He was a total class-act, something that's foreign to most of today's overpaid athletes, and for several years running, he was also crowned, "the best-dressed man in baseball"..... So long Duke...

Schteveo said...

I said before that I'm reading "A Patriots History...". I've come to the conclusion, having just read through WWI, that as a group, Americans need a strong kick in the ass about 2 or 3 kicks in the ass before Average Joe starts paying attention.

Before the Civil War it was idiot magazines, before WWI it was dime novels and silent movie stars, now it's 'merican Idle.

Stupidity and selfishness are not hard to see, they're just hard to over come.



I saw the obit for Snider, too bad for the fans. And I'm guessing Dodgers fans will never get over the move to L.A. thing, if it's still a raw nerve now, after 53 years?

BOW, et. al> said...

Sir:

I salute you!

alan said...

I tried posting a comment on Fox earlier, and I got motterated (sp)

The passing of Buckles is the end of "generation" but every generation does end.

with my normal talent of being opinionally incorrect I had to ask the question about the "new" legislation. They are proposing a memorial be built and a day set aside to commemorate the WWI vets.

I wonder what the purpose is of creating these memorials beyond our own egos and making an attempt to feel good about neglecting those who sacrificed in the past. Why build a memorial to people who won't know they are memorialized?

The other factor is that the memorials change. I wonder how many people realize that the Tomb of the Unknowns was built to memorialize the fallen of World War I? Setting aside a day....I thought it was November 11th. But just like Memorial day, the true meaning of those honors is forgotten in the modern world.

Now the part that got me banned....
I think that communities and states should memorialize significant events, (who won 'merican idol doesn't count). The National should memorialize really significant events...once. And it should be all inclusive to the nation at that time, not revised to what we think they thought 100 years ago. There is no reason to creat multiple national memorials to each and every participant.

Do we need a memorial for a war, sure. Do we need one for the women, the hispanics, or blacks who also fought that war? how about the black women with hispanic surnames? What about the New York Italian who moved to the south and married a Pole in California on Friday night? It grows endless by commemorating every possibility....which then commemorates nothing.

While I think that it is sad that Mr. Buckles has passed, he did live a ripe life. The next problem is that I see him being canonized as some kind of hero. Perhaps he was, but from what I saw he drove a supply truck, which has now been upgraded to an ambulance in the latest story. This isn't to say that it couldn't have been heroic. But if he truly holds a warrior's spirit, he will be embarrassed by the false agrandizment of what he contributed.

It always reminds me that in combat, there is no reason to fear the "Dawgs o'war" and you never want to face a man with the call sign "Fuzzy Bunny 06"

Anonymous said...

"Moderated". Isn't that another word for "censorship"?

alan said...

thanks anon...my organic spell check wasn't working when I was writing.