August 26, 1988-Corporal Frank W. Buckles

In a 1988 Interview, Corporal Frank Buckles spoke about his time in Europe during WWI. Born in a Missouri farmhouse in 1901, Buckles lied about his age to enlist in the Army at the age of 16. He served with a detachment from Fort Riley, driving ambulances and motorcycles near the front lines in Europe. He was honorably discharged in November 1919. Buckles was awarded the World War I Victory Medal at the conclusion of that conflict, and the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal retroactively following the medal's creation in 1941, as well as the French Legion of Honor in 1999.

After his time in the military, Buckles’ shipping career satisfied his thirst for adventure and even embroiled him in the century’s second major global conflict. In December 1941, he was working in Manila when Japanese troops invaded the city and took him prisoner. He was held in several brutal internment camps and lost more than 50 pounds before being freed by an American airborne unit in February 1945. Suffering from beriberi and dengue fever, he decided to seek a quieter existence back home in the United States, where he married, had a daughter and later ran a cattle farm in West Virginia, where he lived until his death.

In 2008, Buckles became the last living American military veteran of World War I. Frank passed away on February 27, 2011, at the age of 110, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, with President Barrack Obama paying his respects prior to the ceremony with full military honors.

To learn more about the USAHEC, find education support for teachers, researchers, and soldiers, or to find more programs at the USAHEC, please visit our website at www.usahec.org.