Last known Surviving WWI Vet Honored on Memorial Day

A neat story for those honoring Memorial Day.

Brian Charlton, Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last known living American-born veteran of World War I, was honored Sunday at the Liberty Memorial during Memorial Day weekend celebrations.

"I had a feeling of longevity and that I might be among those who survived, but I didn't know I'd be the No. 1," the 107-year-old veteran said at a ceremony to unveil his portrait.

His photograph was hung in the main hallway of the National World War I Museum, which he toured for the first time, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States presented him with a gold medal of merit.

On Monday, he will be presented the American flag flying outside the memorial.

Buckles, who now lives in Charles Town, W.Va., has been an invited guest at the Pentagon, met with President Bush in Washington, D.C., and rode in the annual Armed Forces Day Parade in his home state since his status as one of the last living from the "Great War" was discovered nearly two years ago.

Federal officials have also arranged for his burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Born in Missouri in 1901 and raised in Oklahoma, Buckles visited a string of military recruiters after the United States entered the "war to end all wars" in April 1917.

He was rejected by the Marines and the Navy, but eventually persuaded an Army captain he was 18 and enlisted, convincing him Missouri didn't keep public records of birth.

Buckles sailed for England in 1917 on the Carpathia, which is known for its rescue of Titanic survivors, and spent his tour of duty working mainly as a driver and a warehouse clerk in Germany and France. He rose to the rank of corporal and after Armistice Day he helped return prisoners of war to Germany.

Buckles later traveled the world working for the shipping company White Star Line and was in the Philippines in 1940 when the Japanese invaded. He became a prisoner of war for nearly three years.

Buckles gained notoriety when he attended a Veteran's Day ceremony at the Arlington grave of Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing, who led U.S. forces in World War I, said his daughter, Susannah Flanagan.

He ended up on the podium and became a featured guest at the event, and the VIP invites and media interview requests came rolling in shortly afterward.

"This has been such a great surprise," Flanagan said. "You wouldn't think there would be this much interest in World War I. But the timing in history has been such and it's been unreal."

Buckles spent much of his museum tour Sunday looking at mementos of Pershing, whom he admired. He posed for pictures in front of a flag that used to be in Pershing's office and retold stories about meeting the famous general.

While Pershing claims most of the fame, Buckles now has a featured place at the museum.

"This is such an extraordinary occasion that we here at the museum decided that the photo of Mr. Buckles should be permanently installed in the main hallway here" said Brian Alexander, the museum's president and chief executive.

Respect our veterans, let them VOTE!

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the War in Iraq. More Americans have now died in Iraq that were killed by the terrorist attacks on the 11th of September, 2001. Countless more have been injured, both physically and psychologically, yet the Veterans Administration continues to dis-serve those who they are chartered expressly to aid. They don't even want to help Veterans register to vote. Something is very wrong.

The VA, as a federal agency, has the discretion under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, (the so-called Motor Voter Law) to determine if it would serve as a voter registration agency, according to election law experts. The NVRA mandated that state agencies from motor vehicle departments to welfare offices offer people the chance to register to vote, while federal agencies such as the VA can opt to register voters. Why does the VA continue to function as an impediment to our veterans on issues from disability payments to voter registration?

"Keeping faith with those who serve must always be a core American value and a cornerstone of American patriotism. Because America's commitment to its servicemen and women begins at enlistment, and it must never end."

— Barack Obama,
Speech in Kansas City, MO,
August 21, 2007

There are currently more than 400,000 claims pending with the Veterans Benefits Administration. You would be staggered to learn the error rates in processing these claims. The Walter Reed fiasco showed that we don't always provide returning service members, coming home with record levels of combat stress, the services they've earned, and until Senator Barack Obama stepped in we were expecting them to pay for their own meals as in-patients.

Barack Obama believes America has a sacred trust with our veterans. He is committed to creating a 21st Century Department of Veterans' Affairs that provides the care and benefits our nation�s veterans deserve. He is explicitly intent on mental health treatment for troops and veterans suffering from combat-related psychological injuries.

From the benefits bureaucracy to the refusal to provide transition services and help homeless veterans with such basic rights as access to psychological treatment and registration to vote, the Veterans Administration is in a shambles. The time for change is now.

A March 6th letter from Senators Feinstein and Kerry to James B. Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, stated, "Nearly one year ago, your predecessor, Secretary Nicholson, was questioned about the lack of access to nonpartisan voter registration services for our nation's veterans. A response to this inquiry was never received."

The letter also noted that "despite this lack of response, we now understand that the VA has engaged in litigation against voter registration efforts by third-party groups in VA facilities. In light of the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals decision that voter registration groups are not allowed to register veterans, we strongly urge you to focus on what the VA can do to ensure all veterans have access to registration."

This is unacceptable. The time for change at the VA is now. We need a new sense of urgency. Barack Obama has a record of acting to help veterans as a member of the Veterans' Affairs committee, he understands TBIs and PTSD, and he has a plan ready to go.

Respect, courtesy, and support are not too much to expect. Join Veterans for Obama.