Last U.S. World War I veteran Frank W. Buckles dies at 110

"Frank W. Buckles died Sunday, sadly yet not unexpectedly at age 110, having achieved a singular feat of longevity that left him proud and a bit bemused.

"In 1917 and 1918, close to 5 million Americans served in World War I, and Mr. Buckles, a cordial fellow of gentle humor, was the last known survivor. 'I knew there'd be only one someday,' he said a few years back. 'I didn't think it would be me.'

Credit: The Washington Post

"His daughter, Susannah Buckles Flanagan, said Mr. Buckles, a widower, died of natural causes on his West Virginia farm, where she had been caring for him.

"'We have lost a living link to an important era in our nation's history," Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said of Mr. Buckles, whose distant generation was the first to witness the awful toll of modern, mechanized warfare. 'But we have also lost a man of quiet dignity who dedicated his final years to ensuring the sacrifices of his fellow doughboys are appropriately commemorated.'"

"As time thinned the ranks of those long-ago U.S. veterans, the nation hardly noticed them vanishing, until the roster dwindled to one ex-soldier, embraced in his final years by an appreciative public.

The rest of the article is here.

Today is a sad day, as we have lost forever the personal connection to such a significant moment in our history. All of our military veterans are to be celebrated, as the defenders of the liberty and prosperity which was began by our forefather over two centuries ago.  Frank Buckles...Godspeed.