FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: CPL Frank Buckles ~ July 6, 2015

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

CPL Frank Buckles
All info and photos from this website.

           

Frank Woodruff Buckles (February 1, 1901 - February 27, 2011) was a United States Army soldier, the last living American veteran of World War I. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 and served with a detachment from Fort Riley, driving ambulances and motorcycles near the front lines in Europe. During World War II, Buckles was taken prisoner by the Japanese as a civilian.

Buckles was born in Bethany, Missouri. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at the beginning of America's involvement in World War I in April 1917. Only 16 years old at the time, Buckles was asked by his recruiter to show a birth certificate. Later Buckles said of that event, “I was just 16 and didn’t look a day older. I confess to you that I lied to more than one recruiter. I gave them my solemn word that I was 18, but I’d left my birth certificate back home in the family Bible. They’d take one look at me and laugh and tell me to go home before my mother noticed I was gone. Somehow I got the idea that telling an even bigger whopper was the way to go. So I told the next recruiter that I was 21 and darned if he didn’t sign me up on the spot! I enlisted in the Army on the 14th of August 1917." Before being accepted into the United States Army, he was turned down by the Marine Corps due to his slight weight.

In 1917, Buckles was sent to Europe on the RMS Carpathia, which had rescued Titanic survivors five years earlier. During the war Buckles served in England and France, driving ambulances and motorcycles for the Army's 1st Fort Riley Casualty Detachment. After the Armistice in 1918, Buckles escorted prisoners of war back to Germany. Following his discharge in 1919, he attended the dedication of the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, in honor of those Americans who died in World War I. While there, he met General John "Black Jack" Pershing, commander of all U.S. forces in France during the war.

In the 1940s Buckles worked for a shipping company in Manila, Philippines. He was captured by the Japanese in 1942 and spent the next three and a half years in the Los Baños prison camp. He became malnourished, with a weight below 100 lb, and developed beriberi, yet led his fellow inmates in calisthenics. He was rescued on February 23, 1945.

In 1953, Buckles married and bought the 330-acre Gap View Farm in West Virginia. His wife died in 1999, and their daughter moved back to the farm to care for her father.

Buckles stated in an interview with The Washington Post on Veterans' Day 2007 that he believes the United States should go to war only "when it's an emergency."  When asked about the secret of his long life, Buckles replied: "Hope", adding, "When you start to die... don't." He also said the reason he has lived so long is that, "I never got in a hurry."

The U.S. Library of Congress included Buckles in its Veterans History Project and has audio, video and pictorial information on Buckles' experiences in both world wars, including a full 148-minute video interview.  Buckles' life was featured on the Memorial Day 2007 episode of NBC Nightly News.

On March 6, 2008, he met with President Bush at the White House.  The same day, he attended the opening of a Pentagon exhibit featuring photos of nine surviving World War I veterans created by historian and photographer David DeJonge. Of the group, only Buckles and Canadian veteran John Babcockwere left. Babcock was unable to attend. He passed away February 18, 2010.

Buckles is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was eligible for cremation and placement in a columbarium at Arlington, but expressed a desire for burial there, which he was not eligible for under current Arlington policy.  Friends and family members took up his cause, but made no headway until a relative, Ken Buckles, contacted Ross Perot, whom Frank had met at a history seminar in 2001. Within two weeks, Perot had successfully intervened with the White House, and on March 19, 2008, Buckles received special approval for underground burial at Arlington.

Buckles was the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation, which seeks refurbishment of the District of Columbia War Memorial and its establishment as the National World War I Memorial on the National Mall. Buckles appeared before Congress on December 3, 2009, advocating on behalf of such legislation.  On February 1, 2010, on Buckles' 109th birthday, his official biographer announced that he will be completing a film on Buckles' life. The film is a cumulative work of three years of interviews and intimate moments gathered by DeJonge as he traveled the nation with Buckles

For his service during World War I, Buckles received (from the U.S. Government) the World War I Victory Medal and the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal. In addition, French president Jacques Chirac awarded him France's Légion d'honneur.

On May 25, 2008, Buckles received the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Gold Medal of Merit at the Liberty Memorial. He sat for a portrait taken by David DeJonge that will hang in the National World War I Museum, as "the last surviving link".

Buckles received the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry's Knight Commander of the Court of Honour (KCCH) on September 24, 2008. The KCCH is the last honor a freemason receives prior to the 33°. The ceremony was hosted by Ronald Seale, 33°, Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. A keynote address was provided by James Peake, Secretary of Veteran Affairs.

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Thank you to Ms. Behavin for the heads up about this wonderful hero!

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[SkyDancer]

Hai - We had a great time! I still have a week off but next Sunday heading out, don’t know how long. Guess I’ll know the details at some time but just told to stand by.

[SandRat]

Salute!

[luvie]

....till they all come home....

[luvie]

Now there’s a guy that had a long and admirable career in the military.

Thanks, galz, for another great story!

[Kathy in Alaska]

WOW! 110 in the shade.....I guess your fingers were slippery.

[SandRat]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Sand...((HUGS))...ready for the new week?

I got lots of things done this weekend.

[luvie]

LOL! I’m glad I’m off tomorrow. :)

[Kathy in Alaska]

He led quite an interesting life.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Garfield has it right....dive, dive!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

RMS Carpathia

[Kathy in Alaska]

Lying in state in the Memorial Amphitheater Chapel, Arlington

[Kathy in Alaska]

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Darkness and Light

July 6, 2015

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, . . . nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness. —Psalm 91:5-6

When I was a boy, I delivered newspapers to about 140 homes on two streets that were connected by a cemetery. Since I delivered a morning newspaper, I had to be out at 3:00 a.m. walking through that cemetery in the darkness. Sometimes I would be so frightened that I would actually run! I was afraid until I was standing safely under a streetlight on the other side. The scary darkness was dispelled by the light.

The psalmist understood the connection between fear and darkness, but he also knew that God is greater than those fears. He wrote, “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness” (Ps. 91:5-6). Neither terrors of night nor evil in the darkness need to drive us to fear. We have a God who sent His Son, the Light of the World (John 8:12).

In the light of God’s love and grace and truth, we can find courage, help, and strength to live for Him.

Lord, I come to You, the Light of the World. I want You to bring Your light into the darkness of my fears.

For help in overcoming worry, read discoveryseries.org/q0711

You need not fear the darkness if you are walking with the Light of the World.

INSIGHT:

Psalm 91 celebrates the safety and security of those who trust in God. The psalmist warns of danger from insidious schemes of men, uninvited troubles, physical attacks, sickness, and disasters. But the Lord protects those who trust in Him. This psalm does not promise immunity from danger, but security in the midst of it. Various metaphors are used to describe the safety of the Lord including “the secret place of the Most High,” “the shadow of the Almighty,” a “refuge,” and a “fortress” (vv. 1-2). He will “cover [us] with His feathers,” “under His wings” we take refuge (v. 4), and “His faithful promises are [our] armor and protection” (v. 4 nlt).

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

Are you safely home or traveling today?

Hope you had a wonderful reunion.

[PROCON]

Hi Ma, I came into work today for a sick fellow worker and worked late.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

How is reggie working out for your Mom?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro....you did good. Hope your co-worker feels better soon.

Reggie is doing well for Mom, but, boy, are a lot of the doorways getting beat up. I took the door off the office, but came home to the stop separated from the jamb on the other side.

Oh well....at least she can get around when I’m not here. She still has some independence.

I passed my eye evaluation on Thursday and cataract surgery on the first eye is Thursday the 16th.

[E.G.C.]

A very pleasant good Monday morning to everyone at the Canteen and to all our military at home and abroad. Thanks for your service to our country.

((HUGS))Good morning, Ladies. Thanks for this morning's thread. Star.

We slept through the fireworks on the 4th. There were a couple of people firing crackers late at night that woke us up though.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, E...((HUGS))...glad you and Bo made it through the fireworks. They are banned here.

Have a wonderful Monday.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Prayers for Arrowhead's recovery, and in his absence....