Free Republic

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Alfred Pugh, the last known combat-wounded U.S. veteran of World War I, died Wednesday, officials at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Bay Pines said. He was 108. Pugh, who often told visitors the key to a long life is "keep breathing," joined the Army in 1917 and fought in France during World War I with the 77th Infantry Division. In 1918, he was wounded during the Meusse-Argonne offensive, one of the war's bloodiest battles. Born Jan. 17, 1895, in Everett, Mass., Pugh raised 16 foster children, played the organ into his 100s and was...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Alfred Pugh, the last known combat-wounded U.S. veteran of World War I, has died. He was 108, just 10 days short of his 109th birthday, when he died Wednesday. Pugh, who often told visitors the key to a long life is "keep breathing," joined the Army in 1917 and fought in France during World War I with the 77th Infantry Division. In 1918, he was wounded during the Meusse-Argonne offensive, one of the war's bloodiest battles. He died at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Bay Pines. VA officials said he was the oldest wounded combat...