A link for Memorial Day...
Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 1:49 am
Thank you to those who give/gave everything.
Wow, this man has seen it all. "Hats off" doesnt mean enough!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080526/ap_ ... i_survivor" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Wow, this man has seen it all. "Hats off" doesnt mean enough!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080526/ap_ ... i_survivor" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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.