Frank Buckles, Last Surviving American WWI Veteran

Frank Woodruff Buckles (February 1, 1901 - February 27, 2011), was a United States Army soldier and the last surviving American veteran of WWI. 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. He was awarded the Victory Medal. During WWII, he was captured by Japanese forces while working in the shipping business, and spent three years in the Philippines as a civilian prisoner. He was awarded the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal in 1941. After the war, Buckles married in San Francisco and moved to Gap View Farm near Charles Town, West Virginia. A widower at age 98, he worked on his farm until the age of 105. His funeral was on March 15, 2011, at Arlington National Cemetery, with President Barack Obama attending and with full military honors. He died at the age of 110

Picture No

10978484

Media ID

47616358

Size

2502px x 3604px (2.2MB)

Credit

Source

U.S. Army