Last WWI Veternan Dies

[runinbrynmawr]

At 110 years old can you imagine how witnessing the world change has impacted him? Wow...simply wow.

16 years old and lying about his age to serve his country...even more impressive.

Last U.S. WWI veteran dies at 110 in Virginia - World - CBC News

[scottpeezy]

Rest In Peace and thank you.

[Dayman]

A century is just an immense expanse of time to have lived through.

My grandma remembers what it was like when the last Civil War vet died, man even Korea vets are starting to get up there.

[OldMaestro]

Rest In Peace and thank you as well.

[markedixon]

Apropos of nothing much, my great-great grandfather's brother -- Owen Thomas Edgar (Owen Thomas Edgar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) of Philadelphia -- was the last survivor of the Mexican War. He died in 1929 at the age of 98. He enlisted at the age of 15.

My grandfather was in WWI, but would rather have passed on the opportunity. I remember him sitting on his front porch and saying, "That damn Wilson. The only thing I ever got from him was a letter that said, 'Greetings.'"

[Braveheart]

Darn I searched Frank Buckles before starting a new thread and nothing came up. He just died and already in History?

Anyhow thats his name. Can't delete a thread so asking somebody to consolidate since my Washington Post link is
pretty good also.

Thank you Frank.

[CHIOSSO]

My great uncle went to fight for democracy, he was wounded captured freed to fight on. He returned home and got married. Little by little he went insane. He spent the next thirty years of his life at Coatesville army hospital. He died in 1967, later that same year my brother was killed in Vietnam.

[Braveheart]

A very hard year for you Chiosso, was he your only brother?

[daninpa]

Wow, he was very young looking for being a supercentenarian. Thanks man and rest in peace.

[NJbound]

amazing how well he looked at 110 too.. RIP Frank..

[Seanibus]

A century is just an immense expanse of time to have lived through.

My grandma remembers what it was like when the last Civil War vet died, man even Korea vets are starting to get up there.

It is amazing when one starts thinking about how living memory stretches across time and then breaks suddenly - my grandparents grew up in a world where Civil War veterans were the same age as World War II veterans are today, or even younger. And I was born when World War II veterans were the same age as Gulf War veterans are today.

My great-great uncle was a stetcher bearer and bugler in World War I and I was fortunate to be able to hear his stories before he died in the late 1980s.

[lemko]

Last Living Veterans of America's Wars. List is prior to Mr. Buckle's passing:

Last Living Veterans of America's Wars — Infoplease.com

[CHIOSSO]

A century is just an immense expanse of time to have lived through.

My grandma remembers what it was like when the last Civil War vet died, man even Korea vets are starting to get up there.

More than a thousand World War II veterans die every day.

[Dayman]

It is amazing when one starts thinking about how living memory stretches across time and then breaks suddenly - my grandparents grew up in a world where Civil War veterans were the same age as World War II veterans are today, or even younger. And I was born when World War II veterans were the same age as Gulf War veterans are today.

My great-great uncle was a stetcher bearer and bugler in World War I and I was fortunate to be able to hear his stories before he died in the late 1980s.

If you use wars as a benchmark for memory (the idea that people and events are still "living" as long as the people that experienced them are still alive), then time becomes much much smaller.

For example, this man, fought in the American Revolution. He lived long enough to be photographed.



He died during the Civil War. He was born BEFORE this country was formed. He was born BEFORE the end of the seven years war. Suddenly. Then you realize that the last Civil War vet died in the 1950s - immediately those years are gapped by just two people, with some overlap.

Then you realize, humanity hasn't really be around that long at all.

[Seanibus]

If you use wars as a benchmark for memory (the idea that people and events are still "living" as long as the people that experienced them are still alive), then time becomes much much smaller.

For example, this man, fought in the American Revolution. He lived long enough to be photographed.



He died during the Civil War. He was born BEFORE this country was formed. He was born BEFORE the end of the seven years war. Suddenly. Then you realize that the last Civil War vet died in the 1950s - immediately those years are gapped by just two people, with some overlap.

Then you realize, humanity hasn't really be around that long at all.

This is exactly the game. When you start doing this sort of relativistic timeline game, you realize the amazing sweep of history and see how painfully tiny our personal perspectives really are.