World War I Hero Honored

Martinsburg Journal - Martinsburg, WV, USA

Frank Buckles, 107, is recognized by Calif. state leader

By Beth Henry / Assistant City Editor POSTED: December 11, 2008

CHARLES TOWN - Three veterans from very different eras gathered Wednesday afternoon as the last surviving American World War I veteran was honored with a California Senate resolution at his home in Jefferson County.

Frank Woodruff Buckles, 107, met with retired Master Sgt. Ernest "Ernie" W. Conner, 71, and his 26-year-old great niece, Sgt. Kari Conner, who is an Iraq War veteran serving with the 157th Military Police Co. in Martinsburg. Ernie Conner traveled from Atwater, Calif., to personally present Buckles with the special resolution that recognizes Buckles' military career, awards and many accomplishments on behalf of the Merced Elks Lodge No. 1240 and California Sen. Jeff Denham.

"There's not enough words to express my joy in being able to be here, because you represent a part of all of us combat veterans," Conner, who is originally from the Martinsburg area, said to Buckles. "You represent a significant part of our history."

Buckles entered the Army on Aug. 14, 1917, when he was just 16, and he served two years overseas during World War I, in England and France. He worked as an ambulance driver and an escort, and he was later captured as a prisoner of war at the beginning of World War II, when he was working as a civilian for a shipping company in the Philippines.

He spent more than three years in Japanese prison camps in Santo Tomas and Los Banos, and he was rescued on Feb. 23, 1945.

Buckles talked about the experience on Wednesday afternoon, when Conner asked if he was treated differently because he was a civilian.

"When you're starving to death, the situation is very much the same whether you're military or (civilian)," Buckles said, adding that he had weighed about 140 to 150 pounds before he was captured, but his weight plunged to 100 pounds by the time he was rescued.

Buckles also talked about happier memories, such as when he met and married his wife Audrey in California. They lived in San Francisco for a few years, before they bought Gap View Farm near Charles Town in January 1954 and had their daughter in 1955. Buckles' ancestors had lived in Jefferson County beginning in 1732.

He also talked about how quickly the numbers of veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam are diminishing, and how he never expected to become the last American survivor of World War I.

"After you have a war, there's always survivors. ... When I was a small boy, I met so many veterans of the Civil War, both North and South," he said.

Ernie Conner agreed that "time has a way of catching up with us." He added that he recalls serving in the U.S. Air Force with a number of WWII and Korean War veterans, and he remembers meeting many other WWI veterans.

Conner added that he was delighted that Buckles can continue to share the story of the Great War, and he was also excited to meet Buckles and thank him for his service on Wednesday.

"In my lifetime there's been some exciting and honorable moments, but I consider this at the top of the heap," Conner said about presenting the special resolution. He added that the resolution was the highlight of the annual Merced Elks veterans dinner on Nov. 12, and he shared photos of the dinner and a special toast that was given in honor of Buckles.

"It's going to be one of the the things I'll remember forever," Conner said.

Buckles thanked Ernie Conner and his niece for visiting, and he thanked them for the "very nice" recognition.

He has been recognized many times during his long life. One of his most significant awards came from former French President Jacques Chirac in 1999 at the French Embassy in Washington, when Buckles received the French Legion of Honor pin and spoke to Chirac in French.

Buckles met with President George W. Bush and top Pentagon officials earlier this year, and he received the Distinguished West Virginian Award from Gov. Joe Manchin in August 2007.

"If you're the last one to survive, you get all sorts of honors," he said Wednesday afternoon.

Buckles' daughter, Susannah Flanagan, said her father is always glad to share his story and represent WWI veterans. She added that he is extremely busy, because so many media outlets and various military agencies want to speak with him or present him with awards.

For example, Buckles will become an honorary alumnus of Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia this Friday, and Flanagan joked that she hopes Harvard or Yale will give him honorary degrees too.

- Assistant City Editor Beth Henry can be reached at (304) 263-8931, ext. 129, or
bhenry@journal-news.net