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Oldest U.S. WWI Vet Dies at 109, Only 2 Survivors Remain

ap.google.com — The two remaining U.S. veterans are Frank Buckles, 106, of Charles Town, W.Va.; and Harry Richard Landis, 108, of Sun City Center, Fla., according to the Veterans Affairs Department. In addition, John *****, 107, of Spokane, Wash., served in the Canadian army and is the last known Canadian veteran of the war.

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  • jquipp, on 12/27/2007, -2/+86Hopefully we've captured all his stories on audio and video. There's no retrieving them now, and there's likely something we all could learn from him.
    • geneticerror, on 12/27/2007, -1/+16I hope that we learn the lessons that these people have to teach us before there are none left. WW1 is the reason for many problems facing the world, even though the war ended 89 years ago.

      Luckily, as jquipp said, we have recorded the history of the war. This means that future generations may look back at wars of the past and be so afraid of warfare that it is only a second option, instead of being the first option in resolving a conflict.
      • Supurcell, on 12/27/2007, -1/+4Yes, events in the past often effect events in the future.
    • deadbaby, on 12/27/2007, -0/+9I highly recommend the BBC documentary called "The Great War" It's from the late 40's/early 50's -- lots of video & audio interviews.
      • peagle, on 12/27/2007, -0/+2It's from the mid-60's, but yes, a superb documentary.
    • Nudar, on 12/27/2007, -0/+13Well he never entered the battlefield but there would be a ton to learn from him just because of his age. Imagine how far technology has progressed.
    • MasterInsan0, on 12/27/2007, -0/+5Unfortunately, if we haven't learned by now, we're never going to learn.
    • MCDupree, on 12/27/2007, -1/+3Exactly what I was thinking.
  • chrisgeleven, on 12/27/2007, -1/+40R.I.P.
    • AgentKPB, on 12/27/2007, -17/+3You're really interested in penis?
  • pedrovoltaire, on 12/27/2007, -61/+7good god, they've been drawing on Social Security for 50 years! no wonder our national savings rate is zero percent... we have to support these old fogies!
    • darkzealot89, on 12/27/2007, -2/+27These men have served their countries more than you ever could. These men are heroes.
      • pedrovoltaire, on 12/27/2007, -36/+1once you read enough antony sutton books, you begin to not give a ***** about "serving your country". it's a big hoax.
      • capainter, on 12/27/2007, -6/+2I think you missed the sarcasm here.
        • BenKenobi88, on 12/27/2007, -0/+9Pretty sure he picked up on it...doesn't mean the guy's not a jackass still. Respect the veterans.
      • AttilaD, on 12/27/2007, -3/+2World War One, not WWII.
    • docbob84, on 12/27/2007, -0/+11If he was an adult in 1919, he lived through the Great Depression. Obviously I don't know for this guy, but the people who made it through that generally aren't the type that are supported by social security for fifty years. They're more likely to be the type that lives in a one-room home, eats beans and rice for supper each night, and has around three hundred thousand dollars in his mattress saved up from living cheaply for so long. They weren't exactly the "give me!" generation.
    • chevyorange, on 12/27/2007, -0/+4Yeah because if you fought for your country you wouldn't expect to be healthy and happy if you survived it.
    • boflaade, on 12/28/2007, -1/+1He was Canadian and most likely getting his pension from there.
  • jcm267, on 12/27/2007, -22/+5Buried as a duplicate.
  • roffelmeh, on 12/27/2007, -0/+18i could only imagine what he has experienced
    • PKxKiler, on 12/27/2007, -2/+6He didn't experience anything in the war...he didn't fight.
      • IndigoMoss, on 12/28/2007, -0/+2Just because he didn't experience actual fighting, there's got to be a lot of interesting stuff that he has seen in his lifetime
  • Newportbeachguy, on 12/27/2007, -2/+12This is sad. We're just passer bys on this planet.
    • MCDupree, on 12/27/2007, -2/+5Yeah, and look at what we've done to it, to us, to others.
  • brooklynzoo, on 12/27/2007, -1/+9from what i heard on the news last week he never did get to fight. he was in boot camp during the war
  • Vigrant, on 12/27/2007, -6/+27That's also how many are left from the Titanic... CONSPIRACY
  • orangerust, on 12/27/2007, -2/+40While this solider in question may have not seen combat, WWI was one of the most horrific wars for the soldiers in the war. Trench warfare was absolutely insane. Being knee deep in rat carcasses, human waste and detached limbs was your relief from the actually battle. The first modernized machine guns mowed down wave after wave of advancing soldiers. The saying was "lose 10 thousand, gain 10 inches" and it was no exaggeration.
    • natewitt, on 12/27/2007, -0/+5True that. Took awhile to adapt to new warfare tactics.
    • urbanRealist, on 12/27/2007, -1/+9Not only that, but chemical weapons like mustard gas were used. While more men may have died in WWII, WWI was far more horrific.
  • modnar, on 12/27/2007, -2/+35The sad thing is, these vets are probably stuck in nursing homes with no one giving a damn as to what they did.
    • Doorfingers, on 12/27/2007, -2/+4Department of Veteran Affairs cares.
  • rhabd0mancer, on 12/27/2007, -1/+21Frank and Harry should get together and go bowling.
  • Zinital, on 12/27/2007, -1/+55They deserve a Wii more then anyone else.
    • GfunkGbuss, on 12/27/2007, -0/+8I think your comment could be combined with rhabd0mancer's above. Who's up for some Wii bowling?
  • bobcrotch, on 12/27/2007, -34/+6THIS JUST IN: PEOPLE DIE WHEN THEY GET OLD
    • xyzunit, on 12/27/2007, -2/+19You insensitive douchebag.
    • TheLoneHoot, on 12/27/2007, -1/+11"THIS JUST IN: PEOPLE DIE WHEN THEY GET OLD"
      and in your case, not soon enough.
    • formerssgtusmc, on 12/27/2007, -0/+6THIS JUST IN - YOU SHOULD GET OLD QUICKLY
    • bobcrotch, on 12/28/2007, -1/+1Wow what a bunch of douche bags
  • leerayIG88, on 12/27/2007, -9/+2"There Can Be Only One.".
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_(franchise ...
    • Godlike, on 12/27/2007, -0/+5Good thing that you added that link, it's easy for someone who doesn't EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THE QUOTE IS FROM, BOY.
  • mooseontheloose, on 12/27/2007, -29/+0pwnt by the nazis after all
    • haveyougonemad, on 12/27/2007, -0/+17Wrong war there, buddy.
    • Ihavethespeed, on 12/27/2007, -0/+7you're a dumbass. wrong war. go die.
    • captaintaco27, on 12/27/2007, -1/+6wrong war dumbass.
    • Stirk, on 12/27/2007, -0/+12Oh, now I remember why I blocked you
    • TheLoneHoot, on 12/27/2007, -1/+4I think YOU have been pwnt by some nazis, if you're that stupid
  • dcronin90, on 12/27/2007, -18/+8It's sad to see such a great generation die off. About 1,000 WWII vets die each day. All I have to say is, HURRY UP AND DIE BABY BOOMERS
    • theutopian, on 12/27/2007, -1/+6Unfortunately with the advances in medical techonology, boomers are going to be around for a LONG time sucking our economy dry.
    • TheLoneHoot, on 12/27/2007, -2/+2Troll much?
  • drgooch, on 01/25/2008, -11/+6I wish the people from Crooksandliars and all the other quacks out there would or could realize what this man does, meant and symbolizes.
  • nastronomical, on 12/27/2007, -13/+4And when they die and all of the WWII vets as well pacificist and cowards will try to rerwrite history.
    • drgooch, on 01/25/2008, -4/+6what an idiotic comment. crawl back into your hole. where are you from?
      • nastronomical, on 12/27/2007, -12/+3Ahh yes the ever so present liberal beta male biotch that infects Digg like the Aids.
        • TheLoneHoot, on 12/27/2007, -1/+3The story's about a vet's life - can't you just leave it at that?
        • hplasm, on 12/28/2007, -3/+2Funny- I had you down as a Republican.

          In an adult diaper.
    • scabbers, on 12/27/2007, -3/+8Oh shut the ***** up, idiot. The last WW1 vet in Britain I saw on tv was calling for "NO MORE WARS!" as he had actually seen the horror, unlike this guy in the article... and you.
      • nastronomical, on 12/27/2007, -12/+2Ahh yes the ever so present liberal beta male biotch that infects Digg like the Aids.
      • dezman2003, on 12/27/2007, -2/+4Don't feed the troll your hate sustains him, if you're nice to him he shrivels up and dies.
  • scoottie, on 12/27/2007, -2/+5He never saw action he enlisted a month before the war ended to no fault of his own.
  • jkavvy, on 12/27/2007, -0/+14So when the last WW1 vet dies, all we will have are stories and old pictures and film. There won't be anyone around to give a first hand account and answer additional questions. I know this is a fact of life, but it will still be hard to accept as a society. WW1 will no longer be a memory, but rather a second-hand fact.
  • BayouBengal, on 12/27/2007, -0/+6Something similar happened to my great grandfather, he was on a boat heading across the Atlantic when the war ended. Unfortunately he passed away just a few months prior to my birth. I was his first male great grandchild and supposedly was very very excited about that.
  • eagle12, on 12/27/2007, -3/+13Bobcrotch, you are right people die when they get old. However, those men and women who have sacrificed so much for us, particularly in WWI and WWII, deserve much better than a pessimistic statement such as your posting. It is because of the efforts of these hero's you are able to freely post on sites such as Digg. It is your choice, but why contribute if you don't bring anything to the table? You wasted your time and ours. Best, Eagle12
    • drgooch, on 01/25/2008, -1/+9See, these people don't like your comment. They think the world is hunky-dory. They have no clue what these veterans have done and no clue where they would presently be if they hadn't. It's sad really.
      • bitORlogic, on 12/28/2007, -0/+1I truly don't mean anyone any offense by this, but ... What exactly DID the soldiers in WWI do? What did the war accomplish? Millions of men died in trenches for absolute jack *****. That's it. That's all. The maps didn't even change, so far as I know. Thousands would die over less than a mile of territory. For what? What was saved? What ideals were protected? If WWI hadn't been fought, would the world really be worse off? There are millions of men and their families who would have been better off.

        I see the necessity for war in some circumstances. I do not look down on soldiers. But neither do I lionize them needlessly, and I certainly don't have any romantic notions about war being anything other than complete and utter hell. Worse yet, most wars are completely pointless hells.
    • nastronomical, on 12/27/2007, -11/+4the cowards will dugg you down...I will digg you up.
  • listed, on 12/27/2007, -0/+2RIP G!
  • Doorfingers, on 12/27/2007, -1/+2(insert reflective comment here)
    [no disrespect intended]
  • PKxKiler, on 12/27/2007, -12/+2He didn't fight...I don't get why it matters. People die everyday.
  • noahhoward, on 12/27/2007, -0/+7If I had to guess one thing these three had in common I'd go for unbelievable luck, they all avoided dying in WW1 and they have all lived to be centenarians.
  • Treoinmypocket, on 12/27/2007, -8/+2The good news is...their odds of dying have gotten really low.
    • Glansbourg, on 12/27/2007, -0/+5Huh?
      • Treoinmypocket, on 12/28/2007, -0/+1Its a math thing - what is the probability that you will die after age 100? Most people die by 80 so the odds of dying after age 100 are extremely low.
  • Glansbourg, on 12/27/2007, -2/+2God Bless
  • johnabq, on 12/27/2007, -3/+5RIP to another vet...it's important because he was willing to put his life on the line, to defend what he thought was important, which is more than Cheney or any of the chicken hawks are willing to do...how many of you jerks that are making fun of him are veterans??
  • debunker101, on 12/27/2007, -2/+10When you insult one veteran, you insult them all collectively. Give respect where respect is due.
    • johnabq, on 12/27/2007, -1/+5well said....thanks...
    • formerssgtusmc, on 12/27/2007, -3/+1amen
    • Corrosionx, on 12/27/2007, -1/+2What the hell is that herd mentality? I'm sure some veterans were assholes and some others were really nice people.
      • whataboutdave, on 12/28/2007, -0/+1Based on my my experiences knowing quite a few, I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. Something about being close to such suffering tends to give people great perspective I think.k
  • dougintexas, on 12/27/2007, -1/+21My grandaddy was a WWI vet...he was a Sargent and kept a diary. He fought in the trenches and describes in detail the effects of mustard gas poisoning. I read it for the first time when I was about 11 (during the Vietnam War), shortly after he died. Believe me, as a young boy his diary was very effective at disabusing me of any romantic notions regarding war -- that and the images I saw on TV from Vietnam. My dad fought in WWII, landed on the beach at Normandy. He turned 20 in a fox hole in the Arden Forest during the Battle of the Bulge. He died last summer -- ironically a week after entering the emergency room on June 6, the anniversary of the d-day invasion. Dad was seriously screwed up by that war and battled depression for the rest of his life.

    But he and my grandad are still my heroes. I'm one of the few males throughout human history who didn't HAVE to fight in a war. I don't know if I could have done what the two of them did. I'm too old now to ever find out. But I am eternally grateful to them -- and to ALL our veterans -- for their sacrifice and courage, and above all my liberty.
  • konno, on 12/27/2007, -0/+9They grow not old, as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn, at the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest We Forget. (Australian ANZAC Ode of Rememberence).
  • pe5t1lence, on 12/27/2007, -2/+7And the Tomb of The Flying Hellfish moves closer to its final owner.
  • PFinn, on 12/27/2007, -0/+5this was the guy who was given free beer for life recently at his local pub
  • formerssgtusmc, on 12/27/2007, -1/+2God bless and keep you old Soldier...see you when I get there
  • Spoomeister, on 12/27/2007, -4/+3The sad thing is, most of the people lamenting "I wish we could hear his stories" are likely Call of Duty junkies who are ending that sentence with "...so we can get to the cool bits about fighting and old weapons and combat strategy". Y'know, History Channel war-porn sorts of things. People who can't tell you when Veteran's Day is. Sigh.
    R.I.P. Mr. Coffey.
    • whataboutdave, on 12/28/2007, -0/+2You obviously don't know a vet. Their stories are almost unviversially fascinating.
  • KaJuN4, on 12/27/2007, -0/+3I once had an opportunity to meet several World War Two veterans and that was easily one of the most significant moments of my life so far. It's one thing to hear about the war from a tv show, hearing the side of the story from people who were actually there is something completely different. The documentaries tell you about the battles, the veterans tell you about their good friends who didn't come home. Before the group I was with left I thought it would be appropriate to thank them not only for speaking to us but for their service and sacrifice. I was only able to get halfway through my thank you before I teared up to the point of not being able to speak. These veterans are true heroes.
  • Anub1s, on 12/28/2007, -0/+1Correction, three are still alive. Those two and Abraham Simpson.

    On a serious note. R.I.P. My gratitude for his sacrifices as a younger man and no doubt through out his life as well.
  • Kormiku, on 12/28/2007, -0/+1I met that guy John ***** from spokane,washington. He was cool, and not even a bit senile. He had all his mind going, and looked to be ready to live a couple more years at least! This was about 3 years ago though. There were some other ww1 vets there too, but I think they must be passed away by now.
  • Orbiter9211, on 12/28/2007, -0/+2Thank you for your service!

    I Salute you!
  • alex1015, on 12/28/2007, -1/+3It's been so long and we still haven't learned
  • springo, on 12/28/2007, -0/+2I just realized there's people from the 19th Century still alive. Wow.
  • Tomson74, on 12/28/2007, -0/+0man, i hope i look as good as him when and if I get to be that old.
  • tomis, on 12/28/2007, -0/+4And sadly, everything these brave men did to protect freedom and democracy is being reversed during their lifetime. And when the last men pass, there will be no one to remind us what it was like actually fighting for a just American cause. It's so sad, America made so many strides so quickly, and then slid back down even quicker...
  • codo678, on 12/28/2007, -0/+1Preserve the 2 remaining(?)
  • willb285, on 12/28/2007, -0/+2my grandfather is 96 and has some ***** scary and crazy stories.....record them for future use and enjoy them while you can before another age in history passes us by.
  • sunamiebob, on 12/28/2007, -0/+1My great grandma was a WWI Vet. She was a field nurse. She died at 104 a few years ago. I didnt kno the number was that low
  • CARHINO, on 12/29/2007, -0/+1Real heroes don't brag about it. RIP.
  • dcronin90, on 12/31/2007, -0/+1It's sad to see such a great generation die off. Today about 1,000 WWII vets die each day.
  • nonchallant0819, on 01/27/2008, -1/+0T?
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