Frank Buckles, Last American WWI Veteran, Passes Away at 110

“If your country needs you, you should be right there, that is the way I felt when I was young, and that’s the way I feel today.”

— Frank Buckles

In 1901, Buckles was only 16 years old when he joined the Army. He was not old enough to join; he lied and said he was 18.

Buckles was stationed in England and France, primarily working as an ambulance driver. Though he never saw combat, his role was vital in assisting the war effort.

While working as a merchant in the years following World War I, he was taken by the Japanese as a World War II prisoner-of-war. Buckles spent over three years in a prisoner-of-war camp.

He chaired the World War I Memorial Foundation. As a result of his wartime service in the United States Army, he earned a World War I Victory Medal.

French President Jacques Chirac presented Buckles with the French Legion of Honour award decades after Buckles’ service in World War I.

Personal life

The WWI veteran married Audrey Mayo in 1946, and the couple later settled on a farm in Charles Town, West Virginia, where they raised their daughter, Susannah.

How did Frank Buckles die?

Buckles died from natural causes on February 27, 2011, at his home in Charles Town, West Virginia. He was 110 years old and the last surviving World War I American veteran.

His passing was widely mourned, with tributes pouring in from government officials, military leaders, and citizens who admired his dedication to service. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle made a statement saying his life “reminds us of the true meaning of patriotism and our obligations to each other as Americans.”

Burial

As a final honor, Buckles lay in repose at Arlington National Cemetery, a fitting tribute for the last living connection to America’s role in the Great War.