With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

One of 3 last living vets of WW I (USA)

Born on his father's farm in Missouri in 1901 during the presidency of William McKinley, young Frank [Buckles] had a thirst for history. He was particularly interested in the exploits of Gen. John Joseph Pershing and tales from the Spanish-American War. When the war in Europe broke out, Buckles scoured the newspapers, trying to follow the action thousands of miles away. Lying about his age, he enlisted in the U.S. Army at 15. "If anybody asked how old I was, I told them it wasn't any of their damn business," he laughed. Desperate to get overseas before the fighting ended, Buckles signed up for duty with the ambulance corps, a branch that was short of men. He sailed for Europe in 1917 aboard the RMS Caparthia, a ship that earned fame five years earlier when it answered the distress calls of the Titanic and sailed full-steam through the night to rescue the stunned survivors.
Read entire article at NBC