thedrifter
08-15-07, 08:31 AM
WWI Vet Reflects On a Full Life
By BETH HENRY
POSTED: August 15, 2007
CHARLES TOWN — On the 90th anniversary of the day Frank Woodruff Buckles enlisted in the U.S. Army, he sat and chatted with the governor about his memories from the war to end all wars.
Buckles, who turned 106 in February, was honored Tuesday when Gov. Joe Manchin presented him with the Distinguished West Virginian Award for his military service and his example of a lifetime of hard work and perseverance.
Manchin said Buckles is an excellent example of “why they call us mountaineers, and why our motto is West Virginians are always free. You represent us well.”
He presented the World War I veteran with a special plaque and sat down to talk a little while in Buckles’ home, which is at Gap View Farm near Charles Town.
“I’m glad I was here,” Buckles said.
Manchin asked Buckles about his longevity, and what contributed to his good health after so many years.
Genetics, healthy eating and exercise are vital for a long life, Buckles said, but one more thing ranks higher.
“The will to survive is what’s most important,” he said.
Buckles 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.
Manchin asked Buckles about that honor on Tuesday, noting that he was wearing the special French pin on his left lapel. Then Manchin carefully placed a pin of the State Capitol on the right side of Buckles’ suit and posed for pictures.
“You’ve been pinned by Jacques and Joe,” Manchin said with a laugh.
Manchin also asked Buckles about seeing an airplane and a Ford automobile for the first time, as well as his service in World War I.
Buckles said he was 16 when he joined the Army, and he tried several times to enlist in the Marines, Navy and Army before he was successful. During his first try for the Marines in Kansas, he lied and said he was 18 but the sergeant said he needed to be 21.
A week later, he returned to the Marines recruiting station and said he was 21, but the same sergeant kindly told him he wasn’t heavy enough.
After taking recruitment tests for the Navy a short time later, he was told he was flat-footed and wasn’t accepted. So he went to Oklahoma City, where he was again rejected by the Marines and the Navy. But when he tried to enlist in the Army and the enlistment officer wanted to see a birth certificate, Buckles said the town in Missouri where he was born didn’t keep public birth records at that time — his birth was recorded in his family Bible. The Army accepted that and Buckles entered the Army on Aug. 14, 1917.
Buckles served two years overseas, in England and France, working as an ambulance driver and an escort. After Armistice Day, he was assigned to a prisoner-of-war escort company to help return prisoners back to Germany.
After returning home for a few years, he worked at a Post Office, a freight soliciting office and a bank. In 1940, Buckles accepted an assignment with a shipping company, which took him to Manila.
He told Manchin he was pretty unfortunate at that point, because the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941 and he was captured.
He spent more than three years in Japanese prison camps in Santo Tomas and Los Banos, and he was rescued on Feb. 23, 1945.
Manchin said Buckles’ memories are incredible, and he asked him what the toughest part of being a prisoner was.
Buckles said it was the constant threat of starvation — hundreds died because of it. He also told Manchin the best thing that veterans can do is talk about their experiences, no matter how painful. For a long time, Buckles didn’t talk about any of his time in the war or in the prison camps.
“Nobody asked me any questions, so I never told anybody,” he said.
But Manchin said he’s glad he was be able to talk with him on Tuesday, even though it was just for an hour or so.
“I’m just so delighted to be able to spend some time with you,” Manchin said, adding if Buckles is up for it, he has an open invitation for a special meal at the governor’s mansion in Charleston.
Buckles’ daughter, Susannah Flanagan, said she is always thrilled when her father is asked to share his past. As he’s gotten older and has become one of a tiny number of WWI veterans who are still alive, Flanagan said her father has become as popular as Santa Claus whenever Memorial Day or Veterans Day come around.
“It’s been very nice that people and organizations and others have all been interested in his story,” she said.
Mike Myer, executive editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register in Wheeling, was one of the few people present during Tuesday’s small gathering of Buckles’ friends and a few media representatives.
Myer said he wanted to invite Buckles to a special veterans’ program in Wheeling earlier this year, but Buckles had a schedule conflict he was needed in Washington for a veterans’ event there. So Myer said he just thought it would be nice for Buckles to be recognized somehow in West Virginia, and he enjoyed hearing about his story.
When he asked the governor’s office staff if Buckles had received the Distinguished West Virginian Award yet, they were all surprised that he hadn’t been.
“They were just delighted to do it,” he said.
Ellie
By BETH HENRY
POSTED: August 15, 2007
CHARLES TOWN — On the 90th anniversary of the day Frank Woodruff Buckles enlisted in the U.S. Army, he sat and chatted with the governor about his memories from the war to end all wars.
Buckles, who turned 106 in February, was honored Tuesday when Gov. Joe Manchin presented him with the Distinguished West Virginian Award for his military service and his example of a lifetime of hard work and perseverance.
Manchin said Buckles is an excellent example of “why they call us mountaineers, and why our motto is West Virginians are always free. You represent us well.”
He presented the World War I veteran with a special plaque and sat down to talk a little while in Buckles’ home, which is at Gap View Farm near Charles Town.
“I’m glad I was here,” Buckles said.
Manchin asked Buckles about his longevity, and what contributed to his good health after so many years.
Genetics, healthy eating and exercise are vital for a long life, Buckles said, but one more thing ranks higher.
“The will to survive is what’s most important,” he said.
Buckles 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.
Manchin asked Buckles about that honor on Tuesday, noting that he was wearing the special French pin on his left lapel. Then Manchin carefully placed a pin of the State Capitol on the right side of Buckles’ suit and posed for pictures.
“You’ve been pinned by Jacques and Joe,” Manchin said with a laugh.
Manchin also asked Buckles about seeing an airplane and a Ford automobile for the first time, as well as his service in World War I.
Buckles said he was 16 when he joined the Army, and he tried several times to enlist in the Marines, Navy and Army before he was successful. During his first try for the Marines in Kansas, he lied and said he was 18 but the sergeant said he needed to be 21.
A week later, he returned to the Marines recruiting station and said he was 21, but the same sergeant kindly told him he wasn’t heavy enough.
After taking recruitment tests for the Navy a short time later, he was told he was flat-footed and wasn’t accepted. So he went to Oklahoma City, where he was again rejected by the Marines and the Navy. But when he tried to enlist in the Army and the enlistment officer wanted to see a birth certificate, Buckles said the town in Missouri where he was born didn’t keep public birth records at that time — his birth was recorded in his family Bible. The Army accepted that and Buckles entered the Army on Aug. 14, 1917.
Buckles served two years overseas, in England and France, working as an ambulance driver and an escort. After Armistice Day, he was assigned to a prisoner-of-war escort company to help return prisoners back to Germany.
After returning home for a few years, he worked at a Post Office, a freight soliciting office and a bank. In 1940, Buckles accepted an assignment with a shipping company, which took him to Manila.
He told Manchin he was pretty unfortunate at that point, because the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941 and he was captured.
He spent more than three years in Japanese prison camps in Santo Tomas and Los Banos, and he was rescued on Feb. 23, 1945.
Manchin said Buckles’ memories are incredible, and he asked him what the toughest part of being a prisoner was.
Buckles said it was the constant threat of starvation — hundreds died because of it. He also told Manchin the best thing that veterans can do is talk about their experiences, no matter how painful. For a long time, Buckles didn’t talk about any of his time in the war or in the prison camps.
“Nobody asked me any questions, so I never told anybody,” he said.
But Manchin said he’s glad he was be able to talk with him on Tuesday, even though it was just for an hour or so.
“I’m just so delighted to be able to spend some time with you,” Manchin said, adding if Buckles is up for it, he has an open invitation for a special meal at the governor’s mansion in Charleston.
Buckles’ daughter, Susannah Flanagan, said she is always thrilled when her father is asked to share his past. As he’s gotten older and has become one of a tiny number of WWI veterans who are still alive, Flanagan said her father has become as popular as Santa Claus whenever Memorial Day or Veterans Day come around.
“It’s been very nice that people and organizations and others have all been interested in his story,” she said.
Mike Myer, executive editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register in Wheeling, was one of the few people present during Tuesday’s small gathering of Buckles’ friends and a few media representatives.
Myer said he wanted to invite Buckles to a special veterans’ program in Wheeling earlier this year, but Buckles had a schedule conflict he was needed in Washington for a veterans’ event there. So Myer said he just thought it would be nice for Buckles to be recognized somehow in West Virginia, and he enjoyed hearing about his story.
When he asked the governor’s office staff if Buckles had received the Distinguished West Virginian Award yet, they were all surprised that he hadn’t been.
“They were just delighted to do it,” he said.
Ellie