And Then There Was One -- Frank Buckles at 107 is the last surviving American WWI Veteran

News Type: Event — Seeded on Thu Feb 7, 2008 9:37 AM EST

Article Source: CNN

us-news, war, veteran, world-war, vet, world-war-one, the-great-war

Harry Richard Landis, who enlisted in the Army in 1918 and was one of only two known surviving U.S. veterans of World War I, has died. He was 108.

Harry Richard Landis, one of only two surviving vets of WWI, died Monday at 108.

Landis, who lived at a Sun City Center nursing home, died Monday, according to Donna Riley, his caregiver for the past five years. He had recently been in the hospital with a fever and low blood pressure, she said.

"He only took vitamins and eye drops, no other medication," Riley said Wednesday. "He was 108 and a healthy man. That's why all of this was sudden and unexpected. He was so full of life."

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4.7

{"commentId":1444291,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

Forgotten vets of a forgotten war. Even the WWI memorial is a forgotten relic on the national mall.

{"commentId":1444291,"threadId":"215270","contentId":"1284417","authorDomain":"killfile"}

1 vote

#1 - Thu Feb 7, 2008 9:41 AM EST

{"commentId":1444791,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

Kilfile, I respectfully have to disagree with you about this war being "forgotten".

It most certainly isn't forgotten, here in Britain, France, or Belguim. Our longest survivor from that war is a gentleman called Henry Allingham, who is almost 112 years of age, and up until a year or so ago, gave talks to schoolchildren about the war.

He has made certain, that this First War, (the War to end all Wars), will never truly be forgot.

Thanks for your article, and may that gentleman now Rest in Peace.

{"commentId":1444791,"threadId":"215270","contentId":"1284417","authorDomain":"seward"}

2 votes

#1.1 - Thu Feb 7, 2008 11:55 AM EST

{"commentId":1445118,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

In Europe the Great War will no doubt live on. It's hard to forget when large sections of France are still so full of unstable explosives that they're closed to the public.

Here in the USA though, WWI is something that few know anything about. Armistice day is now Veterans Day over here - expunging even that reminder of the first modern war.

It's sad, but the first world war really does keep to the shadows as far as American History is concerned. We hear a lot more about WWII and the battles of the Cold War.

{"commentId":1445118,"threadId":"215270","contentId":"1284417","authorDomain":"killfile"}

3 votes

#1.2 - Thu Feb 7, 2008 1:06 PM EST

{"commentId":1445685,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

That's a pity about Armistice Day being changed, I didn't know that. Lot's of American Servicemen were involved in World War One, and lot's were injured or killed.

{"commentId":1445685,"threadId":"215270","contentId":"1284417","authorDomain":"seward"}

1 vote

#1.3 - Thu Feb 7, 2008 3:19 PM EST

{"commentId":1446182,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

Sad but so very true. When I worked in Washington DC and the debates were going on about putting up a WWII memorial, many people even commented on that and stated "Why ? That was so long ago and forgotten" And then someone says WWI and sometimes younger people that are not up on history are ? What you mean the Civil War ? Spanish American War ? Europe saw the war, the US did not so much, vast difference in how it was remembered.

{"commentId":1446182,"threadId":"215270","contentId":"1284417","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

2 votes

#2 - Thu Feb 7, 2008 5:09 PM EST

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KILLFILE

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And Then There Was One -- Frank Buckles at 107 is the last surviving American WWI Veteran

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