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 It
was more than 90 years ago that an ordinary young kid named Frank
Buckles reported to Fort Riley, Kansas for his first assignment in the
U.S. Army. We were a nation at war, and strong-willed Buckles was
determined to serve his country. Buckles was 16-years-old when he
chose to be trained as a medic ambulance driver - ambulance drivers were
needed in France and being a driver meant a quick ticket overseas. For
two years, Buckles served in France, spending time in St. Andre de Cubzac, Basens, and Bordeaux. When he returned to the U.S., Buckles was
discharged at Camp Pike, Arkansas with a payment of $143.90 and a $60
bonus. He was only 18-years-old.
Today, that ordinary young kid named Frank Buckles is creating history.
At 107 years old, he remains the last surviving American veteran of
World War I.
Many of us can hardly imagine the experience of serving on the
frontlines on behalf of the greatest nation this world has ever birthed.
Instead, we rely on the narratives and experiences of veterans like
Frank Buckles to bring us understanding of what they have done for our
country and what it meant to serve during those historic moments of
triumph and loss. Personal recollections like these are priceless to us
as a nation.
Yet with every year that passes, the first-hand accounts of these
chapters in our nation’s history are slowly vanishing. As the last
surviving World War I veteran, Frank Buckles is the only living link to
that portion of our history; his story fragile and invaluable. It is
also one of the thousands that have been given to the Library of
Congress’ Veterans History Project. The heart of the Veterans History
Project is to capture the personal experiences of our nation’s veterans
so that we can continue to honor, study, and appreciate those who have
sacrificed so much for our great nation, even after they have left us.
Through written narratives, memoirs, old photographs, recorded
interviews, personal documents, and old correspondence, the Veterans
History Project is helping to secure this pivotal portion of our
nation’s history, one veteran at a time. Thousands of veterans from
around the country have participated – many at the urging of family and
friends – by dusting off olds trunks of memories and wading through seas
of boxes and papers in their attics to bring together the personal
stories that represent their generations.
On Tuesday we celebrated Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor those
who have offered their lives and service for the love of their country.
On that day, we are given the opportunity to simply say “thank you” to
all those who have served our country. Projects like the Veterans
History Project provide us an additional opportunity to honor and
remember our veterans, and to encapsulate the experiences of the
vanishing generations. Their stories are available in a Veterans History
Project database available online. Here, visitors can search through
thousands of veterans’ stories to hear oral histories, read personal
memoirs, and find veterans’ service information like unit numbers and
service locations. To date, over 800 national, state, and local
organizations have been named Official Partners of the Veterans History
Project and countless individuals have participated – grandchildren
interviewing grandparents, students talking with veterans in their
communities, and museums and civic groups starting their own projects.
 Please
join me in helping to ensure that the stories of the vanishing
generations are preserved in this important project. If you are a member
of a veterans association, military installation, library, or museum,
encourage your organization to become an Official Partner by
agreeing to assist in promoting the project, encouraging volunteers, and
developing public programs that support the program’s objectives. If you
know a war veteran please consider interviewing them for this important
national project.
Instructions and guidelines for your participation are available at my
website,
http://forbes.house.gov/issues/vahistoryproject.htm, or by calling
the Veterans History Project at 1-888-371-5848.
President John F. Kennedy once said that “a nation reveals itself not
only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it
remembers.” As a nation, it is our privilege to continually honor our
nation’s finest men and women in uniform.
Top Photo: Frank Woodruff
Buckles in uniform; undated. Bottom Photo: Frank Buckles wearing a
medal; undated. Both photos are a part of the Frank Woodruff Buckles
collection at the Veterans History Project.
Bringing Health Care Into the 21st Century
Click the photo below to listen to
Congressman Forbes discuss ways that we can increase access and
affordability of health care. For more information on how Congressman
Forbes is working to improve health care in America, visit his
health care
issues page.
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