El Mudo
11-10-2006, 11:30 AM
<p>Being as Armistice Day is nearly upon us, I found this article here to be an extremely interesting read:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p>
<h2>Taps for WWI veterans</h2>
<p>
By Lisa Hoffman<br />
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE<br />
November 10, 2006
</p>
<br />
Scrawny
but determined to fight in World War I, Howard Ramsey scarfed down
banana after banana to bulk up enough to enlist. Today, he is still
feisty at 108.
<br />
At 16, Frank Buckles lied about his age so he could go to war
against the Germans in France. Now 105, he still runs his West Virginia
cattle farm.
<br />
The son of former slaves, Moses Hardy and his segregated unit
battled the enemy in horrific trench combat. Now 112 or 113, he says
the only doctor he needs is Dr Pepper.
<br />
These remarkable "doughboys" -- and about two handfuls more --
are members of an increasingly fragile fraternity, relics of a
world-changing conflagration little remembered today.
<br />
Once they stood 4.7 million strong: American farm boys,
factory hands and tradesmen itching for adventure, all called by their
country to fight "the war to end all wars."
<br />
Now, when the 88th anniversary of the armistice that ended
World War I arrives tomorrow, there won't be enough surviving U.S.
veterans of that defining conflict to fill a platoon.
<br />
When 2006 began, an unofficial roster of known remaining
American WWI veterans listed only about two dozen names. Eleven months
later, those ranks have dwindled to 12, Scripps Howard News Service has
confirmed. Perhaps a dozen more, who joined the armed forces after
Armistice Day and served in the immediate aftermath of the war, are
still alive.
<br />
With an average age of 108, it is unlikely these numbers will
hold up for long. All are pushing the envelope of human longevity,
especially Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Isabella, Puerto Rico, who at
115 is both the world's oldest living man and the longest-lived U.S.
veteran in history.
<p> </p>
<p> </p><p> </p><p>http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061110-123629-4118r.htm </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I find it amazing even 12 of the boys are even left. What history theyve seen in their lives!</p><p> </p><p>But
anyway, as the last of these guys "go west", its a shame in a way many
of them have never really gotten their due for what they did over in
Europe in 1917-1918, when they basically saved Europe. World War
1 gets so overshadowed, at least in our culture, by World War 2, which
I guess is understandable, because we were involved in that war on so
much more of a massive scale.</p><p> </p><p>These guys deserve all the love and respect our country can give them. </p>
<h2>Taps for WWI veterans</h2>
<p>
By Lisa Hoffman<br />
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE<br />
November 10, 2006
</p>
<br />
Scrawny
but determined to fight in World War I, Howard Ramsey scarfed down
banana after banana to bulk up enough to enlist. Today, he is still
feisty at 108.
<br />
At 16, Frank Buckles lied about his age so he could go to war
against the Germans in France. Now 105, he still runs his West Virginia
cattle farm.
<br />
The son of former slaves, Moses Hardy and his segregated unit
battled the enemy in horrific trench combat. Now 112 or 113, he says
the only doctor he needs is Dr Pepper.
<br />
These remarkable "doughboys" -- and about two handfuls more --
are members of an increasingly fragile fraternity, relics of a
world-changing conflagration little remembered today.
<br />
Once they stood 4.7 million strong: American farm boys,
factory hands and tradesmen itching for adventure, all called by their
country to fight "the war to end all wars."
<br />
Now, when the 88th anniversary of the armistice that ended
World War I arrives tomorrow, there won't be enough surviving U.S.
veterans of that defining conflict to fill a platoon.
<br />
When 2006 began, an unofficial roster of known remaining
American WWI veterans listed only about two dozen names. Eleven months
later, those ranks have dwindled to 12, Scripps Howard News Service has
confirmed. Perhaps a dozen more, who joined the armed forces after
Armistice Day and served in the immediate aftermath of the war, are
still alive.
<br />
With an average age of 108, it is unlikely these numbers will
hold up for long. All are pushing the envelope of human longevity,
especially Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Isabella, Puerto Rico, who at
115 is both the world's oldest living man and the longest-lived U.S.
veteran in history.
<p> </p>
<p> </p><p> </p><p>http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061110-123629-4118r.htm </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I find it amazing even 12 of the boys are even left. What history theyve seen in their lives!</p><p> </p><p>But
anyway, as the last of these guys "go west", its a shame in a way many
of them have never really gotten their due for what they did over in
Europe in 1917-1918, when they basically saved Europe. World War
1 gets so overshadowed, at least in our culture, by World War 2, which
I guess is understandable, because we were involved in that war on so
much more of a massive scale.</p><p> </p><p>These guys deserve all the love and respect our country can give them. </p>