Memorial Day ceremony honors last American-born WWI veteran

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A homecoming visit to Missouri for the last known living American-born veteran of World War I turned into a weekend celebration.

During the Memorial Day weekend, Frank Woodruff Buckles earned a standing ovation from a crowd of thousands, was followed everywhere by photographers and had his legacy permanently placed into the National World War I Museum.

The 107-year-old veteran handled it with ease, giving a short speech, reciting the pledge of allegiance and patiently meeting dozens of people just hoping to shake his hand.

"He just takes everything in stride, just as he always has," said his daughter, Susannah Flanagan.

Buckles was honored Monday during Memorial Day celebrations as doughboys presented the veteran with an American flag flying over the Liberty Memorial and officials added a brick in his name to the memorial's Walk of Honor.

Buckles, born in northwest Missouri, became the centerpiece of Memorial Day celebrations in Kansas City.

Thousands who attended a fireworks display and a performance by the Kansas City Symphony on Sunday gave Buckles a two-minute standing ovation after actor Keith David retold his story and images were shown on a large video screen. Many wore T-shirts or buttons showing his picture from the war that ended when he was just a teenager, about 90 years ago.

"He's the last living reminder of a war fought long ago in foreign lands in defense of people oppressed by the extremists of their time," said Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., who on Monday presented Buckles with a copy of comments published in the Congressional Record about him.

Buckles, who uses a wheelchair but still was able to recite dates and even gave a short speech this weekend, toured the National World War I Museum on Sunday for the first time.

His photograph, which was also unveiled Sunday, will be hung in the main hallway of the museum. The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States also presented Buckles with a gold medal of merit.

"I had a feeling of longevity and that I might be among those who survived, but I didn't know I'd be the No. 1," the veteran said after being honored by the museum.

Born in Missouri in 1901 and raised in Oklahoma, Buckles visited a string of military recruiters after the United States entered the "war to end all wars" in April 1917.

He was rejected by the Marines and the Navy, but eventually persuaded an Army captain he was 18 and enlisted, convincing him Missouri didn't keep public records of birth.

Buckles sailed for England in 1917 on the Carpathia, which is known for its rescue of Titanic survivors, and spent his tour of duty working mainly as a driver and a warehouse clerk in Germany and France. He rose to the rank of corporal and after Armistice Day helped return prisoners of war to Germany.

Buckles later traveled the world working for the shipping company White Star Line and was in the Philippines in 1940 when the Japanese invaded. He became a prisoner of war for nearly three years.

Buckles, who now lives in Charles Town, W.Va., gained notoriety when he attended a Veterans Day ceremony at the Arlington grave of Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing, who led U.S. forces in World War I, Flanagan said.

The weekend celebrations follow a busy two years for Buckles, who was an invited guest at the Pentagon, met with President Bush in Washington, D.C., and rode in the annual Armed Forces Day Parade in his home state.