“And Then There Was One” Frank Woodruff Buckles “Pershing’s Last Patriot” By Ken Riege USAF 1985 – 1993 Frank Woodruff Buckles (born Wood Buckles, but later changed his name to Frank Woodruff Buckles upon joining the Army on 14 Aug 1917 at the ripe old age of 16 years-old) was America’s last surviving veteran of what was then called “The Great War” or the “War to end all Wars.” He volunteered to drive an ambulance, as he was told this was the quickest way to the front lines. Mr. Buckles earned the title of “Pershing’s Last Patriot” from a dear friend of his and his official biographer, Mr. David DeJonge. Mr. DeJonge is a photographer and documentary film maker who had become very interested in how many survivors there were from WW1. This is how I became aware of Mr. DeJonge and Mr. Buckles. I too am very interested in the history of WW1 because my grandfather, Paul Emerson Riege, and his brother, my great uncle, Otto Garfield Riege, both fought in WW1. When I first heard of “Pershing’s Last Patriot,” I had to find out more and reached out to Mr. DeJonge. After a few years of emailing back and forth and unfortunately Mr. Buckles passing, Mr. DeJonge traveled to Gallup in 2014 and showed his (at that time not completely finished) documentary film, “Pershing’s Last Patriot.” For more information on this film and on how to purchase a copy for yourself, please visit: http://www.survivorquest.net/pershings-last-patriotdvd/pershings-last-patriot-dvd Longevity seems to be the norm in Mr. Buckles family as he had several family members who lived very long lives including his father who lived to be 94. Military service was also a common tradition in the Buckles family as his ancestry included soldiers from both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. However, Frank was lucky to have survived childhood, as he and his brother, Ashman, contracted scarlet fever in 1903. Sadly, Ashman died at the age of four. Frank Buckles drove an ambulance and motorcycles for the Army’s 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment, first in England and then in France. He later recalled his service as a young doughboy: “There was never a shortage of bodies that needed to be rushed to the nearest medical care. The British and French troops were in bad shape and even guys my age looked old and tired. The Brits and French were sure happy to see us doughboys, ever last one of us. Of course us Yanks believe we’d wrap this thing up in a few months and be back home before harvest. You know we were the
50
January 2020
