© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Oldest Living US Veteran Honored

Frank Morris

By Frank Morris

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-710980.mp3

Kansas City – Present arms!
Thousands of veterans and onlookers stood in the rain beneath Kansas City's towering World War One Monument and museum as Frank Buckles accepted gratitude and awards. Buckles is 107 years old. He was underage when he enlisted, only 16, but tricked his recruiter.

Frank Buckles: When you're 16 you're not afraid of anything.

Buckles drove troop carriers and ambulances in World War I. Buckles went to work for a shipping company and was captured in the Philippines at the onset of World War II. He spent 3 years in a Japanese prison camp. More than 4 and a half million Americans took part in World War I. When Buckles, the last surviving US link to that war dies, he'll be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
TAPS

KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.