J. D. Pendry

When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We'll give him a hearty welcome then
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The men will cheer and the boys will shout
The ladies they will all turn out
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home.

Mr. Frank Woodruff Buckles is 107 years old. A resident of Charles Town, West Virginia, he is the last known surviving Veteran of World War I. Most Americans, I believe, cannot tell you very much about the war meant to end all wars. They could not talk to you about American Army recruits boarding ships headed for Europe having never fired a rifle in training. They never fired them because they did not have them. Our standing regular Army before entering the war was practically nonexistent by any reasonable standard of measurement. Mentioning names like Ardenne, Belleauwood, Chateau-Terrie, and Meusse-Argonne will probably not get a conversation started outside of military circles. Most also do not know that men like Mr. Buckles were not welcomed home with a GI Bill of Rights to help them restart their post war lives as were the Veterans of World War II.

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Contributed by J D on February 9, 2008 at 05:42 PM in J D Pendry | Permalink

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