Photo by Charlie Riedel
(In a May 26, 2008 file photo Frank Buckles receives an American flag during Memorial Day activities at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo.)
The passing of Mr. Frank Buckles marks the final departure of the last surviving link to the more than 2 million American men and women who served during World War I. Sadly, this generation of heroes has surrendered to time and the day has come when they no longer walk among us.
World War I unleashed an unrestrained, methodical and mechanized destruction of human life leaving more than 8 million dead and 21 million wounded. Our late entry into the war in 1917 helped stop the slaughter in Europe, but at a heavy price to the nation; 126,000 deaths and more than 200,000 wounded by the end of the war in 1918. Despite the extremes of the war; fear, courage, cruelty and compassion, America made a conscious decision to fight for the ideal of freedom.
The full scope and stark reality of that war was beyond all of us, with the exception of one man who represented an entire generation assigned to history. Frank Buckles’ service and that of his now-absent comrades was borne from neither bravery nor bravado. It came from within; a sense of selflessness…doing something good for others, despite the danger. They faced fear and accepted it, challenged it, fought it, and then acted with honor. That is their legacy to us.
And that’s why we must ensure the memory of their courage and sacrifice won’t fade or disappear into anonymity. That would be an irretrievable loss to the nation, one that we cannot afford to pay.