82R20350 MGR-D
By: Bohac H.R. No. 2004
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A man whose remarkable story captured the interest
of his fellow citizens, Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving
American veteran of World War I, passed away on February 27, 2011,
at the age of 110; and
WHEREAS, Inspired by recruiting posters, Missouri native
Frank Buckles left home in 1917 at the age of 16 to enlist in the
military; rejected by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Navy as too
young, he was finally accepted into the Army after lying about his
age, and he sailed for England on the RMS Carpathia later that year;
and
WHEREAS, He joined the ambulance corps and served in England
and France as a driver and a warehouse clerk; though he never made
it to the front lines as he had desired, he transported many wounded
soldiers to hospitals and saw the heavy toll the war took on the
French people; nearly a century later, he still vividly recalled
the heartrending scenes he had witnessed; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Buckles worked in the Toronto office of the
White Star shipping line after the war, and he traveled around the
world on business for various steamship companies; he was in Manila
when Japan invaded the Philippines in late 1941, and Japanese
forces arrested and imprisoned him for more than three years; and
WHEREAS, Liberated by American troops in 1945, Mr. Buckles
continued to work in the steamship industry until the mid-1950s,
when he purchased and ran a cattle ranch in Charles Town, West
Virginia, with his wife, Audrey, and daughter, Susannah; he
remained active and involved in the ranch's operation long past the
age of 100; and
WHEREAS, After receiving the Legion d'honneur from French
President Jacques Chirac in 1999, Mr. Buckles entered the public
eye due to his extraordinary longevity; sharp and independent
throughout his life, he served as grand marshal of the National
Memorial Day Parade in Washington in 2007 and was the honorary chair
of the World War I Memorial Foundation, which advocated for the
rededication of the District of Columbia War Memorial as a national
memorial for veterans of World War I; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Buckles was buried with full military honors at
Arlington National Cemetery, the last of the 4.7 million Americans
who served in World War I; his wife of more than 50 years, Audrey,
preceded him in death; he is survived by his daughter, Susannah
Flanagan, and her husband, Mike, and also by his cousin, Michael
Buckles of Houston, and his wife, Billi Jo, and sons, Jacob and
David; and
WHEREAS, Coming to symbolize a generation of Americans in
their struggles and triumphs, Frank Buckles accepted his iconic
status with humility and grace, and he leaves behind a legacy that
will continue to resonate for many years to come; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor the memory of Frank Woodruff Buckles and
pay tribute to his extraordinary life; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Frank
Buckles.