[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6839-S6840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO FRANK BUCKLES

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I honor the life of 
Frank Woodruff Buckles, a devoted American, who served this country in 
World War I. Mr. Buckles, born in 1901 in Harrison County, MO, is still 
going strong today in West Virginia. At the age of 106, he resides in 
Charles Town, where he manages his 330-acre farm.
  Mr. Buckles was only 16 years old when his country entered World War 
I. After unsuccessful attempts to join the Marines and the Navy, Mr. 
Buckles contacted the Army. He claimed that birth certificates had not 
been issued in Missouri at the time of his birth and started his 
training at Fort Riley, KS, where many soldiers were ill with 
influenza. With an irrepressible desire to serve his country, Mr. 
Buckles joined the Army Ambulance Service and went overseas, first to 
England and France. Later, Mr. Buckles became an escort for German 
prisoners of war.
  Upon his return from Europe, Mr. Buckles held various jobs. He 
accepted a position with White Star Line Steamship Company, which took 
him to Toronto, Canada. In 1921, he put his business education to use 
at Bankers Trust Company in New York City.

[[Page S6840]]

  Mr. Buckles eventually realized that he cared most for the steamship 
industry. While he was employed by Grace Line, he traveled along the 
western coast of South America. In 1940, the American President Lines 
had a task for him in Manila--Mr. Buckles found himself trapped in the 
Philippines when the Japanese invaded in December of the following 
year. He spent 3\1/2\ years in Japanese prison camps, until on February 
23, 1945, a subsection of the 11th Airborne Division freed Mr. Buckles 
and 2,147 other prisoners in a daring raid on the Los Banes prison 
camp.
  After his liberation from Los Banes, Mr. Buckles returned to the 
United States. He married Audrey Mayo, a young lady, whom he had known 
before the war and in 1954, they settled down on the Gap View Farm in 
West Virginia.
  On this same farm, Mr. Buckles has remained mentally sharp and 
physically active. Up to the age of 105, he drove cars and tractors on 
his farm. Nowadays, he reads from his vast book collection and enjoys 
the company of his daughter, Susannah Flanagan, who came to live with 
him after his wife passed away in 1999.
  Today, Mr. Buckles is one of three living World War I veterans in the 
United States, and his dedication and courage have not been overlooked 
in our Nation's Capital. In 1999, Mr. Buckles was presented with the 
French Legion of Honor at the French Embassy in Washington, DC. On May 
28, 2007, Mr. Buckles will represent his fellow World War I veterans as 
a Grand Marshall at the National Memorial Day Parade.
  We must cherish our last links to World War I. In the same vein, we 
owe Mr. Buckles and all the men and women, who have served our country, 
a great debt of gratitude.
  I ask the Senate to join me today in commending Frank Buckles, an 
American whose service to our country deserves recognition.

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