[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 8, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H1597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the lone survivor, the last doughboy 
of World War I, Frank Buckles, has died at the age of 110. This 
photograph of Frank Buckles was taken when he was 16 years of age. He 
lied to numerous recruiters so he could join the United States Army and 
go ``over there'' in World War I. He served in the Ambulance Corps, 
rescuing other doughboys who had been wounded in Europe. He came back 
home to America.
  During World War II, he was in the Merchant Marines, Merchant Seamen, 
and he was captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. He was held as 
a prisoner of war for 3\1/2\ years.
  Later, Frank moved to West Virginia, and he drove his tractor until 
he was well into his hundreds. This is a photograph taken of him when 
he was 109 years of age. It was taken not far from here on The D.C. 
Mall because, you see, it was Frank's wish toward the end of his life 
that we, as Members of Congress, authorize the building of a memorial 
to all of the doughboys who served in World War I, all 4 million of 
them who have all died; 116,000 of them were killed in World War I.
  Mr. Speaker, we have memorials for Vietnam, World War II, and Korea 
on The Mall, but we don't have a memorial for all of those who served 
in World War I. We have a memorial, and this is a photograph of it, for 
the folks that lived here in D.C. and served in World War I, but we 
don't have a memorial for all that served.
  So I have filed, today, legislation on behalf of Frank Buckles and 
all those other doughboys that we authorize the building of a memorial 
on The Mall for those who served in World War I, those doughboys. It is 
time for Congress to do something for those young men and women who 
served.
  And that's just the way it is.

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