[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 29 (Thursday, February 28, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E220]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           THE LAST DOUGHBOY

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2013

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there was once a man who wouldn't take 
no for an answer when told he was too young to join the United States 
Army.
  He looked for ways to join, even if it meant telling a recruiter a 
whopper about his age.
  In the recruiter's eyes he was 21 when he was just 16.
  And the only way he could land foot in the action of World War I was 
to drive an ambulance.
  It was the quickest way he could get to the battlefield.
  He desperately wanted to help other Americans that were already 
fighting the war to end all wars.
  During the war, not only did he rescue Americans, but he rescued the 
other wounded allies and took them back behind enemy lines.
  This brave man was Frank Buckles.
  Even after being told ``no,'' he became the last surviving doughboy 
from America.
  This week marks 2 years since his death.
  He was 110 years old, and a true fighter, Mr. Speaker.
  Today, I remember my friend and patriot, Mr. Buckles.
  We celebrate the remarkable life that he lived.
  And that's just the way it is.

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