Library of Congress blogger Matt Raymond reports the sad news that Harry Landis, one of the last two known American vets of World War I, died on Monday at the very respectable age of 108:
That leaves 107-year-old Frank Buckles of Charles Town, W. Va., as the sole surviving American veteran of the “Great War” that began more than 90 years ago. I was aware that their ranks were dwindling, but I didn’t realize that the numbers were so low.
The bright spot? You can hear the voices of Mr. Buckles and 278 other U.S. Great War vets at the Library:
I was curious as to whether we had the oral history of the last remaining WWI veteran. As it turns out, the Library of Congress and its Veterans History Project are indeed the repository of the Frank Buckles collection….
According to the VHP Web site, Buckles himself explained why he told his story: “It’s best for anyone who’s been in the military service if he’s had some disagreeable experiences…to talk about it and get it out of his system and then forget it.”
Hang in there, Frank.
