Posted on 02/06/2005 6:21:38 PM PST by Former Military Chick
My great-grandfather was drafted as a 28 year old, and saw action in Muesse-Argonne and the Somme. He was in a little cabin in France playing cards during a lull in the fighting when some young Kraut threw a mustard gas bomb through the window. As a result, he lived with severe emphyesema for 26 more years, dying in 1943.
W/in the next 36 months we will probably see the end of these great men. In 1959, when the last Civil War vet died (a 12 year old drummer boy who joined the Rebs in 1865), Life magazine ran his picture on the cover.Our generations equivalkent mag, People, will probably not even mention the last WWI guy who passes away. Sad.
Hello again FMC. It sad that there are less then 100 vets of the Great War (to end all wars) left in this country.
It's also kind of neat that there are some who are actually STILL alive...amazing.
I can remember when I was a kid back in the late seventies and early eighties, that there was this old gentleman who lived in my home town who was in the SPANISH AMERICAN WAR!
My family lived out in the country here in Eastern Kentucky, and my mother volunteered at our church which was the "county seat" of the county we live in. During the summer, she would "drag", (literally)me to town with her every Friday while she put in her 4 hours of volunteer work. Well, naturally, at that age I was "bored", so she'd let me walk the two blocks to the county library by myself, where I would read about the "great fighter pilots of WWII", and anything else I could get my hands on.
Anyway, this "old codger" always sat on the front porch of this HUGE, beautiful OLD home of his, and wave at EVERYBODY(lonely I guess), so one day I decided to to "chat" with him, and ended up spending more time talking with him about the "good old days", than I spent in the library. He told me some GREAT story's about his exploits...I later found out that he had participated in Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Rider's charge up San Juan Hill, and just before his death in the early 80's I found out that he was the last surviving VET of the Spanish-American War! In my hometown! Neat.
I cried like a baby when I found out he passed away! It was like I lost a grandparent.
Great story! My Grandpop came to the U.S. when he was 20, and worked for the railroads until shortly before he died in 1968. He missed WW2 because he was in an essential industry.
Sionnsar, bag-pipery ping to post 15.
Bump!
Wow, how blessed you are with these great childhood memories!
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