United States Army World War I Soldier. He was the last surviving United States military veteran of World War I. He enlisted at the age of 16 in 1917 and was stationed in England and France, where he drove ambulances as part of the American Expeditionary Forces’ 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment. After the Armistice ended the fighting, he was an escort for German prisoners. He was promoted to Corporal and was given an honorable discharge in November 1919. In the 1940s he was a civilian employee of a shipping company in the Philippines when the Japanese seized control of the islands. He was held prisoner by the Japanese for three years, finally being freed in February 1945 after a United States Army raid on the prison where he was being held. He farmed land in West Virginia in his post-war years, and was very active in veterans’ organizations. When he died at age 110 in February 2011, he was the last of over four million personnel who served in the United States military during World War I. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, after special dispensation was given to him, as he was ineligible otherwise due to not being a combat veteran.
United States Army World War I Soldier. He was the last surviving United States military veteran of World War I. He enlisted at the age of 16 in 1917 and was stationed in England and France, where he drove ambulances as part of the American Expeditionary Forces’ 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment. After the Armistice ended the fighting, he was an escort for German prisoners. He was promoted to Corporal and was given an honorable discharge in November 1919. In the 1940s he was a civilian employee of a shipping company in the Philippines when the Japanese seized control of the islands. He was held prisoner by the Japanese for three years, finally being freed in February 1945 after a United States Army raid on the prison where he was being held. He farmed land in West Virginia in his post-war years, and was very active in veterans’ organizations. When he died at age 110 in February 2011, he was the last of over four million personnel who served in the United States military during World War I. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, after special dispensation was given to him, as he was ineligible otherwise due to not being a combat veteran.
Inscription
Corporal, U.S. Army
World War I
Family Members
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