Bill Text: TX HR2004 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last American veteran of World War I.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-05-27 - Reported enrolled [HR2004 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR2004-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 2004 |
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WHEREAS, A man whose remarkable story captured the interest | ||
of his fellow citizens, Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving | ||
American veteran of World War I, passed away on February 27, 2011, | ||
at the age of 110; and | ||
WHEREAS, Inspired by recruiting posters, Missouri native | ||
Frank Buckles left home in 1917 at the age of 16 to enlist in the | ||
military; rejected by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Navy as too | ||
young, he was finally accepted into the Army after lying about his | ||
age, and he sailed for England on the RMS Carpathia later that year; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, He joined the ambulance corps and served in England | ||
and France as a driver and a warehouse clerk; though he never made | ||
it to the front lines as he had desired, he transported many wounded | ||
soldiers to hospitals and saw the heavy toll the war took on the | ||
French people; nearly a century later, he still vividly recalled | ||
the heartrending scenes he had witnessed; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mr. Buckles worked in the Toronto office of the | ||
White Star shipping line after the war, and he traveled around the | ||
world on business for various steamship companies; he was in Manila | ||
when Japan invaded the Philippines in late 1941, and Japanese | ||
forces arrested and imprisoned him for more than three years; and | ||
WHEREAS, Liberated by American troops in 1945, Mr. Buckles | ||
continued to work in the steamship industry until the mid-1950s, | ||
when he purchased and ran a cattle ranch in Charles Town, West | ||
Virginia, with his wife, Audrey, and daughter, Susannah; he | ||
remained active and involved in the ranch's operation long past the | ||
age of 100; and | ||
WHEREAS, After receiving the Legion d'honneur from French | ||
President Jacques Chirac in 1999, Mr. Buckles entered the public | ||
eye due to his extraordinary longevity; sharp and independent | ||
throughout his life, he served as grand marshal of the National | ||
Memorial Day Parade in Washington in 2007 and was the honorary chair | ||
of the World War I Memorial Foundation, which advocated for the | ||
rededication of the District of Columbia War Memorial as a national | ||
memorial for veterans of World War I; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mr. Buckles was buried with full military honors at | ||
Arlington National Cemetery, the last of the 4.7 million Americans | ||
who served in World War I; his wife of more than 50 years, Audrey, | ||
preceded him in death; he is survived by his daughter, Susannah | ||
Flanagan, and her husband, Mike, and also by his cousin, Michael | ||
Buckles of Houston, and his wife, Billi Jo, and sons, Jacob and | ||
David; and | ||
WHEREAS, Coming to symbolize a generation of Americans in | ||
their struggles and triumphs, Frank Buckles accepted his iconic | ||
status with humility and grace, and he leaves behind a legacy that | ||
will continue to resonate for many years to come; now, therefore, be | ||
it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas | ||
Legislature hereby honor the memory of Frank Woodruff Buckles and | ||
pay tribute to his extraordinary life; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of | ||
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Frank | ||
Buckles. | ||
Bohac | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 2004 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
rising vote of the House on May 26, 2011. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||