kerouac

Today the very last WW1 French combat veteran died at age 110. He will have a national funeral

Apparently, there are still 8 veterans left on the planet. The nationalities are British, American, Italian, Austrian and Turkish.

PalenQ

1 american

annettetx

Thanks for posting this.

I've worked in nursing homes for over 20 years, and will never forget the WWI vet I knew when I first started working. He didn't talk much about his experience, but did mention marching all across Europe.

PalenQ

The War to End All War

was i understand pure Hell even for war - muddy trenches, disease rife - lots of deaths i think were from disease

flame-throwers, airplanes dropping gas, hand to hand, etc.

Too bad it did not end all war

I salute all veterans of wars on any side - the grunts, not the decision makers necessarily - "War Is Hell" i agree and Americans should be so grateful that we have not had a war on our soil in a century and a half - europe though not so lucky

kerouac

When I was watching the siege of Sarajevo on television, I was horrified by the idea that I could drive there from Paris in half a day.

Even though my mother was not yet in a nursing home at the time, I have never forgotten the terrible winter without electricity or heat or water when there was one report of an old age home in Sarajevo where all they could do was to try to scrap the urine and feces off the sheets of the patients and put them back on the beds.

kerouac

"scrape" not "scrap"

For those with short memories, the siege lasted from 5 April 1992 tp 29 February 1996.

And how many people cared?

PalenQ

drive there in half a day?

Paris-sarajevo? what route do you take?

folks don't really care often until it hits home

that's why i think Europe may be less bellicose than the U.S.

kerouac

Soory, PalenQ, I was wrong. www.viamichelin.com says that the drive is 20h31min. So almost a full day.

1842 km.

SallyCanuck

There is one Canadian WW1 vet who is, I think, 106 years but he moved to the US in the 1920s.

He (and the second last one who was 106 and who died last May) joined by lying about their ages - when they got overseas and it was discovered how old they really were, they were returned home so neither actually saw combat.

I suppose these young men thought it would be a wonderful adventure.

kerouac

The French one who died (and who was born Italian) had also lied about his age.

GaryCA

Here's a site listing all the surviving WWI veterans:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivi...of_World_War_I

tomboy

My dad, born 1902 died 1984, lied about his to get in the US army, but when they found out he was 15, they sent him home. So he lied about his age to get in the Canadian navy, and they took him. He spent 2 years in Paulliac, FR at a base there (we visited there in September, but absolutely no one realized there'd been a naval base there 80 years ago), then to Belgium and back home in 1921. He said they knew he was underage, but needed the help. So goes his one and only war story.