Last Living U.S. "Great War" Vet Honored

[Jesse James]

On Yahoo there's a video of the last living U.S. World War 1 Veteran (Frank Buckles) being honored by the President at the White House.  I was thinking about this actually and how sad it is that really the veterans of World War 1 went largely forgotten by the public.  World War 2 generally gets more "press", possibly because Hollywood latches onto that war more...  World War 1 is also largely overlooked in U.S. history courses it seems, and is largely viewed as a European conflict (couldn't be more wrong on that of course).

I just find it impressive how many people have survived from that era, well into the 1990's, but sad at how few are left from an era that really hasn't had the same ammount of focus in the U.S. as other times seem to get.  It's a missed opportunity I fear since so many are not around now to tell of their experiences.

The little video on Yahoo ended with a story that was kind of funny...  The gentleman was asked what's different now to him from then when he was young, and he said transportation...  Everyone has a car now. 

As if his life wasn't long and interesting enough, he was stationed in the Phillipines at the onset of World War 2, and spent 3 years in a Japanese prison camp.  To survive one horrific war, only to go into one of the worst situations of another, and still survive.  That's impressive.

[Chris M]

That is most impressive.  I think a lot of the reason why people "forget" about WWI is as you said, WWII get's the most press.  I also believe that because the US was involved in WWII far longer than WWI.  WWI was primarily centered in Europe, a small portion of SW Asia, and the North Atlantic.  While WWII had conflict in from the North Atlantic, to Europe, Africa, SW and SE Asia, and all over the Pacific.

The US economy was more geared toward war during WWII.  WWI didn't have the need for the entire US industrial might to get geared up.  There were also no "blatant" attacks to get  Americans riled up to go to war.  [io]And yes, I am a historian and I am aware there are numerous small "attacks" against US citizens and the like.[/i]

I also think that since the internet has become available, it has been easier to research WWII and get more perspectives on the war.  WWI survivors often haven't lived to that point and therefore couldn't reach a worldwide audience.  Of course, their stories survive through letters and oral stories, but those are much, much more difficult to come by. 

I feel like I'm rambling on so I'll shut up.  I wish I took more time to study up on WWI than I do.

[Jesse James]

It's sad how little attention World War 1 gets in the U.S. really.  It set up much of the way our world is today even, and certainly set up much of the problems that sparked World War 2.  It was one of the most violent and bloody wars of history, it was a time of immense technological changes, and some would argue changes that were even greater than what we saw in World War 2 as far as how they'd change the world overall.  Certainly for warfare.

It's also amazing too that men who fought at that time would remember other historical events like the Titanic sinking, etc.  Some really impressive times they witnessed.

World War 1 was a much more global conflict than it's given credit for though...  You should check out "The First World War" on the Military Channel (anyone should) if they're curious about it.  It's a fantastic series, and it really breaks the war down...  Warfare was taking place off the coasts of South America, in South Africa and other African colonies of the warring powers, and the Middle-East conflicts of today really had a lot of influence from World War 1... 

Some of the most impressive things about that war for me are how remnants of it are still so readily visible today...  One memorable moment from "The First World War" series was the episode that showed how wide the conflict was, and it showed barbed wire emplacements still standing today on the slopes of the Alps!  How dud bombs are still excavated by farmers in Europe and things...  That always sticks with me.  It's one of my favorite eras to look at, but I didn't hear word one about it in any history class I ever had. 

Definitely an era worth looking into.  There's some recorded interviews and things around...  That series has a couple, but not many.  Worth checking out those shows though.  I think they're still airing on Tuesdays for anyone interested.

[Chris M]

What was cool was a few years ago I was on my way home and we had the chance to stop in Germany for a while.  So me and a buddy rented a car and drove to Paris.  What was cool was being able to still see remnants of the trenches.  I'll agree with you on the technological innovations of the time to a degree.  The wide spread use of the machine gun is impressive and sadly, so was the use of chemical agents, and you can't forget the use of airpower, and tanks.  I've watched a little on the Military Channel, but it's just been "20th Century Battlefields."  Good show and it covers many conflicts.

It's really hard thought compare the two wars, at least for me, in terms of technology being that they both had their own innovations.  WWII saw the use of jets for the first time, although in a limited role and used by Germany for the wrong purpose.  We saw the first use of true "Special Operations" forces in the form of the Airborne, Ranger battalions, USMC Raiders, and UDT's.   

But we can't deny that WWI was an indirect cause of WWII.  The Treaty of Versailles set up Europe in such a way as to leave much animosity between countries and to guarantee a failure of the German economy.  As hard as it is, you have to give Hitler credit for ingenuity for getting around the stipulations of the peace treaty and forming flying and driving clubs and for getting an entire nation back on it's feet. 

As a historian, it's frustrating that there was such a gap in my college classes when it came to WWI.  I wish we could have covered more than we did.  I think my reasoning for following and studying WWII in as much depth as I have is due to my grandfather serving in Europe in tank destroyers and fighting from the Bulge to the end of the war.  (I actually travelled over the same roads that he did and was stationed for a while very near where he did some of his heaviest fighting.)

Jesse, I wish I could talk in depth with you on the subject, but sadly I'm lacking in detailed information.  Maybe we could put our two brains together and learn something here.

[CHEWIE]

Yeah, WWI is definitely overshadowed by WWII... which really is sad.  We should never forget the sacrifices made in that war and should always honor our heroes, such as this man.  Always.

[Jesse James]

I'm enjoying the conversation here great Chris, so thanks for that...

I would though say that the Germans did employ some early "special forces" type units by developing their Stormtroopers in World War 1...  Elite troops, hand-to-hand specialists, innovative and "think on their feet" type men...  I think the allies were caught off-guard by those units when they were first deployed. 

When I compared technological innovations though, I was looking for more broad impact type things...  For instance, plastics were largely developed out of World War 2 and needs from the era, and so today we've got plastics in just about everything.  Pretty broad innovation to come out of that war...  However, air warfare in general and bombing were concepts out of World War 1...  A pretty large impact on history considering today's use of smart bombs and things to actually try and "contain" warfare.

WW1 really gave birth to the concept of the aircraft carrier, and submarines...  The two things that have basically taken naval warfare and changed it forever.

I think as war goes, WW1 did more to change how we fight wars than WW2 did, however I think WW2 actually gave more innovations in how we live our daily lives...  Nuclear power, plastics, preservatives, etc.  One could argue medical technologies advanced faster in WW2 as well, though I don't know much about that...  I've read that Nazi experiements advanced medicine, but I really don't know much on that...  The U.S. made some medical leaps in the era too I guess though, the proper ways, as well...  Not an area I'm real familiar with however, just things I've heard or seen somewhere along the way.

A dream vaca for me would be touring WW1 & 2 battle sites in Europe I think...  I'd love to do what you did, with just jumping in a car and checking out some of those areas.  I had a teacher in high school who owned a home in France and went back every Summer till he retired and moved there.  He was one of my history teachers, and sort of the guy that got me into WW1/WW2.  He helped excavate a couple trenches, was part of a group that tried to help dispose of dud bombs and other explosives, etc.  He has a pretty wide collection of artifacts too he showed me...  It's amazing what you can find some places to this day!

I was on another site for the 1:18 military hobby, and I guess 3 Panzer tanks were just found in a field in Eastern Europe recently...  I mean, that's pretty incredible stuff.