Are there any WWI US combat veterans still alive?

[4_Legs_Good]

Let's say the war ended in 1918. Soldier X was born in 1902 and snuck into the army (for some reason). That would mean he'd have to be 103.

I guess that's not outrageous.

Anyone know? I've been curious about this for years.

david

[CubsFan1982]

1. Last I heard, there were about 1,000 left.

That was 3 years ago.

[4_Legs_Good]

3. OMG, really?

That's amazing. I hope they're all having books written about them. What an incredible part of history. It's so weird to think that they'll all be gone soon.

:(

david

[CubsFan1982]

7. I take that back.

As of 2001, there were 2,503 left.

http://www.va.gov/pressrel/amwars01.htm

[4_Legs_Good]

8. Thanks!

4 years is a long time when you're over 100, though...

david

[WI_DEM]

2. I'm sure they are

The last Civil War Veteran died, from what I heard, in 1959.

[4_Legs_Good]

5. Wow!

It's so strange the way time works. I mean John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, which was just, what 30 years away from the Civil War, and yet their periods seem worlds apart. And the Civil War seems like ancient history when comparing to the Great Wars.

Bizarre.

david

[Goathead]

20. Adams and Jefferson were contemporaries

What people don't realize is that Washington was much older than Adams, Hamilton, Jefferson Henry, Lee, et al. and was really not only their mentor but a father figure. Washington died in 1799.

[CubsFan1982]

22. Not quite.

They were all pretty much contemporaries:

Washington was born in 1732

John Adams was born in 1735

Hamilton was born in 1755 (or 1757), so in this case, your statement is true

Henry was born in 1736

Richard Henry Lee was actually older than Washington, born about a month before

The true father figure of the Revolution is Franklin (born 1706), of course. He was perceived as the oldest and the wisest of all of them, and was thus treated with great respect. When you get to the later generations like Hamilton, Madison, J.Q. Adams, Burr, Monroe, etc. and after, Washington indeed is very much the father figure, hence the title "Father of his Country".

[candy]

4. Interesting question---I'll bet there are some alive!

[CanuckAmok]

6. There are still a few Canadian WW1 vets.

There was one at the last Remembrance Day ceremony I attended in Vancouver, which was three years ago.

Incididentally, one of my customers on my boyhood paper route was a lady who had been a child in South Africa during the Boer War (her dad was British Army), and she had been a nurse in WW1.

Man, does that ever make me feel old!!!!

[solinvictus]

9. My granddad's friend Mr. Phillips..

I met him when I was about 12-13 years old. He was an old widower on my granddad's mail route and they hit it off and became friends. Mr. Phillips was in the first American tank unit and knew George S. Patton when he was a lieutenant. Lots of interesting stories.

My stepdad's dad (I considered him a granddad) was born in 1902. He joined the Navy at 15 and took his training on the last schooner in the fleet. He saw the opening of the Panama Canal, the San Francisco earthquake, and was in both World Wars. He had scrapbooks from his early Navy days.

[4_Legs_Good]

10. That is freaking amazing

Wow!

david

[libodem]

11. I'm a nurse at a veterans home

B.V. was 100 years old in 1994. We had two gentlemen who were both 105 in 2000. I don't there could be many more left.

[4_Legs_Good]

12. Who is BV?

Sorry, I'm clueless.

Wow 105! Amazing.

For some reason, I need to find out about this. Thanks for the info!

david

[ScreamingMeemie]

13. This site says around 100 Americans 24 Brits, 15 French and 5 Australian.

http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/How_many_WW1_veterans_are_still_alive

[4_Legs_Good]

14. Wow, only 100...

That sounds more realistic than other estimates.

I wonder how much of an estimate it is and how many are actually registered and known.

Thanks for the site!

david

[Celeborn Skywalker]

15. We had our last one die in our town about

two years ago. I believe he was 102.

[Hardrada]

16. We had a WWI vet alive in our town until two months ago.

He was 107 years old. My wife visited him on behalf of her UCC church of which he was a member. He'd been a doctor in practice up until 1969.

[Patiod]

17. Not alive, but my friend's dad fought in WWI

He was gassed at Ypres. All the men in the family marry late - HIS father had fought in the civil war (so my friend's grandfather fought in the Civil War)

My friend is about 50 - if you live on the East Coast, you've probably seen him on TV - he's Thomas Jefferson in all the Williamsburg commercials (he works there as a historic interpreter).

[Mr. McD]

18. My father fought in WWI

but he died in 1954.

[wideopen]

19. Funny you mention this

I went home for lunch today,reading through the local(county) newspaper and they had a story about changing the name of one of the roads to "vetrans memorial parkway" the dedication was last week and the guest of honor was a wwI vet that was 104 years old. They had a fairly large pic of him and he really didn't look a day over 99.

[mark414]

21. my great grandfather died in 1997

at the ripe old age of 101, and i had another great-grandfather who was in the war who died in 1986 (but i never got to know him as I was born in '85...)

but the one that i did know, he was a 2nd lieutenant in charge of artillery...i was lucky enough to sit down with him when i was in 6th grade to ask him about the war and what it was like to live through nearly the entire 20th century...he had some amazing stories, too long and too many for me to type up here right now

but he brought a lot back from the war and he left it to me when he died...his old boots, helmet, gas mask, blanket, various artillery and grenade shells, a flare gun (and a used flare), lighters, pictures, letters, logbooks, postcards home...some incredible stuff

my other grandfather (who died in '86) left a lot of pictures and letters, including a picture of him with some portugese and canadian soldiers, and in the middle of the group was none other than the great pitcher grover cleveland alexander