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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A man whose remarkable story captured the interest |
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of his fellow citizens, Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving |
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American veteran of World War I, passed away on February 27, 2011, |
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at the age of 110; and |
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WHEREAS, Inspired by recruiting posters, Missouri native |
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Frank Buckles left home in 1917 at the age of 16 to enlist in the |
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military; rejected by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Navy as too |
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young, he was finally accepted into the Army after lying about his |
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age, and he sailed for England on the RMS Carpathia later that year; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, He joined the ambulance corps and served in England |
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and France as a driver and a warehouse clerk; though he never made |
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it to the front lines as he had desired, he transported many wounded |
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soldiers to hospitals and saw the heavy toll the war took on the |
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French people; nearly a century later, he still vividly recalled |
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the heartrending scenes he had witnessed; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Buckles worked in the Toronto office of the |
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White Star shipping line after the war, and he traveled around the |
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world on business for various steamship companies; he was in Manila |
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when Japan invaded the Philippines in late 1941, and Japanese |
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forces arrested and imprisoned him for more than three years; and |
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WHEREAS, Liberated by American troops in 1945, Mr. Buckles |
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continued to work in the steamship industry until the mid-1950s, |
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when he purchased and ran a cattle ranch in Charles Town, West |
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Virginia, with his wife, Audrey, and daughter, Susannah; he |
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remained active and involved in the ranch's operation long past the |
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age of 100; and |
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WHEREAS, After receiving the Legion d'honneur from French |
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President Jacques Chirac in 1999, Mr. Buckles entered the public |
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eye due to his extraordinary longevity; sharp and independent |
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throughout his life, he served as grand marshal of the National |
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Memorial Day Parade in Washington in 2007 and was the honorary chair |
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of the World War I Memorial Foundation, which advocated for the |
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rededication of the District of Columbia War Memorial as a national |
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memorial for veterans of World War I; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Buckles was buried with full military honors at |
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Arlington National Cemetery, the last of the 4.7 million Americans |
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who served in World War I; his wife of more than 50 years, Audrey, |
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preceded him in death; he is survived by his daughter, Susannah |
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Flanagan, and her husband, Mike, and also by his cousin, Michael |
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Buckles of Houston, and his wife, Billi Jo, and sons, Jacob and |
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David; and |
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WHEREAS, Coming to symbolize a generation of Americans in |
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their struggles and triumphs, Frank Buckles accepted his iconic |
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status with humility and grace, and he leaves behind a legacy that |
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will continue to resonate for many years to come; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the memory of Frank Woodruff Buckles and |
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pay tribute to his extraordinary life; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Frank |
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Buckles. |
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Bohac |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2004 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on May 26, 2011. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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