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Editor's note: When Andy's not cutting spots for the broadcast, he's the Washington bureau's resident amateur historian and war buff. This month marks the 90th anniversary of U.S. involvement in World War I.
When Lloyd Brown, 105, and Charlotte Winters, 109, died a day apart in late March, it brought the number of surviving U.S. veterans of World War I to three. That's right, three. The war that launched the "American Century" is a sadly forgotten footnote to most Americans and perhaps we need to pause and give this conflict and those who fought in it their due. When the guns fell silent 89 years ago this November, more than 4.5 million American men and women had proudly served their country. Winters, the last surviving female veteran of the conflict, served stateside in the Naval Reserve. Brown hunted German u-boats as a sailor aboard the USS New Hampshire. Our living World War I vets are Frank Buckles of West Virginia, Russell Coffey of Ohio; and Harry Landis of Florida.
It's hard to imagine that the massive army that helped bring the Great War to its troubled conclusion has shrunk to such a tiny number, but it's true. The war itself was a watershed moment for the world in every sense of the word. It began with empires, marching bands, and cavalry and ended with tanks, airplanes, u-boats, zeppelins and chemical warfare. Before the war, America was an isolationist nation with vastly untapped industrial might, but by the end of 1918, its role on the global stage was forever changed.
And what about the war itself? From the unspeakable madness of the blood and gore of trench fighting to the aerial dogfights of fabric-covered biplanes, we still use many of the war's unique vocabulary -- kaput, shell-shock, trench-coat, flea-bag, crummy, hush-hush, lousy, and nose-dive are but a few of the dozens of words we use everyday. The First World War was also the first mechanized and industrialized war. Most of the weapons introduced and perfected then are still used today. Tanks, planes, submarines, and machine guns are staples of the American arsenal. Even the zeppelin is still around, albeit less combustible than its forebears. The Germans used the giant dirigibles to bomb London and today the Zeppelin Company is building a new generation of airships in their original home in Friedrichshafen.
I read recently that while Britain is making elaborate plans for a moving national ceremony when the last of its remaining seven veterans finally dies, the U.S. will do nothing when our three have finally passed on, which in all probability will be this year.
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Early Nightly is up
I think it better to honor these remaining three while they are still alive, rather than some sort of remembrance when they have each died. Some stories on the evening news about America's roll in that terrible conflict with particular emphasis on these three would be fitting. If we do not call attention to the sacrifices of so many brave men who have fought for this country in time of war it mkes us all too complacent about war and all too likely we will be involved in more wars. After 7000 years of civilization why is it conflict between peoples , tribes, countries has to be settled by killing each other rather than sitting down and talking out our differences.
Dick Gross, Redmond, Washington (Sent Apr 4, 2007 3:34:52 PM)
I have sent a copy of the last paragraph of your article, referencing the NBC Nightly News, and including the link to the article, to my two senators and U. S. representative. I hope I get a positive response and will definitely let you know.
Judith Lasker
Judith Lasker, Los Angeles (Sent Apr 3, 2007 6:39:04 PM)
Mr. Gross, Thank you for that wonderful piece about World War I veterans. All the veterans of any war should never be forgotten. It is interesting how many of the weapons and machinery is still used today. Yet it is more advanced the basic concept is the same. Also the sayings and words you spoke about and how they originated back then is amazing. How some things get started and don't change. If my grandparents and great grandparents could see what is happening today they would be shocked at the technology. Thank you again for this nice piece.
Lisa McNeil, Alpharetta, Georgia (Sent Apr 3, 2007 6:04:06 PM)
World War I was, in many ways, the worst of all our conflicts. The rematch from 1939-1945 piled up more bodies, but the true horror of technological warfare first hit the human race in 1914. Chemical warfare, tanks and aircraft were all new. The great tragedy was the belief that it was the War to End All War -- if only it had been.
Jeff Myhre (Sent Apr 3, 2007 5:23:42 PM)
Well, isn't this just typical. We don't live in a vacuum and we didn't get here by accident. Yet there is so much lack of knowledge and lack of interest in history and how we got here that it doesn't surprise me one bit that these veterans are being virtually ignored for their contributions. We probably know less about ourselves than most people in the world. We talk the talk but don't walk the walk.
B. Newmeyer, China Grove, North Carolina (Sent Apr 3, 2007 5:16:39 PM)
Great piece. My Grandfather, for who I am named, was wounded at Belleau Wood. He was a Marine and a sniper working with a Frenchman when the Frenchman stepped on a mine. My Grandfather developed lock-jaw and was not expected to survive...this was pre tetnus. He did survive and then tried to re-enlist in WWII but lacked the ability to completely bend his left knee and could not go back in. A handful of his friends from WWI did go back and fought in WWII in some of the major battles in the Pacific...they were all in their 40's then.
I knew him and a few of his friends from the Corps pretty well...they were some very brave men who have been all but forgotten
ken whitaker, falls church, va (Sent Apr 3, 2007 5:15:56 PM)
Sadly, we have again become blind to our past. Unfortunately, we continue live up to the term "throw away" society. Thanks for your contribution in the past but that history now, please step aside. It is one of our biggest downfalls in the U.S.
Steve Moody, Corpus Christi, Texas (Sent Apr 3, 2007 5:02:58 PM)
The US definitely needs to do something once our WWI Veteran's are all gone. Who should we contact on that issue?
Nancy-New Mexico (Sent Apr 3, 2007 12:50:09 PM)
The American people are the best and strongest people in the world. But we do have a dark side and a few weak spots. One of them is a blindness to our place in the world. We like to pretend we have no great empire like the British had, no responsibility to the downtrodden of the world, no "sphere of influence," no "concentration of interests" -- and at the same time we encourage international corporations to manage the the thing we pretend we don't have. It's no wonder people Arabia, Iran and Iraq think we're two-faced, or stupid.
Edmund Bennett, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Sent Apr 3, 2007 12:24:13 PM)
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