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History Forum / General / British History / November 2003Living WW I vets?
When I was a kid in the 50's everybody's dad was a WW II vet and everybody's grand-dad was a WW I vet. On Veterans Day (Armistace day to you old-timers) here in the US, there was always a parade. Plenty of WW I vets led the parade, WW II vets would dust off their old uniforms and march in droves too. There would be a dozen or so Spanish American War vets and even an American Civil War vet riding in a jeep. Not long ago we lost the last WW I vet of my actual aquintance. He was a friend's grandfather aged 104 years and was an intellegent and a pleasure to visit to the last. Which made me think. How many WW I vets are left? The ranks must be thinning. Does anybody keep track? Is there anyplace to look into the question? > When I was a kid in the 50's everybody's dad was a WW II vet and everybody's > grand-dad was a WW I vet. On Veterans Day (Armistace day to you old-timers) [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > thinning. Does anybody keep track? Is there anyplace to look into the > question? Apparently 1 in Oz, 6(?) in UK, 44 in USA. Surreyman > > When I was a kid in the 50's everybody's dad was a WW II vet and > everybody's [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > > Apparently 1 in Oz, 6(?) in UK, 44 in USA. On 11 November there were 10 Canadian veterans of the Great War still alive. Cyril Martin, who joined underage and later served as a padre in the Second War, died last week. http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20031122/MARTIN22//? query=veterans I wonder if two of the 44 veterans listed as being in the U.S. are from Canada. One codger confuses the issue since he served in the C.E.F. in the First War, in the U.S.N. in the Second, and still lives in California. http://thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1 &call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1068246607778 -- Andrew Chaplin SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO (If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.) >When I was a kid in the 50's everybody's dad was a WW II vet and everybody's >grand-dad was a WW I vet. On Veterans Day (Armistace day to you old-timers) >here in the US, there was always a parade. Plenty of WW I vets led the >parade, WW II vets would dust off their old uniforms and march in droves >too. There would be a dozen or so Spanish American War vets and even an >American Civil War vet riding in a jeep. >Not long ago we lost the last WW I vet of my actual aquintance. He was a >friend's grandfather aged 104 years and was an intellegent and a pleasure to >visit to the last. >Which made me think. How many WW I vets are left? The ranks must be >thinning. Does anybody keep track? Is there anyplace to look into the >question? Thinning? Anyone who was 15 in 1914 is 104 now. I'd worry about WWII. Those who were 15 in 1939 are 79 now. ---- Paul J. Gans "Paul J Gans" wrote in message > >When I was a kid in the 50's everybody's dad was a WW II vet and everybody's > >grand-dad was a WW I vet. On Veterans Day (Armistace day to you old-timers) [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > I'd worry about WWII. Those who were 15 in 1939 are 79 now. The WWII vets are dying at a rate of something like 1000 every day. The folks at Arlington are overworked and rapidly running out of space. -the Troll > > The WWII vets are dying at a rate of something like 1000 every day. The > folks at Arlington are overworked and rapidly running out of space. -the > Troll What exactly is the status of Arlington? Can any ex-serviceman (active or not) elect to be buried there? I always thought it was for 'notables' only. Surreyman "a.spencer3" wrote in message > hippo wrote in message > > > The WWII vets are dying at a rate of something like 1000 every day. The > > folks at Arlington are overworked and rapidly running out of space. -the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Surreyman Nope, any veteran can be buried there, officer or OR. It is intended for soldiers only. For a time wives and surviving children could be interred with their serving relation but no longer. The restriction these days is space and time. If the veteran wants full military honors and inhumation he/she can wait for many months. We had less of a wait since LTC Buehring was killed in the line of duty in a war zone and because of 'interest' expressed by the Chiefs of Staff. Wolfowitz was in fact there for the better part of an hour with nothing between him and me but three feet of grass (unless one counts a secret service fellow behind a tree with wires hanging out of his ears). In time there will only be space for cremations unless Fort Meyer which surrounds it on three sides is broken up to make more space. Many veterans choose not to be buried there because they prefer the idea of a family plot. -the Troll |
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