From Susan Barr

Frank Buckles, 108, the last remaining US veteran of World War I, was going before a US Senate sub-committee today to re-designate the WWI Memorial in DC, as THE WWI Memorial.

The WWI Memorial is located between the WWII and Korean War Monuments on Independence Avenue, and is not located on most of the maps of the sites to see in DC.   It was tucked in a glen and hidden by overgrown shrubs and trees.  Recently it has been cleaned up and the foliage cut back somewhat.

This war has a special place in my family.  My Grandfather Louis Frederick Hurd, carried the first American Flag, with his Army Engineer unit, into occupied France during WWI. He was the reason my Uncle Louis served in WWII and my Father Walter Hurd, and my Uncle Wilbur Hurd, in the Korean War.

My sons attend Buckeye Valley High School in Delaware Ohio, and they have a traveling WWI exhibit on display there.  This display brings attention to the WWI Memorials plight and also to the fact that we are down to just one WWI Veteran, and that their history is fading too quickly.

 Here is a link to the exhibit and also to a petition that you can sign if you are in favor of the WWI Memorial from the People of the District of Columbia, becoming THE National WWI Memorial.

Maybe we can have a part in keeping the WWI History alive, finally letting Mr. Buckles rest easier that the WWI Veterans will not be forgotten.  That we can unify once again, to recognize a Memorial to those who fought so valiantly in a long ago war and still deserve the honor and respect for preserving our freedoms.

Thank you Mr. Buckles, for never letting us forget that ALL Veterans of ALL wars and conflicts need a place to reflect and be honored.  Most importantly THANK YOU for your service to our still free country and for being such a tireless role model for all of us.

Lest we forget…