Friday, December 21, 2007

And Then There Were Two

One of those things you know is going to happen, but you just wish it wouldn't.

J. Russell Coffey just passed away at the age of 109. Mr. Coffey was one of the last surviving veterans of the First World War. Mr. Coffey never "saw the elephant", but he stepped forward and joined the army and served his country during time of war, so he gets just as much credit as anyone else.

I don't know the tally for the entire world--whether any veterans survive in France, Belgium, Germany, etc. but I do know that there are now exactly two WWI veterans left in the US: Frank Buckles, who is 106, and Harry Richard Landis, who is 108. There is one veteran still living in the UK, Robert Taggert and he is 107.

These guys saw a conflict that rewrote the world map and now they are all but gone.

I wish Godspeed to Mr. Coffey and hope that the others continue to grace us with their presence for some time to come.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some months ago after reading about he loss of WWI vets, I decided to sit down and research why the US entered that war.

I admit I really didn't like what I found.

How I would have loved to have sat down with some of these men before we lost them to ask them about the time.

I just hope we have not missed the chance.

Unknown said...

Best wishes to you and your family for Blessed Christmas.

I'm wondering if you'll find any of your Christmas list items under your tree? heh heh