PAGE
A4
Advocate
Wednesday, February 22, 201.2
A year gone, Frank
Buckles' work for a
WWI Memorial goes on
Josh Meltzer
It's been nearly a year since
the death of Frank" Woodruff
Buckles. who balanced a quiet
life on his 330-acre cattle farm
in Charles Town with worldwide
attention as the United States' fi-
nal World War I veteran.
The Missouri native had
turned 110 just weeks before
he quietly passed away Feb. 27,
2011, at his Gap View Farm.
Just this month, the very last
of those involved in WWI left
us. The person believed to be
the war's final surviving vet -
Britain's Florence Green. who
worked as a waitress in the of-
ricers' mess hall as a member
of the Royal Air Force
in the final days of the
conflict - died Feb. 4.
just 15 days before she
would have marked her
11 lth birthday.
For Buckles, his in-
credible long life and ro-
bust health always took
second place to an hon-
or deserving of even more trib-
ute: here in the United States, he
was the last of his kind, this great
nation's final doughboy, the last
living soldier sent by the U.S.
to help fight the War to End All
Wars.
I first learned of the man
in 2004 as a new reporter to
the area. Long a student of the
Great War, I filed it away in
my mental Rolodex that here
in the Eastern Panhandle lived
one of a select fraternity, a
dwindling number. I recall
hoping I'd have the chance to
meet him, perhaps to talk to
him awhile.
When I learned he had been
an ambulance driver during the
war, I wondered if he'd ever
read poet Robert W. Service's
collection. "Rhymes of a Red
Cross Man."
From "Young Fellow My Lad":
"' Where are you going,
Young Fellow, My Lad,
On this glittering morn of May?
"I'm going to join the colours,
Dad:
They're looking for men,
they say. '"
"But you're only a boy,
Young Fellow, My Lad;
You aren't obliged to go."
"I'm seventeen and a
quarter, Dad,
And ever so strong, you know."
Buckles-was just 16 when
he enlisted. He apparently dis-
liked news accounts report-
ing that he'd lied to recruiters
about his age. A Washington
Post story published after his
death used the word "bluffed"
to describe his prevarication. I
liked that.
It was 2009 when I finally
got my wish to meet the man.
I'd been asked to go to Buck-
les' house where students from
Creekwood Middle School in
Kingwood, Texas, had arrived
to present him with a check
for $13,553.83 to help remake
..........
Robert Snyder
as a national memorial the di-
lapidated D.C. War;Memori-
al, a bandstand put up in 1931
by the District of Columbia to
honor the 499 city residents
who perished in World War I.
On that March day, before
Buckles was brought out to meet
the young Texans, a handful of
reporters were given a few min-
utes to bend his ear.
! recall extending my hand and
he took it. I recall the sound of
his voice, a low rumble in a qui-
et room peopled by a half dozen
others straining to hear but also
to be heard, to be seen, to be ac-
knowledged by someone who
we knew to be a living,
breathing memento of
history.
A photograph from
1917 shows Buckles
the doughboy, his jaw"
set square against the
Guns of August, so
wanting to go to war,
but it's the photograph
from that March 8 edithon of The
Joumal that serves as my recol-
lection of the man, small and
frail, a black beret atop his with-
ered head, a scarf around his
neck, his gnarled hand holding
that of 13-year-old Seth Whitt.
Buckles in 2008 had become
the honorary chairman of the
World War I Memorial Founda-
tion, and it seemed to me then
this effort to remake that old ne-
glected bandstand into a national
memorial honoring all the veter-
ans of this little-understood war,
the first wherein which the scale
of the weaponry had outmatched
the scale of the men waging it.
couldn't have found a better foot
soldier.
The day before Veterans Day
in 2010, Buckles took his cause
before Congress, becoming the
Oldest person ever to testify be-
fore the body.
"We still do not have a na-
tional memorial in Washington,
D.C., to honor the Americans
who sacrificed with their lives
during World War I," Buckles
told lawmakers. "I call upon the
American people and the world
to help me in asking our elected
officials to pass the law for a me-
morial to World War I in our na-
tion's capital.
"These are difficult times, and
we are not asking for anything
elaborate. What is fitting and
right is a memorial that can take
its place among those commem-
orating the other great conflicts
of the past century."
Buckles would have been
. pleased with the Nov. 10, 2011,
ceremony that gave the public its
first official look at the seclud-
ed bandstand's completed resto-
ration. But more work remains,
explains Edwin Fountain, one of
the directors of the WWI. Memo-
rial project.
"Frank Buckles felt very
• See BUCKLES page A5
Spirit of JEFFERSON and FARMER'S ADVOCATE
XoXo
Ministry, politics and networking
Ministry that ignores politics
does so at its peril. We are in an
age where character assassina-
tion replaces honest debate. In-
stead of de-
bating poli-
cy and look-
ing to serve
citizens of
our country,
there is a ter-
rible void of
ideas. The Virginia
danger of Lynch Graf
politics like this robs people of
their future. Is there a connec-
tion to our ministries? I believe
there is. No matter how you
serve, be it as chaplain, teacher,
artist, writer• educator, healer,
faith leader or marriage coun-
selor, your voice is both need-
ed and expected: Character as-
sassination does not just de-
stroy political candidates and
incumbents, it also obliterates
the concept that we are a peo-
ple who are concerned about
the well being of each other.
A clear example of this can
be seen by the vicious attacks
on President Obama. He has
been compared to Hider, called
an illegitimate president, a se-
cret Muslim, a liar, an elitist, a
dictator, socialist, an appeaser.
The positive achievements of
the Affordable Health Care Act
get totally missed. How many
West Virginia citizens know
that they now have a guaran-
tee that insurance companies
can't dump them or their chil-
dren because of existing ill-
ness? In West Virginia, 17.900
uninsured young people can re-
main on their parents health in-
surance until the age of 26, a
good step during a time of high
unemployment. How many
people know that 85 percent of
insurance premiums must be
turned back into health care ser-
vices, not profits?
Character assassination re-
duced knowledge about the
good things health care reform
did accomplish. Using the term
"Obamacare" is a way to under-
mine and disparage that which
provides 379,500 West Virgin-
ians with preventive health ser-
vices, and qualifies 21.200 small
businesses with a premium tax
credit to provide health care cov-
erage for their employees.
Why is it that science about
climate change is still being de-
nied?
The fossil fuel industry suc-
cessfully used the media to
broadcast a steady stream of mis-
information: "science is open to
debate, science contradicts faith,
God provided fossil fuels for hu-
mans to use, and everything is in
God's hands making humans ab-
solved from responsibility."
In this case, science was pitted
against religion, which placed
religious Americans in a fearful
position.
One of the most ardent mes-
sengers for saving our planet was
A1 Gore. And so, presenting A1
Gore as a babbling buffoon was
a way to diminish the messenger
and the message.
Another example of blatant.
dismissal and character assassi-
nation has been directed at the
members of the Occupy move-
ment. Politicians, supported by
the Wall Street barons, have la-
beled those who stand for eco-
nomic change as lazy drug deal-
ing hippies, radicals, poor and
envious, societal misfits, and un-
cultured unbathed scum. Many
Americans have accepted the
language and allowed those who
would stand up to oligarchs to
be dismissed along with their at-
tempt at reform. Economic re-
form is essential if we are to re-
main a nation of, for, and by the
people.
Lastly, in state after state, la-
bor unions are under attack. It
was the labor unions that pro-
tected laborers and children from
unsafe and unfair working condi-
tions. It was the labor movement
that created a middle class.
What prompts politics to use
character assassination? Mon-
ey, power and silence. Minis-
ters who don't speak to injustice
are failing those they claim to
serve. Who can stand silent when
Americans are deprived of qual-
ity health care? Who can stand
silent when pollution causes un-
told numbers of asthma cases
and destroys the very air and wa-
ter all life requires? What minis-
ter does not find the time to de-
mand health care as a right, speak
up for economic justice or stand
with labor unions in the face of
suppression?
Politics and ministry both
claim service to people. Politics
and ministry can help improve
the quality of life. Networking
with other ministers may achieve
more effective service. Network-
ing among ministers may help
make up for unknown facts, or
lay the groundwork to stop false
attacks on brothers and sisters. It
would seem to me that establish-
ing a community of ministers
searching for ways to utilize the
gifts of each other can only im-
prove the quality of the service
they offer•
--Virginia Lynch Graf writes
from Jefferson County
Taxing time
indeed
It's getting to be tax season
and since mine are sure to be a
mess this year what with loving
my full-time employer and hav-
ing freelance jobs where nothing
was taken out, not to mention oth-
er quirks in my life, I decided to
start collecting the paperwork my
accountant will need.
A big help to me last year was
when the medical insurance peo-
pie sent out a
handy-dandy
paper printout
listing my doc-
tor visits for
the year and
what they paid
and what I had
to pony up. Nancy Luse
Not receiving
a similar list this year, I called the
insurance people to see what was
up, naturally landing in the outer
ring of voice mail hell I punched
in the series of required policy
identification numbers and date
of birth, happy when they said it
would be-a two-minute wait time
for the next representative.
Sure enough, a cheerfifl woman
came on the line in the promised
time to tell me that they stopped
mailing out the list to save paper
and postage and I could instead
find it online.
"Umm" I replied. "Not to be
mean, but the site is not all that us-
er-friendly and I don't think I've
ever successfully reached my in-
formation. Plus, I've forgotten my
password?'
"Oh, I hear you. I don't even
have Intemet at my house," she
said sympathetically. "But how
about we reset your password and
get you stroll?"
I bounded upstairs to my study,
phone in hand, and got on the
computer. Woosh, incoming
email soon brought my new pass-
word and I went to town with the
• jumble of upper- and lowercase
letters and one numeral. The sec-
ond page of the process popped
up and wanted to know the town
where I was born and the name of
my first elementary school.
Tap, tap, tap, I hit enter. Scream-
ing red letters told me I was wrong.
Are you kidding me? I cettainly
know where I was born. I called
back on the tech support number,
entered my policy identification
number and birth date. "Your call
is very important to us,please stay
on the line. Wait time for the next
available representative is 11 min-
utes."
While I was on hold I fiddled
around on the site and was able to
• See LUSE page A5
'Fat possum' provision unlikely for Tomblin
At last count, more than six
dozen proposed amendments to
the West Virginia Constitution
have been
introduced Onderthe Dome
at this leg-
islative ses-
sion includ-
ing the usual
suspects like
higher home-
stead exemp-
tions on prop-
erty taxes
and a ban on
Tom Miller
same-sex marriages in this state.
But the one commanding the
most attention this year is the
• issue of whether this state needs
an elected lieutenant governor
who automatically moves up to
the job of governor if the elect-
ed chief executive dies, resigns
or is otherwise unable to contin-
ue in that job.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has
submitted his recommendation
to lawmakers and last week it
emerged from the House Con-
stitutional Revision Committee.
But not before a "fat possum" he
had inserted in the amendment
was removed. It was the addi-
tion of "four-year" to the para-
graph in the Constitution relat-
ed to eligibility that would have
paved the way for Tomblin-to
run for a third term in 2016.
The current Constitution states
that anyone who has served as
governor during "all or any part
of two consecutive terms" shall
be ineligible. Tomblin's recom-
mended amendment would have
changed that to read "all or any
part of two consecutive four-
year terms." This would mean he
could run and be elected to serve
another four-year term beginning
in 2017 if he wins this year's
election.
Since he ran for an unexpired
term of slightly more than one
year in 2010 and won, a success-
ful campaign for his first four-
year as governor in this year's
November election would mean
he would have to step aside in
2017. At that point he will have
served "all or any part of two
consecutive four-year terms."
Unfortunately, a final legisl/-
five decision on a possible con-
stitutional change to benefit the
current governor doesn't seem
likely to come this year. It's
not even certain the House of
Delegates will have the neces-
sary two-thirds majority of 67
votes needed to give its approv-
al for placing this constitutional
amendment issue on the Novem-
ber statewide ballot.
But if the proposal in its present
form does clear the House, it still
faces almost certain death in the
Senate where both President Jeff
Kessler, D-Marshall, and Major-
ity Leader John Unger have in-
dicated they see no need for this
amendment. Kessler's position is
understandable. He is the current
lieutenant governor by virtue of
his position as Senate president.
Even those in the Senate Who
would if given a chance --
vote to put this on the ballot
don't believe it would receive a
simple majority vote, let alone
the two-thirds super majority re-
quired for all proposed constitu-
tional amendments.
But if the governor wins elec-
tion to a full, four-year term in
November, he'll have an oppor-
tunity to pursue this constitution-
al change during that term and
perhaps get it on the ballot at the
2014 general election.
Meanwhile, once again well-
intentioned legislators are try-
ing to increase the state's tax on
cigarettes and smokeless tobacco
for a dual purpose needed new
revenues for the state's operating
budget and better health for its
citizens. But SB586 that could
generate as much as $120 million
a year in new tax collections was
almost certainly dead on arrival
in the legislative halls last week.
This idea has been run up the
flagpole before with no success.
It would nearly triple the present
• See MILLER page A5
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