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Frank Buckles in uniform [ca. 1918]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918; World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment; 122nd Prisoner of War Escort Casualty Detachment Demobilization Group
  • Location of Service: Philippines; United States; England; France; Germany
  • Highest Rank: Corporal
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/1070

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"It's best for anyone who's been in the military service if he's had some disagreeable experiences... to talk about it and get it out of his system and then forget it." (Audio Interview, 1:27.23)

An underage but eager recruit, Frank Buckles lied to a military recruiter to get into the Army, then pestered his officers to be shipped out to France. He drove motorcycles, cars, and ambulances in England and France, and during the Occupation, he guarded German prisoners. Buckles eventually went to work for the White Star steamship line and was in Manila on business in December 1941 when the Japanese attacked. He spent over three years as a prisoner at the city's University of Santo Tomas. His collection includes two interviews, given when he was 100 and 103 years old. As of May 2007, Buckles was still among a handful of surviving World War I veterans.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

Interview / Recording

Interview / Recording

Secondary Video Interview

Frank Woodruff Buckles Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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View 8 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Special Orders #264 [9/21/1919] ]

Show more resources (8)

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[ Enlistment record for Frank W. Buckles [notarized 5/18/1920] ]
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[ Special Orders No. 29 [9/29/1919] ]
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[ Honorable Discharge [11/13/1919] ]
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[ Appointment to Corporal [9/22/1919] ]
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[ Special Orders No. 253 [11/10/1919] ]
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[ Envelope with typed description of military papers kept in a safe deposit box ]
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[ Biographical information written by veteran ]
View 15 images in sequence.
[ Transcript of interview [12/19/2001] ]

About this Item

Title

  • Frank Woodruff Buckles Collection

Names

  • Buckles, Frank Woodruff
  • McMillen, Liz

Home State

  • West Virginia

Headings

  • -  Buckles, Frank Woodruff
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment; 122nd Prisoner of War Escort Casualty Detachment Demobilization Group
    • Location of Service: United States; England; France; Germany
    • Highest Rank: Corporal
    • Dates of Service: 1917-1919
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran lied about his age and joined the army at 16. He served as an ambulance driver. After the Armistice, Veteran was with a prisoner of war (POW) Escort company returning prisoners back to Germany.

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Location of Service: Philippines
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Military Status: civilian
    • Service History Note: The veteran was a prisoner of war (POW) as a civilian in the Philippines for a year in Santo Tomas and two years at Los Banos. He was traveling abroad for his shipping business at the time of his capture.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2008-03-06)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2001-12-19)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [7 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1919-1920)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2001-12-19)
  • Photograph: Mixed (Multiple types of photographs) [3 items] -- Photograph (collected 1917)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/1070

Cite as

  • Frank Woodruff Buckles Collection (AFC/2001/001/1070), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • online text
  • image
  • audio
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Buckles, Frank Woodruff, and Liz McMillen. Frank Woodruff Buckles Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01070/.

APA citation style:

Buckles, F. W. & McMillen, L. (1917) Frank Woodruff Buckles Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01070/.

MLA citation style:

Buckles, Frank Woodruff, and Liz McMillen. Frank Woodruff Buckles Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01070/>.