Story in the NYT:
He didn't seek the spotlight, but when Frank Buckles outlived every other American who'd served in World War I, he became what his biographer called "the humble patriot" and final torchbearer for the memory of that fading conflict.
Buckles enlisted in World War I at 16 after lying about his age. He died Sunday on his farm in Charles Town, nearly a month after his 110th birthday. He had devoted the last years of his life to campaigning for greater recognition for his former comrades, prodding politicians to support a national memorial in Washington and working with friend and family spokesman David DeJonge on a biography.
This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. In 2301, when we begin discussing public opinion, we will discuss the concept of a poltiical generation and the idea that certain ideas that drive democratic politics are unique to a particular group of individuals born at the same time - roughly - and are exposed to the same experiences. These ideas can die with that generation once they are all gone.
With Mr. Buckle's death, there is no living memory of WWI in the US any more. Its all textbook info from here on out. The same - of course - happened with the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and every other turning point in American history.
