Over There, Forever: Queens Vets Mark Passing of Last 'Doughboy'

Former service members reacted with sadness at news of the passing of Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of what was to be "the war to end all wars."

Buckles, who according to the New York Times was a former ambulance driver during the war, died at his home in Charles Town, W. Va. at age 110.

"With the passing of America's last World War I veteran, the obligation to memorialize the heroism and sacrifices of those who fought for freedom in the Great War is now even stronger," said Assemblyman Rory Lancman, D-Hillcrest. 

A former member of New York’s 42nd Infantry Division, Lancman helped dedicate Memorial Knoll in Kissena Park — a site meant to commemorate the 65 Flushing residents who perished in the trenches of France.

Meanwhile, in Floral Park a veteran of another, more recent conflict also mourned the loss of a brother-in-arms.

"It was the last thread to that war, and now it’s gone," said Richard Mooney, a Vietnam War veteran and commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #5910 in Floral Park.

Buckles' passing had another somber significance for Mooney.

"Now we’re looking at World War II vets dying at the rate of 1,000 a day," he said. "One day they too will be gone."

Mooney noted that today's WWII vets are, on average, in their mid-80s, with service members fighting in the Korean War not far behind in their mid-70s. 

As for Mooney's comrades in Vietnam, the conflict zone where he served a tour with the U.S. Marine Corps, they are mostly in there 60s, he said.

"No matter what happens, there's one thing I can guarantee," Mooney concluded. "We'll keep our doors open until the last man is standing."