Last American WWI vet buried at Arlington

ARLINGTON, Virginia - The last American veteran of World War I is being buried with full military honors at the prestigious Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington, D.C.

Frank Buckles, who died last month at his West Virginia home at the age of 110, was scheduled to be interred Tuesday afternoon. He will lie in repose at the cemetery's memorial amphitheater before the burial.

President Barack Obama made an unscheduled stop at the cemetery to honor the veteran. Vice President Joe Biden also stopped by to pay his respects.

Buckles enlisted in the Army at 16 after lying about his age, convincing an Army captain that he was 18.

Fight To Remember WWI Veterans
Buckles Honored in 2008

Buckles' daughter had wanted her father to lie in repose in the U.S. Capitol, but Congress failed to approve that plan.

Before his death, Buckles had been advocating for a national memorial honoring veterans of the Great War in the nation's capital and asked about its progress weekly.

Buckles, who also survived being a civilian POW in the Philippines in World War II, died of natural causes last month at his home in Charles Town.

He served in England and France, working mainly as a driver and a warehouse clerk. An eager student of culture and language, he used his off-duty hours to learn German, visit cathedrals, museums and tombs, and bicycle in the French countryside.

Buckles never saw combat but joked, "Didn't I make every effort?"