Race Against Time To Remember WWI Vets
Once they stood 4.7 million strong. But now, there is only one American World War I veteran alive - a relic of a war little remembered today. But a photographer is fighting to keep their memories alive.
Frank Buckles enlisted when he was only 15. Now, at age 107, he is the last dough boy, the only known living American-born veteran of World War I.
"The feeling that I had, when I first came back, was that the public was not interested, because no one ever asked me a question," Buckles told the Early Show.
Photographer David DeJonge wants the world to remember veterans of the first world war. He has spent the past year and a half in a race against time to immortalize Buckles and the 11 remaining American World War I veterans.
"It was the first war that brought us into a global conflict, more people died than in Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. There was a massive amount of death but for some reason is not talked about. I call it the forgotten generation," DeJonge said.
DeJonge made it to nine. Some passed shortly after his visit.
Two months ago, the photographs became a permanent exhibit at the Pentagon. Now, Dejonge is working to create a traveling exhibit.
His next mission is to establish a national monument to World War I veterans.
"We've got the D.C. War Memorial which is for the residents of Washington DC and vicinity," he said. "It's crumbling, falling apart, the sidewalks are impassible. Things are oozing out of the pillars. Nobody is taking care of it."
He is raising money to restore the monument and turn it into a national memorial.
So far he has not been able to garner any political support, but he says he's not discouraged.
Meanwhile, he's expanding his photography project to include all surviving World War I veterans. Next month, he's heading to in England. He hopes to make it to Australia to complete the photography project.
To contact David DeJonge about the project to build the first World War I memorial, email your message to david@dejongestudio.com