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NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE NEW LONDON, Conn., Nov. 9, 2011 – Navy Lt.
Robert Buckles, assigned to the Naval Submarine Learning Center
here, was inspired to serve by the heroism of his uncle who died in
Vietnam. But Buckles' lineage with the military includes many family
members, dating to the nation's beginning, and including Frank W.
Buckles, the last living American World War I veteran.
Navy Lt. Robert Buckles, assigned to Naval Submarine Learning
Center, Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn., poses with his
family after returning from a deployment while assigned to the USS
Miami in 2009. Pictured with Buckles (left to right), are his son,
Charlie; his daughter, Grace; and wife, Katrina. Courtesy photo
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"I'm honored to share the name of another very important person in
my family's linage, Robert Buckles, who was the first descendant to
arrive in America," said Buckles, who entered the U.S. Navy just
before his 19th birthday. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here
today."
Buckles said members of his family had conducted
genealogy research going back nearly 300 years when his ancestors
first arrived in the United States.
Robert Buckles, son of a
wealthy English landlord, left England in 1719 on a ship headed for
America.
"The crew barreled him up in a hogshead of sand, and
put him in the hold of the ship,” Buckles said. “When officers came
on board and searched the ship, turning over the barrel on the top
of the one in which young Robert was concealed, they declared no one
could be further down that barrel and deemed the ship safe to sail.” |
Buckle's early American ancestors would later settle in
Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and further
west.
Looking through the report on Buckles' linage, he said, a
calling for service is interwoven like the red, white and
blue colors of the U.S. flag. Buckles said his relatives
served in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I
and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and present-day
conflicts.
Buckles said his interest in serving in
the Navy stemmed from the service of his uncle, Army Capt.
Richard L. Buckles, who was killed in the Vietnam War in
1969.
"He was on his second tour and earned the
Silver Star and Purple Heart for his action. He was a 1st
Infantry company commander and was fatally wounded while
coming to the aid of one of his wounded soldiers," Buckles
said.
Another ancestor, Frank W. Buckles, entered the
service at age 16, enlisting in the Army on Aug. 14, 1917,
after lying to several recruiters about his age. He died at
his West Virginia farm in February, and was honored by
President Barack Obama and senior Defense Department
leaders.
Milton Abraham Buckles fought in the Civil
War. Through his diaries, the Buckles and his family were
able to learn about Milton's service to the nation.
"We have high hopes of seeing home, and the loved ones who
have so long patiently endured trial and hardship for ours
and their country's sake,” Milton Buckles wrote in his diary
on Feb. 15, 1865, with six months remaining in his
enlistment.
“We have endured and suffered much during
the time we have been in the war,” Buckle's diary continued,
“but no man now regrets what has passed, but all are glad to
have done something for their country."
Milton
Buckles' diary reflections from nearly a century-and-a-half
ago are reflective of the patriotism and selfless service
demonstrated by today's sailors, soldiers, airmen and
Marines serving our country, Buckles said.
Veterans
Day began as Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I,
when the main hostilities were silenced at the 11th hour of
the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Congress modified
the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day on Nov. 8, 1954.
By Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg
Submarine Group Two Public
Affairs
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2011
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