VA Search for Last "Doughboys" of WWI

With the passing of World War I (WWI) Yeoman (F) Charlotte Winters–the last woman veteran of this era–the number of known surviving WWI veterans now numbers four. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs your help in determining if there are any other World War I veterans still living.

The four known living WWI veterans are John Babcock, 102, Puget Sound, WA; Frank Buckles, 106, Charles Town, WV; Russell Coffey, 108, N. Baltimore, OH; and Harry Landis, 107, Sun City Center, FL. Mr. Babcock is an American who served in the Canadian Army and the other three were members of the US Army.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson said that VA usually knows the identity and location of veterans only after they come to the Department for benefits. None of the four surviving veterans have ever been on the VA benefits rolls, so the Department wants to determine if there are others. Secretary Nicholson is asking members of the public who know a surviving WWI veteran to contact VA. To qualify, veterans must have served on Active Duty between April 6, 1917 and Nov. 11, 1918. In addition, VA is looking for Americans who served in the armed forces of allied nations. Information about surviving WWI veterans may be e-mailed to ww1@va.gov; faxed to 202-273-6702 or mailed to the Office of Public Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs (80), 810 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20420.