Here’s an excerpt from an article titled “One of the last” that was published in yesterday’s edition of the Grand Forks Herald.

At age 106, [Frank] Buckles is believed to be one of only three living American veterans of World War I, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“For many years, I would read the figures in The Torch (a veterans magazine) in two columns - one was the number of 4.7 million-something veterans who served, and the other, which kept going down, was the number of us that were still alive,” Buckles said in an interview earlier this year. “I knew one day it would come to this. But I didn’t think I would be one of the few still around to talk about it.”

Buckles is the youngest of the three known living U.S. World War I veterans. When interviewed earlier this year, his voice was raspy, he had difficulty walking and he needed help getting dressed each morning. But his mind was keen, and the memories of his two years in Europe during the war remained clear.

In May, Frank Buckles served as a marshal for the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., sharing the starring role with actor Gary Sinise. White House officials also had offered to give Buckles a tour on Memorial Day, but his doctor advised that the parade was more than enough excitement for one day.

Buckles said he doesn’t mind all the attention. It’s a salute to his generation, and he just happens to be the only one of his contemporaries available to take a bow. But he said he is a bit concerned over whether he is the right guy for the parade.

“What are you supposed to do when you lead a parade?” Buckles asked.

Besides Buckles, the VA has identified the only other living World War I veterans as Harry Landis, a 107-year-old living in Sun City Center, Fla., and Russell Coffey, a 109-year-old in North Baltimore, Ohio.