The last known American veteran of World War I died Sunday at his home in West Virginia. Former U.S. Army Corporal Frank Buckles was 110 years old. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al Pessin had the chance to speak to Mr. Buckles several years ago and filed this remembrance.
美国最后一位第一次世界大战退伍军人、前陆军下士弗兰克·巴克尔斯2月27号在西维吉尼亚州他的家中去世，享年110岁。记者几年前曾经采访过这位一战老兵。
"I did not lie [LAUGHTER]. Nobody calls me a liar! [LAUGHTER]”
巴克尔斯当时对记者说：“我没有骗你，没人说我是骗子。”
Mr. Buckles had us laughing that day in March of 2008, when he came to the Pentagon for the unveiling of a set of new portraits of himself and other World War I veterans. He admitted he exaggerated his age, twice, in order to join the Army in 1917, when he was just 15 years old. But with a wink he said that did not make him a liar.
2008年3月，当巴克尔斯到国防部为他自己的和其他一次世界大战老兵的肖像揭幕时，一度惹起哄堂大笑。他承认，1917年，他15岁，但为了参军，他两次虚报年龄。他对记者挤了挤眼说，那不算说谎。
“I had added some years onto my age and was 18. He [the recruiter] said, ‘Sorry, but you have to be 21.’ So I came back later and I had aged. I was 21. [LAUGHTER]”
他说：“我在我的岁数上加了几年，说我18岁了。征兵的人说，‘抱歉，你必须是21岁’。我后来又去了一次，再虚报几年，就成了21岁。”
And he was still lying about his age, just a little bit.
虽然差得不太大，他毕竟是谎报了年龄。
“I do not feel that I am any older than you are,” said Buckles.
他对记者们说：“我不觉得我比你们老多少。”
In fact, he was more than twice as old as any of the Pentagon reporters who interviewed him that day.
其实，他比那天每个采访他的记者，都年长一倍以上。
On Monday, anonymous Pentagon workers put white roses and a handwritten note on his portrait. The note reads, "Thank you for your service to our country. May you and your generation rest in peace."
2月28号，一位没有具名的国防部工作人员将一束白玫瑰和一张手写短笺放置在他的像片前。短笺上写着：“感谢你为我们国家所做的奉献。愿你和你同时期的战友安息。”
Three years ago, Buckles captivated the crowd from his wheelchair in the Pentagon auditorium, as speakers, including U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, offered their praise and thanks.
3年前，在国防部礼堂里，当盖茨国防部长和其他发言者表达他们的赞扬和感谢时，坐在轮椅上的巴克尔斯吸引了在场所有人的目光。
“We cherish the memory of those who have passed away," said Gates. "We cherish the chance to say thank you in person to Corporal Frank Buckles. We will always be grateful for what they did for their country 90 years ago, and feel glad, too, for the longevity that they enjoyed on this earth.”
盖茨部长说：“我们珍惜对逝者的怀念。我们珍惜当面向巴克尔斯下士说声谢谢的机会。我们永远对90年前他们为我们国家所做的一切心存感激，并且为他们的长寿感到欣慰。”
Buckles also was welcomed at the White House that week, by then-president George W. Bush.
“It has been my high honor to welcome Mr. Buckles, and his daughter, Susannah, here to the Oval Office," said Bush. "Mr. Buckles has a vivid recollection of historic times. And one way for me to honor the service of those who wear the uniform in the past and those who wear it today is to herald you, sir, and to thank you very much for your patriotism and your love for America.”
Buckles wanted to serve when World War I broke out, and his lie to the recruiter made it possible. Shortly afterward, at age 16, he deployed to Europe as an ambulance driver. He saw the horror of war close up, ferrying the wounded from the trenches to primitive field hospitals. Later, he drove German prisoners back to Germany.
第一次世界大战爆发时，巴克尔斯为参军报国，向征兵人虚报了年龄。没过多久，在16岁那年，他被派往欧洲战场，担任救护车驾驶，零距离目睹了战争的恐怖。他负责把伤员从战壕里运送到简陋的野战医院。后来，他把德军俘虏送回德国。
Buckles left the army in 1920 and years later he went to work for a shipping company in the Philippines. When World War II broke out, he and other Americans there were put in prison camps by the occupying Japanese forces. Although he was not a soldier at that time, he spent more than three years in the notorious Los Baňos prison. The cup he ate out of for all that time is in the background of his 2008 portrait, which now hangs with eight others along one of the Pentagon’s many corridors.
1920年，巴克尔斯退伍。几年之后，他到菲律宾一家船运公司工作。第二次世界大战爆发时，他和当地的其他美国人被日本占领军关入战俘营。虽然他已经不是军人了，但还是在臭名昭彰的洛斯巴诺斯监狱被关押了3年多。在2008年巴克尔斯的照片上可以看到他那几年吃饭用的杯子。巴克尔斯和其他8名老战士的照片悬挂在五角大楼的一条走廊里。
In a statement issued Monday, President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle praised Buckles, saying he continued to serve America until his death, as the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation. The Obamas said they join the Buckles family “in celebrating a remarkable life that reminds us of the true meaning of patriotism and our obligations to each other as Americans.”
奥巴马总统2月28日发表声明，他和第一夫人赞扬巴克尔斯作为一战纪念基金会名誉会长，为美国服务到生命的最后一刻。奥巴马夫妇说，他们和巴克尔斯的家人一起“纪念他杰出的一生，他让我们记得爱国主义的真谛和作为美国人，我们对彼此承担的责任”。
In one sense, Frank Buckles was not much different from millions of other World War One veterans. With his enthusiasm to serve and his longevity, however, it certainly was possible to say about him what he said about that Pentagon ceremony three years ago.
“Really, it was remarkable. I enjoyed every minute of it here.” |