This is an incomplete list of the last surviving veterans of American wars. Exactly who is the last surviving veteran is often an issue of contention, especially with records from long-ago wars. The "last man standing" was often very young at the time of enlistment and in many cases had lied about his age to gain entry into the service, which confuses matters further.
The 761st Tank Battalion was an independent tank battalion of the United States Army during World War II. Its ranks primarily consisted of African American soldiers, who by War Department policy were not permitted to serve in the same units as White troops; the United States Armed Forces did not officially desegregate until after World War II. The 761st were known as the Black Panthers after their distinctive unit insignia, which featured a black panther's head, and the unit's motto was "Come out fighting". Decades after the war, the unit received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions. In addition, a large number of individual members also received medals, including one Medal of Honor, eleven Silver Stars and approximately 300 Purple Hearts.
Japanese holdouts were soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during the Pacific Theatre of World War II who continued fighting after the surrender of Japan at the end of the war. Japanese holdouts either doubted the veracity of the formal surrender, were not aware that the war had ended because communications had been cut off by Allied advances, feared they would be killed if they surrendered to the Allies, or felt bound by honor and loyalty to never surrender.
Desmond Thomas Doss was an American United States Army corporal who served as a combat medic with an infantry company in World War II. Due to his religious beliefs, he refused to carry a weapon.
The Sentinel & Enterprise is a morning daily newspaper published in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, with a satellite news bureau in Leominster, Massachusetts. The newspaper covers local news in Fitchburg, Leominster and several nearby towns in northern Worcester County and northwest Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It is owned by MediaNews Group of Colorado., which is owned by the hedge fund Alden Global Capital.
The Ritchie Boys were a special collection of soldiers, with sizable numbers of German-Austrian recruits, of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service officers and enlisted men of World War II who were used primarily for interrogation of prisoners on the front lines and counter-intelligence in Europe because of their knowledge of the German language and culture. Trained at secret Camp Ritchie in Washington County, Maryland, many of the total 22,000 service men and women were German-speaking immigrants to the United States, often Jews, who fled Nazi persecution. In addition to interrogation and counter-intelligence they were also trained in psychological warfare in order to study and demoralize the enemy, and served as prosecutors and translators in the Nuremberg trials.
Frank Woodruff Buckles was a United States Army corporal and the last surviving American military veteran of World War I. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 aged 16 and served with a detachment from Fort Riley, driving ambulances and motorcycles near the front lines in Europe.
John Andrew Barnes III was a soldier of the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Dak To.
Van Thomas Barfoot was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
William Kenzo Nakamura was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
Benigno de Guzman Tabora was a Filipino American veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. Tabora was one of the last of an increasingly dwindling group of veterans who survived the Bataan Death March in May 1942 after the Japanese captured the Philippines during World War II. He spent eight months as a prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp. Tabora served in the military intelligence during his 31 years in the Army.
The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center was created by the United States Congress in 2000 to collect and preserve the firsthand remembrances of U.S. wartime veterans. Its mandate ensures future generations may hear directly from those who served to better understand the realities of war. It is a special project of the American Folklife Center, a research center of the Library of Congress.
Aleda Ester Lutz was a United States Army flight nurse. She was the first American servicewoman to be killed in combat during World War II, and the first military woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, which she received posthumously. She is the second-highest decorated woman in the history of the U.S. military.
Jonna Doolittle Hoppes is an American author whose works include oral histories and biographies. The granddaughter of aviation pioneer and United States Air Force General, Jimmy Doolittle, she is a speaker and represents the Doolittle family at events throughout the world. Hoppes' works celebrate the veterans and civilians who defended their countries and document their stories that would otherwise be lost.
Garlin Murl Conner was a United States Army technical sergeant and first lieutenant in the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, four Silver Stars, and the French Croix de guerre for his heroic actions in Italy and France during the war. During his campaigns, he was wounded three times. An attempt to upgrade Conner's Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest decoration for valor, took 22 years. On 29 March 2018, the White House announced President Trump would award the Medal of Honor to Garlin Murl Conner in a ceremony at the White House. On 26 June 2018, the president presented the medal to Pauline Conner, his widow, in a ceremony in the East Room.
Melzar Hunt Mosman was an American sculptor who made a number of Civil War and Spanish–American War monuments in Massachusetts.
Roderick W. Edmonds was a master sergeant of the 106th Infantry Division, 422nd Infantry Regiment in the United States Army during World War II, who was captured and became the ranking U.S. non-commissioned officer at the Stalag IX-A prisoner-of-war camp in Germany, where—at the risk of his life—he saved an estimated 200–300 Jews from being singled out from the camp for Nazi persecution and possible death.
Kappa Lambda Chi Military Fraternity Inc. is an international non-collegiate service and professional fraternity. It caters exclusively to the military members of all branches. Today, Kappa Lambda Chi has more than 20 chapters in the continental United States and abroad.
Many Chinese Americans enlisted in the United States military or served in defense industries during World War II. It has been estimated that around 12,000 to 15,000 Chinese American men, representing up to 20 percent of the Chinese American male population, served during the Second World War. Although the majority of Chinese American servicemen fought in non-segregated units, all segregated units belonged to the 14th Air Service Group or the 987th Signal Company. Chinese American women also served, including two Women Airforce Service Pilots and countless other women in defense industries. Service in World War II played a large role in increasing social acceptance for Chinese Americans, and many Chinese American veterans were able to expedite their naturalization and bring their foreign-born wives and children to the United States.
