Last World War I Combat Vet Dies at 110 Years Old

Touching story, it reads like a walk through a 100-year time zone...

Interesting points:

--He was abandoned by his mother at age 5;

--Later in life he became anti-war & refused to participate in any celebration of war;

--Also late in life, at the insistance of family, he took a writing course & wrote his memoirs.

--Neat guy!

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Last World War I combat vet dies in Australia

Posted 5/5/11, 10:01 AM:

SYDNEY (AP) - The last known combat veteran of World War I was defiant of the tolls of time, a centenarian who swam in the sea, twirled across dance floors, and published his first book at 108. He also refused to submit to his place in history, becoming a pacifist who wouldn't march in parades commemorating wars like the one that made him famous. Claude Stanley Choules, a man of contradictions, humble spirit and wry humor, died in a Western Australia nursing home Thursday (5/4/11) at age 110. And though his accomplishments were many - including a 41-year military career that spanned two world wars - the man known as "Chuckles" to his comrades in the Australian Navy was happiest being known as a dedicated family man.

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