The nation's last living World War I veteran has died. A family spokesman says 110-year old Frank Buckles died early Sunday of natural causes at his home in Charles Town, WV. Buckles was 16 when he lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Army and headed to Europe to fight in the Great War. He did not serve in combat, but spent his time as a driver and warehouse clerk in England and France. Buckles had celebrated his 110th birthday on February 1st.  He's become active with his notoriety as the last living American vet of the conflict and had pushed for a memorial in Washington to honor those who served in World War I.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA - Frank Woodruff Buckles, renowned locally and across the nation as the last surviving American World War I veteran, passed away Sunday at the age of 110, family spokesman David DeJonge confirmed to The Journal late Sunday night. Buckles passed away of natural causes around 12:30 a.m. Details for services will be announced later this week, and DeJonge said there is a possibility that Buckles will lie in state, depending on government arrangements.

"We would just like to see the United States honor Mr. Buckles in the best way possible to demonstrate to the entire world true American patriotism," he said. Buckles enlisted on Aug. 14, 1917, when he was 16 years old, after fibbing about his age to an Army recruiter. He served two years overseas during WWI, in England and France. He worked as an ambulance driver, and after Armistice Day he was assigned to a prisoner-of-war escort company to help return prisoners back to Germany. Buckles returned to the United States in 1920 as a corporal.

Years later, he was captured as a prisoner of war at the beginning of World War II, when he was working as a civilian for a shipping company in the Philippines. He spent more than three years in Japanese prison camps in Santo Tomas and Los Banos, and this past Wednesday marked 66 years since Buckles' rescue. After recovering and returning to the U.S., he met and married his wife, Audrey, in California. They lived in San Francisco for a few years, before they bought Gap View Farm near Charles Town in January 1954 and had their daughter in 1955.

The veteran was recognized many times during his long life. One of his most significant awards came from former French President Jacques Chirac in 1999 at the French Embassy in Washington, when Buckles received the French Legion of Honor pin and spoke to Chirac in French. Buckles met with President George W. Bush and top Pentagon officials in March 2008, and he received the Distinguished West Virginian Award from then-Gov. Joe Manchin in August 2007. He is survived by his daughter, Susannah Buckles Flanagan, and her husband. His family asks that donations be made to the National World War One Legacy Project to honor Buckles and the 4,734,991 Americans that he served with during WWI. The project is managed by the nonprofit Survivor Quest and will educate students about Buckles and WWI through a documentary, a bronze statue and a traveling educational exhibition. Details can be found at www.frankbuckles.org.