109 year old talks about service branch

In today's Parade magazine, 109-year-old Frank Buckles talks about the need to create a National World War I Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Buckles, who lied about his age to enter the U.S. Army in 1917, is the last living American veteran of WWI, known as Doughboys. He was 16 years old when he went to war in France.

"I know that I am a representative of all those who have gone before me. Those veterans, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice, should be remembered," said Buckles in the May 30, 2010, edition of Parade.

Actually, according to the magazine, there already is a memorial for fallen soldiers of WWI from the District of Columbia as well as the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., site of the National WWI Museum.

103 year old Going Strong in Pennsylvania

For the past couple of weeks, Gloria Copeland has been doing a series on people who've lived long lives. It's part of a broadcast and print teachings called Live Long, Live Strong.

Her examples of biblical, historical, and modern-day people who have lived long and prosperous lives of good health fit right in with a story found at www.bvblackspin.com that ran May 23.

The story, reported by Jeff May, details the life of Gladys Flamer of Coatesville, Pa., who is 103 years old and looking to celebrate another birthday in June.

By JEFF MAYS

If I'm blessed enough to live past my tenth decade on this planet, then 103-year-old Gladys Flamer is going to be my blueprint for how to behave after I pass the century mark.

Everyone in Coatesville, Pa. knows Flamer by her 1979 two-tone red and white Cadillac Coupe de Ville. She has remained active in her community, attending church every Sunday, making it to every council meeting, and serving as the treasurer of a local club. She recently retired as a judge of elections.

"Everybody knows the lady who drives this car," Flamer told the Philadelphia Daily News as her car slowly rolled to a stop sign in downtown Coatesville. "It's just like me. It's wearing out, but it's still going."

See Gladys Flamer and read the rest of her story at www.bvblackspin.com

Lottie Lynd Becomes Centenarian

OCEAN SPRINGS -- May 15 was a day of celebration for residents at Ocean Springs Nursing Home, who helped family and friends honor centenarian Lottie Lynd.

One of 10 children, Lynd was born 1910 to Newton Broadnax and Clara Cheshire Broadnax in Bastrop, La. She is the last surviving sibling.

Lynd has lived at the nursing home for three years, among the years she has lived in South Mississippi after relocating here at age 14. She married Earnest Lynd in 1926 and lived in Biloxi until 1941 when the family moved to Ocean Springs. The couple was married 69 years when Earnest Lynd passed away.

Known as Mrs. Lottie, she has a daughter and son, Louise Murphy and Jerry Lynd, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, and several nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Lynd was born the same year that the Boy Scouts on Feb. 8 and Camp Fire Girls on Nov. 10 were founded, the year Mark Twain died on April 21, Mother Theresa was born Aug. 26 as well as Bonnie Parker on Oct. 1.

As well, Great Fire of 1910 that started near Elk City, Idaho. The fire killed 85 people, burned an estimated 1.2 million acres, destroyed several small towns and about half of Wallace, Idaho, leaving thousands without homes and businesses. The raging blaze burn Aug. 20 and Aug. 21.

Ocean Springs Nursing Home is part of the Gulf Coast Health Care.

Information for this article was obtained from www.gulflive.com/themississippipress on May 20, 2010, and other sources.