Robley Henry Rex (May 2, 1901 – April 28, 2009) was a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

-era veteran and was, at the age of 107, one of two remaining U.S. veterans related to the First World War. Rex was born in

Hopkinsville, Kentucky Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 31,577. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 b ...

and enlisted in the military in May, 1919, six months after the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

date. He was the last Kentucky World War I era veteran, and the last known World War I era veteran of the United States. He served in the Intelligence Unit. He enlisted in the 5th Infantry Division and later served in the 28th Infantry Division. He trained at

Camp Zachary Taylor Camp Zachary Taylor was a military training camp in Louisville, Kentucky. It opened in 1917, to train soldiers for U.S. involvement in World War I, and was closed three years later. It was initially commanded by Guy Carleton and after the war it ...

, Kentucky, and

Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, th ...

, Maryland, before he was deployed to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, where there was still a strong military presence, in order to restabilize Europe post-war. While overseas he served in

Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the '' Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing villa ...

, and

Coblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its nam ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. After being discharged from the Army with the rank of Private First Class in August 1922, Rex returned to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

, where he became a postal worker and an ordained Methodist minister. Rex met his future wife Gracie at Louisville's

Camp Taylor Camp Taylor is a neighborhood and former military base six miles southeast of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. First announced on June 11, 1917 it was originally a military camp named for former president Zachary Taylor. For a tim ...

before he was sent to Europe. They married in 1922 but never had children. She died in 1992. In 1986, Rex turned to volunteerism, lending support to fellow veterans at the Louisville Veteran's Administration Medical Center. Rex logged more than 14,000 hours of volunteer time while at the Center. He continued to volunteer there three days a week, even at age 105. For his 107th birthday, Rex was presented the Kentucky Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. He was also honored in 2005 by the national Veterans of Foreign Wars as National Volunteer of the Year. Rex died at the Louisville V.A. Medical Center, four days before his 108th birthday. His family requested a private funeral. He was buried on May 6, 2009 at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. The Louisville V.A. Medical Center was renamed the Robley Rex V.A. Medical Center in his honor in April 2010. Upon Rex's death,

Frank Buckles Frank Woodruff Buckles (born Wood Buckles, February 1, 1901February 27, 2011) was a United States Army Corporal#United States, corporal and the List of last surviving World War I veterans, last surviving American soldier, military veteran of Worl ...

(who had actually served in World War I prior to the armistice) became the last surviving

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

-era veteran.

References

External links

The Times Leader Online report on Robley Rex's death

Robley Henry Rex Collection
(AFC/2001/001/63835), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress {{DEFAULTSORT:Rex, Robley 1901 births 2009 deaths American centenarians Men centenarians People from Hopkinsville, Kentucky Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky United States Army soldiers American Methodist clergy 20th-century American clergy

See also

References

External links