CHARLES TOWN, WEST VIRGINIA (BNO NEWS) -- The last World War I veteran Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles on Sunday died at the age of 110 in West Virginia.

Buckles, the oldest known World War I era veteran in the world, was born in Missouri in 1901, but lived in a farm in Charles Town, West Virginia, until his death.

Buckles enlisted in the army at the age of 16 and served as an ambulance driver during World War I.

During World War II, he was captured by Japanese forces in the Philippines where he was working as a civilian and was held as a prisoner of war for over three years until he was rescued in 1945.

According to historian David DeJonge, who is working on a documentary about Buckles, Buckles called his nurse on Sunday because he was not feeling well and shortly took his last breaths.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Buckles "lived the American Century," and like so many veterans, "he returned home, continued his education, began a career, and along with his late wife Audrey, raised their daughter Susannah."

"And just as Frank continued to serve America until his passing, as the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation, our nation has a sacred obligation to always serve our veterans and their families as well as they've served us." 

"We join Susannah and all those who knew and loved her father in celebrating a remarkable life that reminds us of the true meaning of patriotism and our obligations to each other as Americans," Obama stated. 

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