Lazare Ponticelli, the last surviving French veteran of World War I died on March 12, 2008. Born in Italy, he moved to France when his father died, finding work as a chimney sweep, and lying about his age to enter the army when the Great War began. In 1915, when Italy entered the war, he was discharged and told that as an Italian citizen, he needed to fight with the Italian army. Consequently, he served with both the French and Italian armies in WWI. After the war, he returned to France, and became a citizen. When the second World War broke out, he was too old for the army, so he fought with the Resistance.
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Lazare Ponticelli Blogs and Commentaries
Google Blog Search: Lazare Ponticelli
Soldier's Home (Newsweek): And Then There Was One (January 21, 2008)
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