Legacy of service: Kansas City man remembers father who paid ultimate sacrifice in WWII

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Bill Buckner has quite the story to tell this Memorial Day, but it involves both pride and pain for the Kansas City man and his family.

The 97-year-old Buckner loves to talk about his dad, General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr.

“Dad loved the Army. He was dedicated to it. My mother said he could have made more money elsewhere but that didn’t occur to him.”

His father’s dedication to the United States Army led to a meteoric rise and a stellar career in the military.

During World War II, Buckner, then a 3-star general, was in command of the battle of Okinawa in the Pacific theatre. It remains one of the bloodiest battles in American military history.

In June 1945, Gen. Buckner visited an observation post and watched troop movements near the front lines. As he stood at the outpost, a Japanese artillery shell struck nearby.

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“The first shot killed him,” Bill said. “He died in 10 minutes. Nobody else was hurt.”

It was a stunning blow to the troops on Okinawa as Buckner became the highest-ranked American officer to be killed by enemy fire in World War II. But his son said even as he lay dying, his dad was more concerned about those around him.

“When he found that nobody else was injured - and he did ask that question - and he was told nobody else died, he smiled and that was it.”

A framed black and white photograph hangs proudly in Bill Buckner’s Kansas City apartment. It shows a teenage boy grinning side-by-side with his father, who’s wearing his Army military dress uniform.

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Shortly after the photo was taken, Bill said his dad left to command the Tenth U.S. Army in the Pacific. Neither he nor his mother would ever see Gen. Buckner again.

As an adult, Bill met a girl from Kansas City, married her and raised a family here. Over the years, Bill compiled the writings of his dad while he served in the Pacific War. It led to the release earlier this year of “Tenth Army Commander: The World War II Diary of Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.”

But he’s not the only Simon Bolivar Buckner you’ll find in the history books. Bill’s grandfather, also named Simon Bolivar Buckner, was the governor of Kentucky from 1887-1891.

He fought in the Mexican-American war and served as a brigadier general in the Civil War for the Confederacy. But the conversation always returns to his father and his remarkable career, including a close friendship with famed 4-star General George Patton.

Bill loves to show friends a copy of a letter Gen. Patton wrote to his dad.

Part of it reads: “‘Anything you can do about this would be greatly appreciated, I will reciprocate. Signed, George Patton.’ They were good friends, I never heard a bad word about Patton from my father. My mother had her comments - hahaha!”

On this Memorial Day, Bill said he will be reflecting on the many members of the Buckner family who have served in the military over the centuries.

He proudly said a Buckner has fought in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, War of 1812, the Mexican-American War and World Wars I and II.

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