WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Frank Woodruff Buckles was just 15 years old when he joined the U.S. Army . Soon , he was deployed to war and headed overseas on the Carpathia -- the same ship used in the rescue mission of the Titanic . World War I veteran Frank Buckles entered the Army at age 15 . `` I did n't lie , '' he said with a laugh this week . He drove ambulances in Britain and France for soldiers wounded during World War I . A few decades later , Buckles was in the Philippines as a civilian , on December 7 , 1941 , the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor . He was taken as a prisoner of war for 39 months in Manila , eating his meals out of a single tin cup . More than 60 years later , he still clings to that cup , the one that sustained his life . Weathered with age , the cup has flecks of white paint chipped off . He keeps it as a reminder of his sacrifice for the country he so loves . He also still has his dog tags . At age 107 , there 's not much the war veteran , POW and West Virginia farmer has n't seen . But this week , this quietly accomplished man was humbled . Buckles , the last known surviving World War I U.S. veteran , met the president of the United States and received a standing ovation at the Pentagon . `` I did n't lie ; nobody calls me a liar , '' he said with a chuckle , referring to how he became a soldier at just 15 . Speaking with a hushed , deep voice , he conceded , `` I may have increased my age . '' He spoke from a wheelchair , dressed in a dark blazer with his military medals pinned over his heart . Those in attendance clung to his words . `` We cherish the chance to say thank you in person to Cpl . Frank Buckles , '' Defense Secretary Robert Gates said , before unveiling a portrait of him . At the White House , President Bush thanked him for his `` love for America '' and called him `` the last living 'doughboy ' from World War I . '' Watch Bush honor a national hero » . `` Mr. Buckles has a vivid recollection of historic times , and one way for me to honor the service of those who wear the uniform in the past and those who wear it today is to herald you , sir , and to thank you very much for your patriotism and your love for America , '' the president said , seated with Buckles in the Oval Office . Buckles ' tour of Washington was part of a series of events to honor the veterans of World War I , which included the opening of a photographic display at the Pentagon on Thursday . There will be nine formal portraits on permanent exhibition at the Pentagon . All were donated by David DeJonge who spent a decade finding and photographing the last of the World War I vets . DeJonge wants a more elaborate memorial in Washington to honor the veterans . For now , the only public site is an unpretentious gazebo near the Jefferson Memorial established by the city of Washington D.C. Buckles visited the site Thursday afternoon . Watch Buckles view the memorial . `` I think it was a very nice idea , '' he said after he and an aide toured the structure . But Buckles noticed the memorial is not national but built primarily to honor veterans from the District of Columbia . `` I can read here that it was started to include the names of those who were local , '' Buckles said . He was greeted at the site by two young Army Medical Corps candidates in training at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda , Maryland . `` It 's just an honor to see somebody that served so much before us , to be in the same shoes as him , like , a century later , '' said Reeme Sikka , 22 . One passerby , Vietnam veteran Zeke Musa , was embarrassed by the unkempt condition of the memorial . `` These guys served their country , you know . It 's a shame , '' he said . According to an autobiography the Pentagon released , Buckles was eager to join the war . He said his recruiter in the summer of 1917 told him that `` the ambulance service was the quickest way to get to France , '' so he trained in trench casualty retrieval . Buckles eventually served as an officer 's escort in France before joining a transport detail for German prisoners of war . He now lives on his family 's cattle farm near Charles Town , West Virginia . By the end of Thursday , the last of America 's World War I doughboys was clearly effected by the day 's events . `` I feel honored , '' he said . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Paul Courson contributed to this report .
World War I veteran to sail on same ship used in rescue mission of Capt . Frank Buckles honored by President Bush , Defense Secretary Robert Gates . Buckles was also held as civilian POW in the Philippines during World War II . He still has a tin cup he ate from for more than three years of captivity .