Stories of Service

You can search for the name or unit and you will get a list of the stories that contain them.

Simpson Levan

Submitted by: Karen Blount

58e6c896e7183 Simpson Levan

Simpson Levan served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Unknown .

Simpson Levan received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War 1. He was born in Linn, Kansas.

Following is the text of his award;

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Corporal Simpson Levan (ASN:156177), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 2d Engineers, 2d Division, A. E.F., near Moneaux and Vaux, France, July 1-3, 1918. Although wounded in the head and left leg by a high-explosive shell, which fact he concealed from his officers, Corporal Levan continued forward with his company. While thus wounded he led his platoon under heavy fire from Moneaux to Vaux during three days of hard and constant fighting, effectively discharging his duties until exhausted.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 132 (1918)

Earl Siebenthaler Leatherman

Submitted by: Mary Brennan {granddaughter}

Earl Siebenthaler Leatherman served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Known 1918-1919.

He was a wagoner with the Supply Company, 121st Infantry and was stationed in Le Mans, France.

Alice Rutledge Ward

Submitted by: Mary Brennan {granddaughter}

Alice Rutledge Ward served in World War 1 with the Red Cross. The dates of service are: Known 1918-1919.

She was a Red Cross Nurse. She meet Earl Siebenthaler Leatherman during that time and when he came back to the States, they married on 21 July 1919. They are my grandparents.

Forrest Dubroc

Submitted by: Wayne Turner {grand nephew}

no photo 300

Forrest Dubroc served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Unknown .

As a young man, I remember my grandmother telling me the story of her brother Forrest dying from the flu epidemic during WWI. I recently found the records where he died in Camp Beauregard at the age of 21 a little over one month before the war ended. Over 40,000 servicemen died from the flu, almost as many as those killed in combat.

George F. Ziegler

Submitted by: Gregory McCurdy

58e63f0e471d6 grandpageorge

George F. Ziegler served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Known 1916-1918.

George Ziegler served in the trenches at St. Mihiel during the final major offensive of WWI. He was the lone survivor of his platoon, having been wounded and buried under his fellow Doughboys.

He ended his war experience in a French hospital recovering for several months from the effects of mustard gas.

He later returned to Pittsburgh where he was employed with Western Electric as an Inspector.

Joseph Schlitz

Submitted by: Jim MacClay {great grandson}

Joseph Schlitz 300 Joseph Schlitz served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Unknown .

This is my maternal grandfather's father. This is him in September of 1917.

Not much is known as his records were destroyed in the fire at the VA. He lived in South New Jersey both before and after the war. He died in 1941, leaving my grandfather, 2 additional grand uncles and a grand aunt.

2 out of the 3 sons served in WWII and I am a Desert Storm vet with the US Army.

Frank E. Ford

Submitted by: Bruce Bley

Frank E Ford

Frank E. Ford served in World War 1 with the United States Navy. The dates of service are: Known 12/05/1913 - 12/04/1917.

Served aboard the U.S.S. Texas, U.S.S. Housatonic, U.S. Mongolia.

Frank was on the Naval Gun crew that sunk a German U-boat in the first aggressive blow for America while on the U.S. Mongolia. Story in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 27, 1917.

Ralph Taylor Davis

Submitted by: Emil Butler {grandson}

Ralph Taylor Davis served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Known April 26, 1918 to March 28, 1919.

My grandfather, Ralph Davis, was inducted into the Army at Wilmington, NC. He trained with other NC boys at Camp Sevier, SC before shipping out to France. Pvt. Davis was in the 55th Field Artillery Brigade, 113th Field Artillery Regiment, Battery B, and was attached to the 30th Infantry (Old Hickory) Division.

He was trained on the French 75 mm field gun before being sent into combat. He most notably participated in the Woevre Offensive, the St. Mihiel Offensive, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

My grandfather was a gentile, quiet man who seldom mentioned his time in France. After researching the history of his unit, and learning of the hardships and horrors that they endured, I understood why he preferred not to remember. But it is extremely important that all Americans remember the sacrifices that our Doughboys made "over there." I am making it a point to ensure that my grandchildren learn about this history, and know the part that their great-great grandfather played.

John D. Guthrie

Submitted by: John Robertson

John Guthrie John D. Guthrie served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Known July 12, 1917-July 29, 1919.

Prior to volunteering, John D. Guthrie was the forestry supervisor of Coconino National Forest. He was commissioned Captain on June 26, 1917, and ordered to active duty as commanding officer of Company C, 1st Battalion, 10th Engineers at Camp American University on July 12th. The 10th Engineers was a forestry regiment, and consisted of volunteers from the US Forestry Service and other lumbermen from across the country.

After several months of training at Camp American University, they departed for Europe on the Carpathia on September 10, 1917. The 10th Engineers arrived in Glasgow on October 2nd, and entrained for Southampton. After a night crossing of the Channel on "La Marguerite", the regiment landed in Le Harve, France on October 7th. They entrained again on French "40 and eights" arriving at Nevers, France and establishing camp on October 9th.

Jesse James Thornton

Submitted by: Claudia Thornton Arndt {Granddaughter}

58bcb429b13c4 Jesse James Thornton 1893 1971 Jesse James Thornton served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Unknown.

My grandfather, Jesse James Thornton, was born in 1893 and was twenty-three years old when he filled out his WWI registration card. At the time, he was single and a farm laborer near Leland, Idaho.

Jesse James Thornton trained at Camp Lewis in Washington (now called Fort Lewis). As a Private First Class, Jesse served at the Army Hospital Base #121 at Beau Desert, Department of Gironde in France.

James M. Stewart

Submitted by: Chris Mulholland

no photo 300 James M. Stewart served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The dates of service are: Known 1917-1918.

James M. Stewart was a Private with the 318th Infantry Regiment in the 80th “Blue Ridge” Division – he was in the same unit as Corporal Arthur Donahoe. The 318th was made up mostly of men from the Shenandoah Valley and Tidewater areas.

While training with the British in France, the 318th were nicknamed “Squirrels”: 1st Battalion were RED squirrels; 2nd were GRAY squirrels; and 3rd were called FLYING squirrels.

During the Meuse Argonne campaign, the 80th Division was the only one that saw action during each phase of the offensive and earned their motto, "The 80th Division Moves only Forward!"