Stories of Service

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

James F. Munley Jr.

Submitted by: Peg Munley {niece}

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James F. Munley, Jr. was born around 1895. James Munley served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

James F. Munley, from 229 Brooklyn St., Carbondale, PA, was born 1895, entered the service of the Army, October 13, 1917, and trained for overseas service during WWI as a member of the 79th Division, A.E.F., 311th Machine Gun Batttalion, with the rank of Wagoner. He was assigned to the Headquarters Company, led by Major Stephen G. Henry and Major Charles H. May.

James left Hoboken, NJ, July 8, 1918 aboard the Leviathan, landing at Brest, France, July 15, 1918. His battalion trained at Occey, Haute-Marne until September 9, 1918 when they moved toward Montfaucon and joined battle September 26-30 as part of the Meuse-Argonne offensive, capturing Montfaucon. The 79th continued battle right up to the armistice on November 11. They remained on the battlefront with such duties as police, patrol, and guarding property.

By January, the division assembled in the Souilly area and in the last days of March, moved to the area northeast of Chaumont around Andelot and Rimaucourt. Here the division was reviewed by General Pershing on April 12, who presented distinguished service crosses, and decorated the regimental colors. The 79th Division selected as its emblem the ancient symbol of victory, the Lorraine Cross. Movement toward Nantes and St. Nazaire began April 19.

Ray Keegan

Submitted by: Rev. Lin McGee {Grand Niece}

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Ray Keegan born around April 9, 1895, Ray Keegan served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Ray Keegan was born in Mikado, Mi, on April 9, 1895. He lived in New Hartford, CT, with his family when he was a child. He was living in Harrisville, MI, when he went to Flint on June 5, 1917 to join the Army to fight in the first World War. He was sent to Ft. McArthur in Waco, TX, for his mi training – and then off to Hoboken, NJ, to leave the United States for combat in France on the Army Transport Service # 51 on February 9, 1918.

Private Ray Keegan was serving with the 125th Infantry Regiment, Company F, 32 Infantry Division = Red Arrow when he was KIA on July 31, 1918 fighting in The Battle of Château-Thierry which was part of the Second Battle of the Marne. He was 23 years of age at the time of his death. He is buried at the Oise-Asine American Cemetery – Burial Plot B, Row 18, Grave 10 – in Fere-en-Tardenois, France. He was awarded the Purple Heart.

John Simon Hilgenhold

Submitted by: John Levi Hilgenhold {Great-Grandson}

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John Simon Hilgenhold was born in 1892. John Hilgenhold served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

My great-grandfather, John Simon Hilgenhold, was born on March 24, 1892 in a rural community, known as St. Marks, in Perry County Indiana. The grandson of Dutch-German immigrants, he was the seventh of eleven children. As a young man he completed his education after the eighth grade, as was customary for the time, and worked on the family farm with his father and three brothers.

John registered for the draft on June 5, 1917 at the age of 25. Just under a year later, on May 28, 1918 he was drafted into service of the U.S. National Army and reported to Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky along with forty-eight other Perry County men. One of whom, Carl Goelzer, would eventually become his brother-in-law. He trained as an infantryman with the 44th Company, 11th Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade and completed basic training on June 16th.

He was then transferred to Company M, 153rd Infantry Regiment, 39th National Guard Division that was stationed at Camp Beauregard near Alexandria, Louisiana. This influx of new recruits brought the division up to full strength and they set sail from Newport News, Virginia a little over a month later on August 6th aboard the S.S. Kursk, a converted British troop transport. Upon arrival in Brest, France, the 153rd traveled to the St. Florent region, southwest of Bourges, until it was dismantled and its personnel sent to replace battlefield losses in existing combat divisions.

George Anthony Basel

Submitted by: Brian Basel {Grandson}

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George Anthony Basel was born around 1890. George Basel served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a Machinist Mate First Class on four ships prior to World War One.

Enlisted in the Army on April 4, 1918 and was stationed at Camp Upton, Yaphank, NY, with the 28th "Keystone" Infantry Division. He served overseas in France from May 4, 1918 with Company H, 2nd Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment and then with Company B, 3rd Battalion.

His battle campaigns include Champagne-Marne, St. Muhiel, and meuse-Argonne at Toul Sector. He was wounded in the right hand and shoulder on July 17, 1918 clearing the woods (Bois D'Aigremont) over the Paris Metz Road between Crezancy and Fossoy and was taken to Base 45 at Blois, France for recovery. He rejoined Company H on October 10, 1918 as it passed through Mountblainville, France.

Being fluent in German, when his unit returned home April 18, 1919, he remained overseas serving as an interpreter.

John F. Tronsor

Submitted by: Joseph McElroy {Nephew}

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John F. Tronsor born around 1898. John Tronsor served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

All I know of Uncle Frank was he was gassed three times and was eventually medically discharged.

In Memory of his service and inspired by the "Blood Swept Land and Seas of Red" exhibit in London 2014, I conceived of a community project that would reinvigorate the reason why our town's high school is Memorial High School. It has morphed into HMHS, Haddonfield Memorial High School, in Haddonfield, NJ.

I and Lisa Quanci designed a aluminum poppy to be installed on Memorial Day 2020. We sold kits of 10 to be assembled and brought back to us. Every club as well as many individuals participated. Covid interrupted our planned installation in 2020 and the poppies were stored in my garage.

Clarence Marine Johnson

Submitted by: David Johnson {son}

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Clarence Marine Johnson born around 1897. Clarence Johnson served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1916 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Clarence Marine Johnson served in the 32nd Division, Signal Corps.

Service Record

May 22, 1916

Enlisted at age 19 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Serial Number - 252,094

The National Guard was created by the National Defense Act which went into effect June 1, 1916 and on June 19, 1916 was called to the Mexican border for duty by President Wilson. This was in response to the revolutionist Poncho Villa crossing the border to attack a village at Columbus, New Mexico. It is interesting to note that at this time in history the U. S. had only about 137,000 regular army and 181,000 National Guardsmen in uniform in the entire United States. General Pershing used the regular army near the border to follow Poncho Villa into Mexico. The National Guard was called up to position themselves all along the border to discourage any more infringements 0n U. S. territory.

Michele Francalangia

Submitted by: Maria Pietrantuono {great grand-niece}

Francalangia Michele

Michele Francalangia born around January 28, 1898 . Michele Francalangia served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1917.

Story of Service

Michele Francalangia was born on January 28, 1898 in Campodipietra in the province of Campobasso to Carlo Francalangia and Beatrice Paventi. He spent his childhood in Molise until he was sixteen when, on boarding from Naples in 1914, he joined his brother Giovanni in Cleveland in the state of Ohio where he had settled for a few years working for a steel mill. S

hortly after his arrival, he joined another brother, Antonio, in the mining communities of West Virginia where, in June 28, 1917, he volunteered for the American army, enlisted in Columbus, Franklin, Ohio. Michele (Franch as reported on the service documents) initially became part of the C battery of the 17th field artillery regiment organized at Camp Robinson in Wisconsin and then of the 2nd battery of the 7th field artillery regiment.

The recruits crossed the ocean on October 31, 1917 aboard the Mount Vernon transport and once in France Michele was transferred to the F Battery of the 5th Artillery Regiment. After an initial garrison of the Sommerville and Ansauville sector, the 5th supported the operations of the first AEF division and the 60th French division in the Montdidier sector from April to July 1918.

During those weeks, the regiment fired between 5,000 and 15,000 bullets a day, contributing significantly to the interruption of German communications and the capture of the village of Cantigny.
A few weeks after the alternation at the front, the regiment set off again towards Soisson, in support of the great allied counter-offensive of the Aisne-Marne unleashed at dawn on 18 July, distinguishing itself particularly in the bombing of the German positions in Missy, Ploisy and Berzy -le-Sec in addition to the constant work of counter-barrage decisive for the protection of the advance of the infantry.

John Henry Allison

Submitted by: Jim Allison {grandson}

John Henry Allison

John Henry Allison born around 1894. John Allison served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

My Grandfather, John Henry Allison had moved from Adair County Kentucky to Pontiac, IL and was a farm hand for his future father-in-law John B. Scott in 1916. At the beginning of his courtship with Louise Scott, what is now known as World War 1 disrupts the plans of many a young man including Grandpa who was inducted in Pontiac, IL September 19, 1917 and sent to Camp Dodge, Iowa. From there he went to Camp Pike Arkansas. Then he sailed from Hoboken, New Jersey on June 19, 1918 on the ship “Delta” arriving in Liverpool, England on July 15, 1918, and on to Le Harve, France on July 20, 1918.

Grandpa was in the following engagements: Chateau Thierry July 20-August 5. 1918; St. Mihiel Sept. 14-20, 1918; Verdun Sept. 21-28, 1918. He was wounded in the left arm at Chateau Thierry and in his right foot at Verdun. He was in overseas hospitals at Tauris and Vichy France. He sailed back from Brest, France on September 29, 1918 and arrived at Hoboken, New Jersey Christmas Day 1918. He was discharged January 19, 1919.

In her high school days my sister Janet interviewed grandpa concerning his World War days. When grandpa told her about diving into a fox hole and having a bullet hit his foot, she asked him why he dove in head first? Grandpa said something to the effect with a touch of humor, “Would you rather I had got shot in the head?” Janet could probably fine tune this part of my memory a bit!

Here are a few memories grandpa shared about his war experiences. While on leave, he and a small group of soldiers were in town somewhere in France. They were trying to find some thing and one of the fellow soldiers convinced grandpa to ask a lady how to find it. They told grandpa how to say it in French. He did so and was promptly slapped in the face. They “got” grandpa on that one.

Camille Louise O'Brien

Submitted by: Michael {Friend of family}

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Camille Louise O'Brien born around 1883. Camille O'Brien served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Emory Unit Nurse, Camille O'Brien, is the only Emory Unit nurse to died in France. Her family, in Roswell, Georgia, reached out to me to find a home for her personal effects. I am a retired police officer of 34 years and a historian so I agree to help. Happily, Camille's items are now at the Atlanta History Center. I decided to learn more about this nurse.

Unknown to the family, Camille's body was brought back to Georgia, in 1921 and placed in an unmarked grave, in Greenwood Cemetery, Atlanta. On April 18th, 2019, at 11am, I have put together a grave site memorial, for Camille. Thanks to Patterson & Son Funeral Home, Camille is going to finally have a beautiful gravestone. A WW1 Honor Guard will be present and a bugler, for Taps. Present at the site will be the grandson of Lt.Col. Edward Davis, the father of the Emory Unit, Ren Davis.

Who is Camille? She was born in 1883 in Warren County, Georgia. In 1900/1901, she attended the University of Georgia. In 1913, she attended the St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1916.

Irving John Record

Submitted by: John M. (Jack) Record {Son}

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Irving John Record was born around 1895, Irving John Record served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Irving John Record worked as a machinist at the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Manchester, NY before enlisting in the U.S. Army..

He enlisted September 05,1918 Canandaigua, NY. He was 22 years old.

He began his service at Camp Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina, where he served in the 4th Prov. Regiment, 156th Depot Brigade. He was later transferred to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Irving was discharged on December 14, 1918 at Fort Benjamin Harrison.

Theodore E. Fournier

Submitted by: Brian A. Huseland {great-nephew}

Theodore E Fournier

Theodore E Fournier was born around 1899. Theodore Fournier served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

My great-uncle Theodore Everett Fournier served in the 103rd Infantry, Company C. After his parents told Teddy in his teen years that he was adopted, he left home and enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard, 2nd Infantry, finding comfort in serving his country.

In 1916, they patrolled the U.S.-Mexico border because of Pancho Villa’s raids. In 1917, the boys were drafted into the American Expeditionary Forces, and trained at Camp Cody, NM, as part of the 34th “Sandstorm” Division. However, as some American regiments had encountered heavy losses in Europe, the 34th became a replacement division, and was broken up.

Teddy was shipped out from New York City on June 29th, 1918 on the ship Demosthenes. He carried with him standard issue uniform and equipment, and a precious item: an enlisted men’s prayer book. He arrived in mid-July and was assigned to the 103rd about the time of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. After resting and training the new recruits, the regiment boarded trains for Verdun, France. Teddy’s regiment prepared for the St. Mihiel Offensive as part of the 26th Division, encountering occasional gas and gunfire.