Stories of Service

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

William B. Wilson

Submitted by: Harold G. Delamater {Commander VFW Post 666}

William B. Wilson was born around 1893. William Wilson served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1916 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Beacon’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 666 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the death of the solider who is the eponym of that organization -- Private William B. Wilson. He was killed in action in Belgium on August 19, 1918, the first soldier from Beacon to die in World War I.

Today, a century after his death on the battlefield, few know of him or the reason why the Wilson Post was so named. History can be fickle and easily forgotten after a generation or two, but Private Wilson’s story of sacrifice needs to be retold and remembered.

Wilson went off to war with two of his best friends, George Van Pelt of Beacon and Herbert Miller of Newburgh. The three, with about 50 other Beacon boys, joined up in Newburgh’s “Company L” of the 107 Infantry Regiment. By late April of 1918, the regiment had landed in France.

James Edward Coffey

Submitted by: Donald P. Vincent {Namesake of my Nashua, NH American Legion Post 3}

James Edward Coffey

James Edward Coffey born around 1897. James Coffey 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

About James E. Coffey

James Edward Coffey, the first soldier from Nashua, NH to die in battle in World War I, was born on April 22, 1896, to Daniel J. and Catherine (Dillon) Coffey.

He attended Nashua schools and St. Patrick Church, and in June 1917, became one of the first Nashua men to enlist in the Army at the outbreak of the war. He was assigned to Company D, 103rd Infantry, 26th Division, and trained in Concord and Westfield, Mass.

Coffey and his unit, the famous 26th Yankee Division commanded by Maj. Gen. Clarence R. Edwards, deployed overseas in September 1917.

Cornelius M. Cavanaugh

Submitted by: Joseph Cavanaugh Great Grandson

Cornelius M. Cavanaugh

Cornelius M. Cavanaugh was born around 1902. Cornelius Cavanaugh served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1920.

Story of Service

William L. Cook, Sr.

Submitted by: Robert Kringe {Great Grandson}

5cb731ee09090 William L Cook

William L. Cook, Sr. was born around April 24, 1893. William Cook served in World War 1 with the United States Navy. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1920.

Story of Service

Louis McCahill

Submitted by: Colonel B. Wayne Quist {American Legion Post 110 Historian}

Louis McCahill

Louis McCahill was born around 1896. Louis McCahill 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

Corporal Louis McCahill, American Legion Post 110, Lake City, Minnesota

American Legion Post 110 in Lake City, Minnesota was named in honor of World War I veteran Corporal Louis McCahill. He died in France on November 5, 1918 less than a week before the Armistice that ended “The Great War.” Corporal McCahill served in many engagements with the 412th Motor Truck Company 426 during the conflict. He is buried in Suresnes American Cemetery in Paris, France: Plot A, Row 4, Grave 5.

Lake City American Post 110 was named in honor of Corporal Louis McCahill on February 7, 1921. In addition, Lake City, MN named McCahill Memorial Park on Lakeshore Drive and McCahill Ballpark on Jewell Ave for Corporal Louis McCahill.

John N. Berg

Submitted by: Kelly Herzog {Community Member/Historian}

John N Berg

John N Berg born around 1889. John Berg 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

Please see the attached Narrative and photo. We are so very proud to share information on Mr. Berg and about his Distinguished Service Cross. I have a lot of other information I would like to share with you, also.

Fred Dahl

Submitted by: Bill Wetter {Grandson}

no photo 300

Fred Dahl was born around 1894. Fred Dahl 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

Sgt Fred Dahl was drafted into the Army in 1917 and was trained at Camp Taylor in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

The presence of the Spanish Flu pandemic kept my grandfather from leaving for France, as many young men were dying during that period. Sgt Dahl was assigned to the 41st Division and served as a mechanic in the motor pool. Later became General John J Pershing’s personal chauffeur!

Upon returning home in July, 1919, he opened Dahl’s auto repair shop, using the training he received while in the Army.

My PawPaw was very proud of his military service!

Raymond J Bobbin

Submitted by: John Bobbin {Grandson}

Raymond J Bobbin

Raymond J Bobbin born around 1897. Raymond Bobbin 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

A significant centennial in our human history is upon us. In the second decade of the twentieth century, war on the Western Front in Europe had been sputtering and dragging along through an agonizing and bloody stalemate for several years. In 1918 when the fighting elements of the American Expeditionary Forces began to meaningfully supplement the efforts of the European Allied nations, momentum began to shift in opposition against Germany and its partner nations of the Central Powers.

In a description of one memorable moment while serving in Europe with Battery A of the 107th Field Artillery, 28th Division, Pennsylvania National Guard, one veteran soldier wrote late in his life, before his death in 1981, in scribbly and barely legible handwriting, that he "saw and felt more war on that one day, 10-30-18, than the other 3 months that we on the front [sic] (Aug. 13 - Nov. 11) R."

At that time, one hundred years ago, young Americans, likely many of whom had previously experienced geography extending no further, perhaps, than the environs of their American hometowns, farmlands, schools, shops and factories, shipped out across an unthinkable expanse of ocean. Many were going to the old countries of their immigrant forebears, to undertake an unimaginable challenge. It was a voyage from which many would not return. One among the fortunate who did return was Raymond Bobbin from Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. He reached his twenty-first year of age during his time serving in Europe.

Cyril Ray Melton

Submitted by: Raymond E Melton {grandson}

no photo 300

Cyril Ray Melton was born around 1898, Cyril Melton 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

PFC Cyril Ray Melton served in France with the 79th Infantry with a sanitary unit. Because the battles in France became very deadly for allied forces, PFC Melton took on a new role and began training in field to treat wounded soldiers and often having to go to the front to recover the wounded and take them to the rear for treatment. This is the birth of the field medics.

PFC Melton often transported wounded soldiers to a French hospital and this is where he met a French Red Cross Nurse. Both were standing near a building when a German shell exploded and PFC Melton lost part of his hearing but never complained to the Army about it, instead he kept doing his job.

PFC Melton fell in love with the French Nurse who was Julia Anna Sophier and later they both married in France and again in the United States. Later in life PFC Melton had anger issues and it is now known to be PTSD which they knew nothing about in the days of the war.

PFC Melton's records were destroyed in the fire in St. Louis and we have been unable to replace his medals because of that.

Jurian (Jerry) J. Dykstra

Submitted by: Janna Dykstra Smith {granddaughter}

Jurian Jerry J Dykstra Jurian (Jerry) J. Dykstra was born around 1896, Jurian (Jerry) Dykstra served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Jurian (Jerry Joe) Dykstra, a son of Dutch immigrants, was inducted into the U.S. Army at the age of 21 on July 26, 1918, in Orange City, Iowa. He left the farm, near Middleburg (Sioux County), using an old cardboard suitcase and travelled to the newly built Camp Pike, north of Little Rock, Arkansas. His military training consisted mostly of close order drill.

He corresponded with Cynthia Meerdink, a young girl from Hull, Iowa, whose own brother, Henry, was already in France. Jerry’s October 6th letter from Camp Pike was written 36 days before the Armistice. It was a “lonesome Sunday” and he was sitting outside with a number of other letter writers. “Someone is shaking the table.” He finished the letter inside “with my tablet on my knee for table.” Jerry compliments Cynthia on a photograph that she has sent him, “That is surely a handy picture you sent me as it is very handy to carry around this way.”

His military grade was Private and he mentions getting paid on a Sunday. “We got our pay this morning. I got $26.75 with insurance taken off already…quite some wages for a month’s hard labor. If I would be home, I could earn that in a few days and then in a more happier way.” “Heard that Austria Hungary made peace with the Allies. That will be worth more to me than my whole month’s pay.”

Robert A Loder

Submitted by: Bob Loder grandson

Robert A Loder born around 1893, Robert Loder served in World War 1 with the the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Robert A Loder of Hackettstown, NJ, served with the 78th Infantry Division in WW1. He trained at Fort Dix, NJ, and left for Europe on 20 May 1918 from Brooklyn, NY. He was wounded on 3 October 1918 in France and received the Purple Heart.

A diary of his tour of duty can be read at twitter.com/doughboydiary.