World War I veterans

[Novella]

It's so interesting to read about veterans people knew. My great grandparents and grandparents were lucky and born at just the right time to skip both World Wars. I have a huge admiration for those who fought in the war and those who supported them (medical officers, munitions workers, etc.)

I've always thought that World War I is neglected in school (American schools that is) since the U.S. was in the war for such a short amount of time. When you've got so much other information to cram into such a short amount of class time something has to unfortunately go. I'd say that everything that came before 1900 was always given more time, partially because we rarely got to the end of textbooks.

I'm in England studying abroad at the moment and I would definitely say that there is more of an emphasis on the World Wars, at least in the classes I'm taking. Actually one of my flatmates said that he's sick of WWII from having to learn about it so much before university. Learn too much about it?! I'm jealous! Just being here the wars seem much more real than they ever did to me in the U.S. Which makes my appreciation of the veterans (living and dead) increase to a greater level than what it was at before.

 

[Archie Goodwin]

The War from an American perspective

I read a biography of General Pershing, Until the Last Trumpet Sounds, and, without meaning to, it really shows the changes in American society between the first and second world wars. I agre that the fact that it was not fought on American soil probably lessened the apparent impact on the United States, but when you read books about how people lived before and after, you can really see a great deal of change. I mentioned in my original post how tragic World War 1 has always seemed to me, and after reflecting, I think it is because there was (IMO) a loss of optimism and nobility of spirit without a corresponding lessening of evil in the world. A little more of the innocence may have been ripped away by WW2, but there was the trade-off of ending the terrible evil of concentration camps.

I suppose I see it most through the eyes of my great-grandfather. He was born in the 1880's and lived until 1979. His first trip off of the farm was in a wagon pulled by horses, and he died after the beginning of the space race. Those were the superficial technological changes, but the social changes were at least as profound.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

My grandfather on my dads side was a DI in WWI. He never served in Europe because of a wrist injury he got as a kid from falling off a horse. I have some other photos of him with other DIs that I need to scan in. My mom's dad was too young for WWI and was a farmer and a little too old for WWII. I guess sometimes they needed farmers as badly as soldiers.

 

[Big Man]

My grandfather Dobson (my mother's side) was in WWI, although he did not go overseas (my grandfather Brown was in the Spanish American War).. I only saw one picture of my grandfather Dobson in his WWI uniform, and I have no idea where that photo is now. However, I do have his campaign hat and the infantry insignia (crossed rifles), both of which he gave me many years ago.

I have several pictures of my great uncle Briscoe Brown from WWI (he's the one standing in the picture below). I also have a letter he wrote to his sister describing some of his thoughts and activities. I will dig that old letter out and transcribe parts of it if anyone is interested.

 

[Archie Goodwin]

I have several pictures of my great uncle Briscoe Brown from WWI (he's the one standing in the picture below). I also have a letter he wrote to his sister describing some of his thoughts and activities. I will dig that old letter out and transcribe parts of it if anyone is interested.

I am sure I am not alone in wishing you would transcribe and post that letter.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I am also interested, Big Man.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I agree completely! Believe it or not, the first world war didn't rate so much a single weeks' study in my high school, much less addressing any of the events leading up to it.
Sad to say, but the second world war barely rated one week- and that was focused almost exclusively on one aspect of the war....:eusa_doh:

I just found out that the children in public schools around here study WW I in 8th grade. That's good to know. I saw a picture in the newpaper of students excitedly constucting a diorama of trenches.

 

[Lincsong]

It seems that since there is so much film coverage of World War II that it gets more attention than whatever grainy films of World War I there are. World War I sent Old Europe crashing down. World War II set into motion an entirely New Europe, and (gasp) New World Order. But, we are still feeling the effects of both wars today.

 

[Big Man]

Letter from France

The following is a transcription of a letter my great uncle, Briscoe Brown, wrote his sister, Ada Brown Wilson from France. The reference to “Jackson” is most assuredly Camp Jackson (now Fort Jackson, SC) where he (presumably) took his basic training. Having myself spent some time at Fort Jackson in the past, I can understand why my great uncle liked being at war in France better than being in basic training at Camp Jackson.
The letter is on YMCA stationary and is old and faded, but still very legible in all but one place where only three words cannot be made out. I found this letter in a box that my great aunt Ada had lovingly put away for many, many years. Most of the 50 some letters in the box were correspondence from (her soon-to-be husband) William Wilson, and date from 1912 to 1915. My great aunt and “Mr. Wilson” (as she called him) were married in 1915. Those letters, as well as this letter from World War I provide a very interesting look into the past.

​

June 12, 1918
Dear Sister –

I suppose you think I never think of you as I haven’t written since I landed here but far from it I think of you every day and wonder what you are doing. I hope you & Mr. Wilson are both well and happy and I am most sure you are for I think he is the most interesting man I ever talked to.
Everything has been lovely with me since I left the states and I am feeling better now that I have for the last three years. I get plenty of work plenty to eat and plenty of rest and am leading the simple life – go to bed at 9:30 PM and rise at 5:45 feeling like I could whip half the German army. I think this life is great for anyone that wants to get the benefit of it.
Is Robert still in Jackson if he is tell him that I am doing all right here and like it better than I did there.
I get all the tobacco and cigaritts I want here and cheaper than I could back in the States and they issue tobacco now so I dont have to buy very much so you see the high cost of living don’t keep me awake at nights and I dont have to buy postage stamps and don’t have any laundry bill as I do my own washing so you see I have a very good uncle.
How is Miss Crawford? Give her my best when you see her.
I wish you would try and get other to stop worrying about me for there is no since to it for I am all right and it wont be long until I will be back eating her out of house and home so please dont worry we are over here to trim the [the next three words are illegible] we are going to make a good job of it and to my notion a quick job. We are going to make them look like an accident with no place to happen and if you have to go through hardships back there don’t kick for everything you deny yourself of you are helping to put the dirty Hun back.
When you write send my mail to the 19th Engineers American EF for I will only be here for a short while.

​

Your loving brother

​

B.C. Brown

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Thank you for posting that, Mr. Brown. It was touching.
If you are interested and didn't know, Fort Jackson now has air conditioning!
Ashley Black

 

[Story]

Two items of tangential interest

For those of you interested in World War One reenacting, check out the
Great War Association
http://www.great-war-assoc.org/

and especially for anyone interested in between-the-wars Africa, the forgotten African Campaign.

Guerilla: Colonel von Lettow-Vorbeck and Germany's East African Empire
http://www.amazon.com/Guerilla-Colonel-Lettow-Vorbeck-Germanys-African/dp/0025552104

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Here is a question I have that I bet some of you history buffs in the FL can answer. Why were the American infantrymen in WWI called "Doughboys?"

I haven't found a good answer on the websites, outside the fact that American soldiers ate a lot of donuts supplied by charities.

Anyone know where the term came from?

Thanks, karol

 

[Big Man]

Thank you for posting that, Mr. Brown. It was touching.
If you are interested and didn't know, Fort Jackson now has air conditioning!
Ashley Black

"Mr. Brown" - Ouch! That makes me feel old ...

My son was at Fort Jackson several years ago, too. He would agree with me (and my great uncle), that there are plenty of other places more "enjoyable" than Jackson - air conditioning or not.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Oh, dear, I am sorry. Reading the letter made me feel some respectful address was in order lol You are only 5 or so years older than I am. My hubby was in basic training at Fort Jackson and I found out it was air-conditioned only when my dad and I drove there for his graduation last year! :eusa_doh: He'd been complaining so direly the few times he got to call, he hadn't toughened up yet.
Miss Black

 

[Harp]

"Mr. Brown" - Ouch! That makes me feel old ...

My son was at Fort Jackson several years ago, too. He would agree with me (and my great uncle), that there are plenty of other places more "enjoyable" than Jackson - air conditioning or not.

And Ft Polk, LA, ain't one of 'em.

 

[Chanfan]

Here is a question I have that I bet some of you history buffs in the FL can answer. Why were the American infantrymen in WWI called "Doughboys?"

I haven't found a good answer on the websites, outside the fact that American soldiers ate a lot of donuts supplied by charities.

Anyone know where the term came from?

Thanks, karol

I'd see the Wikipedia Entry on it. Also see the article that they link to at the end of the entry. Seems like there's no clear single source, but several likely ones.

 

[Big Man]

After a lot of searching, I finally found that "lost" picture of my Grandfather Dobson in his WW-I uniform. The notation on that picture (in my grandfather's writing) says: "C.B. Dobson - 1918".

Like I said in a previous post, I have his campaign hat. I can remember as a child seeing the jacket hanging up in the basement of his house. I wish now that I would have asked for the jacket when I did the hat. I got the hat when I was in Boy Scouts and wore it on camping trips and to scout camp. Of course that was a long time ago and that hat wasn't that old then. It is, however, still in very good condition.

 

[Mocheman]

That is a great picture Big Man.

I think about WWI every time I hold my 1903 Springfield, which was built in 1917. Its one thing to read about history and another to hold it in your hands. Just like owning a vintage dress or a fedora.

There was a great film that came out in 2001 called "The Lost Battallion" starring Rick Schroder. I think it is one of the best WWI movies ever made and it shows the conflict away from the trenches and into the woods. You guys should check it out.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Thanks for the info on the word "doughboy." I guess my donut information was as reliabile as anything is.

By the way, the countdown now is that there are only 30 WW I and WW I era soldiers left worldwide. There are also 4 unverified claims. There have been 28 WW I veterans who have died so far in 2007.

Big Man: that is a great photo of your grandfather in uniform. I'm glad you found it. Thanks for posting it.

One thing our family has taken to doing is writing on the back to show who that person is in relation to the rest of the family. Sometimes, when those old photos are stored and a generation is skipped, the descendants look at the photo and say "who is that?" It happened in my family, but I was able to verify some photos by finding family I didn't know I had on the Genforum site. It is especially important in this day and age when families separate and live all over the country (or world).

karol

 

[deanglen]

Terrific picture, Big Man! Love the big hats!

dean