World War I
Sgt. Grant William Fritscher while stationed at Camp Logan, Houston, Texas
and before being sent overseas (ca early 1918).
GWF in a trench in France (ca 1918).
Grant returned home from the war and in January of 1920, according to the Illinois 1920 Census records,
he, along with his cousin Fred Fritscher – another member of the Dieterich Machine Gun Company lived
with his parents, Henry M. and Bertha (Gust) Fritscher.
Now able to think of family, soon he and Louise Jacobs became an ‘item’ (ca 1919). Louise was in
Dieterich and boarding at the home of John Siefken.
Grant and Louise were married in Terre Haute, IN on Mary 20, 1920.
The National Defense Act of 1916
When World War I began in Europe in August 1914, few thought that the war would drag on for
years, or that the United States would ever be involved. But by 1915 the conflict had stalemated
into bloody trench warfare, and some Americans were beginning to talk about “preparedness.”
Once again, the structure of the nation’s military forces became a political topic.
The National Defense Act of 1916 was one of the most important pieces of military legislation in
United States history. The Act guaranteed the state militia’s status as the Army’s primary
reserve force, and it mandated the “National Guard” for that force. The President was given the
authority, incase of war or national emergency to mobilize the National Guard for the duration of
the emergency. The number o yearly drills increased from 24 to 48, and annual training from 5
to 15 days. Drill pay was authorized for the first time, something for which the National Guard
Association had long been lobbying.
Trouble on the Mexican Border
Passage of the 1916 act was spurred by events on the Mexican border. In March of that year,
Pancho Villa, the Mexican bandit/politician, raided the town of Columbus, New Mexico.
Seventeen Americans, including 9 soldiers, were killed, and scores were wounded. General
John J. Pershing quickly mounted a punitive expedition to chase Villa deep into Mexico.
The Mexican government, always distrustful of its neighbor, responded by moving its troops
toward the United States border. Pershing’s expedition had denuded the region of troops, and
there was panic in the border states. The National Guards of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona
were called up, a force which soon totaled over 5,000. When the Mexicans ordered that
Pershing make no move “East, South, or West” (but not North, the way back to the United
States), President Woodrow Wilson decided that there was enough threat of hostilities to
warrant calling up the entire National Guard.
Coming just 15 days after passage of the new National Defense Act, the call-up naturally
created confusion. Many states were not sure what types of forces they were supposed to field.
The National Guard of 1916 was hardly a “balanced” force. Units were overwhelmingly infantry
because the federal government had never provided the money or the equipment required for
signal, engineer, or other combat arms units. Many cavalry and artillery units had always
furnished their own horses, but felt that while in Federal service their horses should be supplied
by the Army. Some of these units spent months in Northern camps waiting for horses and other
equipment, which in some cases never arrived.
158,664 Guardsmen eventually reported for active duty. There were not enough trains to
transport even a small percentage of them to the Southwest immediately, but by July 31,
112,000 Guardsmen were in place along the border.
To the Southwestern Guardsmen, this desert region was home. But to many men from the East
and Midwest, it was a desolate and forbidding place. Daytime temperatures in July and August
were frequently over 100 degrees, and, except in the mountains, there were no trees for shade.
In August, the desert “rainy season,” violent thunderstorms tore down the Guardsmens’ tents
and flooded their camps. A Guardsman on duty in West Texas commented that the United
States should march into Mexico to teach the Mexicans a lesson, “and then make them take this
God-forsaken country back.” Guardsmen who hoped for a fight were disappointed. But despite
the fact that the men saw no action, the campaign was valuable nonetheless. State staffs
became familiar with the problems of mobilizing large numbers of men, and many commanders
got their first chance at handling large numbers of men in the field. And individual Guardsmen
left the border better trained and in better physical condition.
The National Guard in World War I
The Guard was soon to put its Mexican Border training to good use. In April 1917, the United
States declared war on Germany. Some Guard units were still serving on the Mexican Border
when war was declared, and the War Department began calling other units back into Federal
service. The Guard was ordered to recruit to full strength. “Join up and go with the hometown
boys” cried the recruiters, and thousands did.
Thirty-Third Division (National Guard)
Popularly known as the "Prairie Division." Insignia, a yellow cross on a round black patch.
Organized at Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, about the middle of August, 1917. The nucleus of
the division was the Illinois National Guard (1st and 2nd Inf. Brig. Hdqs.; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th,
6th and 7th Inf. Regts.; 2nd and 3rd Regts. Fld. Arty.; Co. A, Signal Corps; 1st Engrs; 1st, 2d,
3d, 4th Field Hospitals and Amb. Cos.). The first organization left Camp Logan, April 23, 1918,
for Camp Merritt. The rest of the division followed shortly afterward and sailed from Hoboken for
France, disembarking at Brest. The last units arrived in France June 11, 1918.
Upon arrival in France the division was first sent to the Huppy area, near Abbeville, and on June
20th and 21st the division moved into the Amiens sector, where it was trained under the British,
occupying portions of the British trenches and participating in a number of small operations. On
July 4th, Cos. C and E, 131st Inf., and A and G, 132nd Inf. Took part in the attack on Hamel,
which was the first time American troops had fought with the Australians. On August 8, 1918,
began the great British offensive, in which the 33d Division broke the German line at Chipilly
Ridge and Gressaire Wood. On Aug. 23d it was transferred by rail from the British front to the
area of the 1st American Army in the Toul sector, being concentrated on Aug. 26th in the region
of Tronville-en-Barrois. On Sept. 5th it started for Verdun, where it relieved on the nights of
Sept. 7th, 8th, and 9th, the 120th French Division.
In the Meuse-Argonne battle, commencing Sept. 26th, the 33rd Division formed the right of the
3d American Army Corps. For the next eleven days it formed the pivot of this corps. On Oct. 6th,
the division was transferred to the French 17th Army Corps and participated (Oct. 8th) in the
attack of the French 17th Corps east of the Meuse. Upon being relieved the 33d Division
marched to the Troyon-sur-Meuse sector on the St. Mihiel front, relieving the 79th Division on
the nights of Oct. 23d, 24th, and 25th. From this date to include the date of the armistice the
division participated in a number of minor operations in this sector.
This division captured from the enemy the following: 65 officers; 3,922 men, 100 pieces of
artillery, 414 machine guns, 20 trench mortars and other material. It made a total advance
against resistance of thirty-six kilometers. Battle deaths, 153 officers and 701 men; wounded,
153 officers and 6,844 men; missing 148 men; prisoners of war, one officer and 17 men.
Maj. Gen. George Bell, Jr., U.S. Army commanded the division from Aug. 16, 1917 to include
Nov. 11, 1918.
Following is a list of the decorations conferred on individuals of this division: Congressional
Medals of Honor, 8; Distinguished Service Crosses, 110; British Distinguished Service Orders,
1; British Military Medals, 41; French Croix de Guerre, 47; Belgian Order of Leopold, 1.
World War I – AEF 33rd Division1
In June 1914, Europe exploded in conflict following the assassination of Austrian Archduke
Franz Ferdinand by fanatic gunman. Military involvement by the United States seemed
inevitable in the stalemated struggles of the Great War in Europe. Politicians, and the general
populace, favored an unstable position of neutrality and isolationism. This isolationism avoided
becoming ensnared in alliances with foreign countries and kept America out of direct military
commitments to the war for several years.
This neutral “watchful waiting” policy was sustained by America from the beginning of the war in
1914. Public opinion was deeply divided among the States, but the tragic sinking of a British
luxury liner, Lusitania, by a German submarine on 7 May 1915 brought the European war to the
hearts of Americans. Over 125 American citizens drowned aboard the Lusitania, and this quickly
became the rallying point of American sentiment towards pro-war involvement.
As entry into the war grew imminent, anti-war protests, riots, and labor strikes occurred on
occasion. Anti-war demonstrations were held in major cities across America through-out the
duration of the war. Conscientious objectors, pacifists, isolationists, and “enemy aliens” formed
the bulk of the protesting crowds. “Enemy aliens” were immigrants, not yet naturalized, from the
warring Central Power countries of Germany and Austria. Many peaceful assemblies turned
riotous when anti-war protestors were confronted by large numbers of pro-war advocates.
National Guard units were often called to monitor, control and break up the demonstrations if
they turned violent. As a note, only about one man in every thousand drafted for Army service
nationwide was ever granted official conscientious objector status and excused from the
service.
Through the early years of the war, President Woodrow Wilson continually declared America’s
neutrality. The President won re-election in 1916 largely due to his waning ability to keep the
United States out of the war in Europe. It became increasingly difficult to maintain a neutral
stance in early 1917 as Germany’s military aggression and unwarranted atrocities continued
against merchant and civilian shipping. When Germany openly proclaimed its policy of waging
unrestricted submarine warfare in January 1917, President Wilson broke off diplomatic ties with
Germany. Three months of unprovoked sinking of neutral ships followed and led President
Wilson to ask Congress to declare war on Germany. The Congressional resolution declaring
war on Germany passed on 6 April 1917.
Most newspapers carried syndicated columns that preached frugality as a way of life and a true
measure of patriotic support for the possibility of impending war. Articles in the Illinois State
Journal newspaper outlined daily a variety of money, material, and food conservation
techniques; following their directions would preserve precious commodities for the nation.
Articles gave instructions on growing and canning your own garden vegetables, cooking lesser
quality meat, recycling clothing and metals, and gather materials for Red Cross distribution
overseas.
1
Article taken from the Internet: 11/26/2004
http://www.il.ngb.army.mil/museum/citizen_soldier/World_War_I/world_war_i.htm
The family and the neighborhood saw support for the war effort as an obligation. Of course,
young men between the ages of twenty and thirty-five were expected to serve in the military, but
each family member was expected to do their part in support of these soldiers. Mothers were to
economize in the kitchen and waste precious little.
Fathers were to buy Liberty War Bonds, which provided needed cash to the government coffers.
Young women were to volunteer their time to an Illinois chapter of the American Red Cross or a
sewing club to make bandages, hospital gowns, or patients’ pajamas. Small children, too, were
expected to help in the family vegetable gardens and to gather recyclable materials for turn-in.
These personal family gardens came to be known as “victory gardens” since being selfsufficient in growing your own food meant that farmers could produce bulk foodstuffs for military
consumption, thus aiding in the cause for victory over Germany. Every family member did their
part in a patriotic, self sacrificing manner with little complaint. Those in the community who did
not give of themselves for the war effort came to be called “slackers,” shirkers of their patriotic
duty.
Once war was declared by the President and Congress, the citizens of Illinois put their war
efforts into high gear. Patriotism ran high as a spirit of duty, honor and nobility spread across the
nation. Illinois troops were first called to duty on 25 March 1917. Soldiers had recently returned
to the State after federal active duty chasing Pancho Villa along the Mexican border and were in
the middle of a unit re-organization. Duty called and National Guard units were activated. The
activated units prepared for war, but they were also called during this time to protect homes and
property from damage. Among their secondary missions was the patrolling of Mattoon after a
tornado2, squelching a street-car strike in Bloomington, stopping anti-war protests in Rockford,
and again on riot duty in East St. Louis.
As war efforts solidified, the general public held patriotic rallies across Illinois to show support
for America’s participation in the war. On June 4, 1917, a stirring event took place in Springfield
near the State Arsenal. Over 5,000 supporters gathered in a light rain to celebrate American
Manhood Day; on the eve of the nation-wide registration of young men for the national draft.
Flags and banners flew from most buildings and homes as hundreds of men prepared to
register for conscripted service as rousing speeches and patriotic music filled the air across
Illinois and America that evening.
As mobilization of a fighting force gained momentum, the need for fund raising programs to
support and pay for the growing Army grew as well. Schoolchildren became involved by
supporting campaigns such as classroom “Pennies For Victory” where the children did small
jobs to earn, and then donate, their pennies to the war effort through their schools and the
Lincoln Library. The biggest fundraisers were the Liberty Loan war bond sales and the War
Savers Stamps programs. These bonds were sold continuously throughout the war.
This tornado occurred on May 26, 1917 and is listed as “one of the most deadly U.S. tornadoes. It cut a path of 293
miles through Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois. Grant told of seeing a piece of straw blown into a telephone pole after a
tornado. It went in straight and stuck out on both sides of the pole. This may well have been that tornado. From that
time on, Mother Nature’s fury had gained his respect.
2
With volunteers pouring into recruiting offices and the national draft of July 20, 1917, local draft
boards and induction centers became filled to capacity. Young men often volunteered together
with friends preferring to experience this great military adventure with men they knew and
trusted. One such local group were twenty-six young men from Petersburg, Illinois who joined in
March 1917 and became part of Company C, 5th Illinois Infantry. Once sent to Camp Logan for
training in the 33rd Division, Company C was re-designated as part of the 124th Machine Gun
Battalion. Though re-designated for combat, this group was remembered as the Petersburg
Volunteers throughout the war. Volunteer groups were often formed by gathering persons
possessing special needed skills. The Medical Detachment of the 130th Infantry, 33rd Division
was formed in April 1917 in this manner. Colonel H.H. Tuttle, a Springfield surgeon, organized
and trained the medical detachments of the 123rd and 124th Machine Gun Battalions. Known as
“Tuttle’s Unit”, they received initial training in first aid, nursing, dispensary work and x-ray
operations at St. John’s Hospital, Springfield before being sent to Camp Logan, Houston, Texas
and then overseas.
The masses of Illinois inductees were quickly shipped to several locations to begin learning the
basics of Army life. Posts such as Camp Duane, Camp Lowden, and Camp Grant in Illinois
became temporary training facilities for these new servicemen who were often referred to as
Rookies or Sammies (as in Uncle Sam’s boys). They were later mobilized to their final stateside
assignment for intensive combat training prior to going overseas.
Hundreds of friends, family members, and townspeople gathered at train depots around the
State of Illinois to bid farewell to their inductees as they left for their training posts. Bands played
“Hail, Hail The Gang’s All Here!” and other patriotic tunes as flags waved and farewell speeches
wished the men well. The recruits living in the cities were often treated by local businessmen to
a night in a nice hotel on the eve of their shipping out. Recruits from the rural areas were usually
brought to the depot by tearful relatives on the day the troop train was scheduled to leave. Each
departing soldier received a gift box from the local American Red Cross containing candy,
tobacco, stationary, a pencil and a wish for good fortune.
As thousands of Illinois troops were sent to Camp Logan outside Houston, Texas, they were
organized and designated as the 33rd Infantry Division. The Division, commanded by Major
General George Bell, Jr. was exclusively composed of National Guard units from Illinois;
prompting the name to the Illinois or “Prairie” Division.
Soldiers disembarking from the troop trains in September 1917 found an undeveloped Camp
Logan. Many buildings were found unfinished and the Division Headquarters was initially
housed in an open-sided former mess hall with dirt floors. Much time, money and energy was
spent on improving the post as more and more soldiers arrived. Parts of the tent city were
improved to semi-permanent structures after the men suffered for weeks with the wind and
choking dust caused by extended drought conditions across Texas. Faulty existing construction
often meant sagging roofs and insufficient tent stoves needed for those cold nights when the
temperature neared freezing.
Camp Logan quickly became self-supportive, excluding the necessary foodstuffs to feed its
soldiers. It had its own hospital, chapel, tent city, post office, and stockade. For recreation, it had
the Liberty Theater and a camp auditorium. The three Army bands of the 122nd, 123rd , and 124th
Field Artilleries often provided entertaining concerts or marches both on and off post. In
addition, there were three Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) centers on post. These
were the predecessors of World War II’s USO clubs. The YMCA provided a reading library, free
stationary for writing home, and a place for relaxation and camaraderie. Performing in parades,
in support of Liberty War Bond sales campaigns, was also a departure from routine training for
many soldiers at Camp Logan.
Changing weather temperatures and the physical closeness of the troops meant hospital
dispensary numbers were high. It was not uncommon for soldiers to be quarantined or seriously
ill from pneumonia, measles, pox, colds, or influenza. Injury from accidents was also common
and occasionally fatal. Sgt. James Gillespie of Springfield died in August 1917 while riding in the
sidecar of a motorcycle which plunged off a road and crashed between Camp Logan and
Houston. He was the city’s first fatality of the war and was buried with full military honors.
Camp Logan was physically located approximately four miles from Houston and was serviced
by a streetcar route and numerous jitney (taxi) drivers. One recollection in the Houston
Chronicle newspaper described a jitney driver being forced by the Camp Logan post
commander to chop wood for the post. This was hard labor punishment for his attempting to
extort an extra $0.25 per man for a jitney ride for two soldiers returning to Camp Logan after a
night out on the town.
The townspeople of Houston worked well with most of the Camp Logan soldiers. An occasional
scuffle downtown between soldiers and civilians or a local anti-war demonstration was the
extent of the excitement. A serious incident did occur outside the post main gate when AfricanAmerican military police soldiers violently clashed with Houston townspeople over racial
tensions. In the end, seventeen people, citizens and soldiers were killed. This prompted MG Bell
to request the War Department not to send further numbers of African-American troops to the
Houston area for service or training.
Upon arrival at Camp Logan, the soldiers received complete physical examinations for medical
and fitness suitability and a series of vaccinations, including Typhoid serum, prior to the start of
rigorous training. A soldier could expect to sleep on a cot in a cramped tent with eight or more
others and be subjected to hot day, dust, mosquitoes, cold nights, disease, fatigue and the
loneliness of hard days of physical activity and living outdoors in confined spaces.
Back home, family and friends wrote their soldiers describing their everyday life, the ongoing
recruiting drives, and of their participation in various war efforts; such as the local Red Cross
sewing units which made surgical garments and badges for Army distribution. There were even
Mother’s Correspondence Clubs which wrote letters to their hometown soldiers to keep them
informed and their morale high.
The training days at Camp Logan were, at first, routine and less effective than desired due to
the unavailability of actual weapons, artillery pieces, and live ammunition with which to train. A
typical day was about seven hours long and consisted of repetitive daily hygiene, physical
readiness exercises, close order marching drills, rifle maintenance and marksmanship, bayonet
drills, and battlefield signaling with flags and arm signals. Before or after the regular training
hours, a soldier could expect additional individual training in the arts of guard post or kitchen
police (“KP”) duties.
The main detractors for the 33rf Division’s training were threefold: the lack of actual weapons
and ammunition for training, the lack of a full strength division to train, and the more than five
hundred “enemy aliens” who were a distracting drain on time and personnel resources that
could best be used in training the soldiers for warfare. The soldiers, both infantry and artillery,
trained with dummy weapons until October 1917. Once weapons began arriving, it was a
constant logistical battle to obtain live ammunition to do valuable live fire training. General
Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe, continually preached to
his Division Commanders the necessity for disciplined and exhaustive live fire marksmanship
practice prior to arriving in Europe ready for battle. Target ranges were practically non-existent
at Camp Logan, but, per MG Bell’s orders, they were quickly constructed and viable by
December 1917.
The 33rd Division was initially slated for departure to Europe in mid-November 1917, but
personnel and training readiness shortages caused a delay until early 1918. With word of their
delay also came a War Department directive to turn over nearly half their soldier’s woolen
clothing to the 32nd Division since it was scheduled to depart for Europe earlier than the 33rd .
MG Bell vigorously, but to no avail, protested this last action of taking his soldiers’ clothing. He
also asked for 6,000 recruits to be sent immediately to bring his 33 rd Division up to readiness
and prepare them for deployment over seas.
January 1918 proved one of the coldest months in Texas history and yet the readiness of the 33
rd Division improved noticeably. General inspections of training readiness of the 33 rd occurred
occasionally from February through April 1918. British and French battle hardened instructors,
officer and enlisted, were imported to guide soldiers through gas trench warfare training and
also in the effective live firing of their weapons.
As training intensified with dramatic positive results on 12, on 12 March 1918, MG bell ordered
all officers not to leave post on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays and to use the time
wisely for military study. Additional study and tactical walks were ordered for Wednesday
afternoons. A similar order was issued concerning all soldiers of the 33rd Division on 26 March
1918. March 19th brought word of 2,700 white, enlisted recruits coming to the 33rd from Camp
Grant, Rockford, Illinois in early April. Continual insistence by MG Bell to the War Department
concerning his need for recruits to fill his vacancies paid of and throughout April 1918 the 33rd
Division received 7,145 additional soldiers. These replacements would bring the 33rd to near full
strength.
As training continued at a hurried pace, MG Bell received orders from the Adjutant General of
the Army on 22 April 1918 directing him to send the 108th Engineers and their trains to Camp
Merrit, New Jersey for their embarkation to Europe. This unit would serve as the advance for the
rest of the 33rd Division soon to follow. A second order to MG Bell was to transfer all “enemy
aliens” to the 44th Infantry stationed at Camp Lewis, Washington immediately. Three days later,
704 “enemy aliens” were sent by train to the 44th Infantry from the 33rd Division.
MG Bell was ordered to depart on May 1st for the embarkation port at Camp Upton, Long Island,
New York with his Division Headquarters elements and staff officers. Once arrived at Camp
Upton, the General and his troops were visited by Governor of Illinois, Frank Lowden, who gave
several rousing speeches and wished the men .Godspeed in their journey overseas.
The 108th Engineers and Engineer Trains shipped overseas on May 8th from Hoboken, New
Jersey with the Division commander, staff and headquarters elements sailing on May 16th. The
remaining elements of the 33rd Division passed through Camps Merrit and Upton en route to
shipping overseas throughout May 1918. All troops reached Europe by early June 1918.
World War I – 130th Infantry Regiment3
The 130 Infantry Regiment consisted of 3 battalions composed of the following companies:

1st Battalion
Company A, B, C and D (Weapons Company)

2nd Battalion
Company E, F, G and H (Weapons Company)

3rd Battalion

Company I, K, L and M (Weapons Company)
The original provincial militia of Illinois was formed at Kaskaskia and Vincennes 282 years ago.
Thus, was the beginning of the 130th Infantry. Its organization was the single unifying bond
between the sparse settlements of the province and stood as a barrier to Indian attacks. In
1728, our Regimental forefathers received their first call in the defense of the colonies during
the French and Indian war.
In 1754, the battle-tested militia met and forced surrender of the Virginia Volunteers at Fort
Necessity. The Virginians were under the leadership of George Washington, a great military
strategist as well as later first president of the United States.
The Revolutionary War found the colonists under the command of George Rogers Clark. For
the first time, the Illinois troops, together with Clark's own Virginia militia, were under control of
the United States Army. March 1, 1809, the unit was re-designated the Volunteer Militia of
Illinois Territory.
3
Article taken from the Internet: 11/26/2004 Order of Battle, Steve Dixon, 33rdinfantrydivision.org, © 2003
http://www.33rdinfantrydivision.org/regiments/130th.htm.
By 1813, as they were fighting against the combined attacks of British and Indian units in the
War of 1812, Major Bailey's Old Battalion and Major Buckmaster's Battalion of Spies had been
added to their ranks. Victory and the first campaign streamer won by the Regiment was finally
achieved in 1814. Times were turbulent and rest was short lived for the troops. In 1831, the
grand chieftain of the Sac and Fox Indian tribes, Black Hawk, attacked the settlers. Once again
Federal Service called and the Illinois Militia reported for duty as Duncan's Brigade. The
pioneers, adapting quickly to Indian tactics, captured Black Hawk and ended the war in 1832.
One of the ends attained by the War was the migration of Indian tribes to regions further west.
Serving in the ranks of the Brigade was Captain Abraham Lincoln, eventually to become
commander in chief of all forces in the United States.
Mustered into service in 1846 as the Fourth Illinois, the troops fought in the Mexican War under
Generals Scott and Taylor. They met a force of 20,000 Mexicans under General Santa Ana on
22 February 1847 and were victorious. General Scott proceeded against Vera Cruz. After
capturing the city they continued marching toward Mexico City. While sixty miles out they
encountered the 12,000 remnant of Santa Ana's troops. The ensuing battle resulted in 1,000
Mexicans dead and 3,000 taken prisoner.
The truly outstanding military achievement of the unit began in 1861 under the banners of the
7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Regiments. As they served in the Civil War Illinois troops, over 260,000
strong protected Illinois from invasion; helped hold Missouri for the Union; assisted in breaking
the Confederate hold on Mississippi; participated in Sherman's campaign in Tennessee; and
were involved in the capture of Atlanta. Vicksburg, Chattanooga and Shiloh were but three of
the campaigns in which they distinguished themselves and further enriched their proud heritage.
Reorganization and re-designation took place after the Civil War and finally, on 10 October
1917, the 4th Infantry Regiment assumed the title: "the 130th Infantry Regiment."
World War I saw the newly formed 130th Infantry participate as part of the American
Expeditionary Forces in the Somme Offensive. The unit further enhanced its fighting reputation
in the Meuse-Argonne, Picardy and Lorraine sectors. These were the first engagements for the
130th on overseas soil. After the end of World War I, the Regiment returned to Illinois and, until
the outbreak of World War II, was called upon in times of calamity and disaster, as well as to
support civil authorities in times of disorder.
Machine Gun Company of 130th Infantry Regiment
Below is a newspaper account of a meeting held in Paris, Illinois in 1951.
"The postmaster of Paris will be honored today and tomorrow for a highly successful career of a
completely different type. Grady O'Hair, Paris postmaster, will be feted for his service and ability
at the annual convention of the 4th Illinois 130th Regiment Association which is meeting here
this week-end.
Mr. O'Hair was captain of the Machine Gun Company of the 130th Infantry Regiment during
World War I and was noted for his devotion to duty and concern f or the men in his company.
This weekend the men of his company and other former members of the U.S. Army unit honor
him as one of the outstanding leaders of the organization which fought through the battles of
Meuse-Argonne, Chateau Thierry, and Troyan sector in France.
Described as "very well thought of by both his men and officers", Mr. O'Hair repeatedly drew
regimental and division praise for his bravery, battlefield ability, and cool-headed devotion to the
safety of his men.
As commander of the machine gun company which was continually called upon to reinforce
infantry units where the fighting was the thickest, Capt. O'Hair was in charge of 16 .30 caliber
machine guns and 65 enlisted men and three officers, which included Senior First Lieutenant W.
C. McKinney of Paris and Claude Austin of Effingham.
The Company was mustered at Dietrich, Illinois, near Effingham in July 1918 and shipped to
Camp Logan, Texas from where it was sent overseas to France.
Men from Paris and eastern Illinois nearly filled the Company's roster, and draftees were added
at Camp Logan to complete the unit strength. For Mr. O'Hair the mustering of the company was
a continuation of duty to his country. He served as a second lieutenant for several years before
the war on the Mexican border. And later was regimental master sergeant in the National Guard
in duty preceding World War I."