my Grandfather was an infantryman during WW1

He fought in France against the Germans and was mustard gassed and that ended his military career. He lived to be 84 years old and died of liver cancer.

I don't really know what the mustard gas did to him, he didn't talk about it much. I've read his diary though.

Okay, sort of a copycat thread.

:shrug:

Except that mine didn't leave a diary.

:cry:

I think it is at my dad's house right now. I haven't seen it in several years. I would assume my mother had it and she died a year and a half or so ago.

No, I doubt we had the same grandfather, unless you are my cousin :D, or the one I never knew about?

:hi:

:pals:

All I can remember about him was that he was always sick from the mustard gas. He probably died from lung cancer... but I'm not sure.

It would be really fascinating to read a personal diary of a WW I vet, though. They really went through hell, didn't they?

:pals: "Cuz"

whether it was just a cultural thing, or what I don't know

I wonder how much PTSD was to be found among those vets, but the culture said be quiet and go about your business.

I have a friend who is going to work in the VA in the city I live in. She is going to be working with vets returning from Iraq. She will be good at it as she is a former marine and tough as nails. Funnier than hell too.

But yes, the diary of a WW1 vet, at least my gf's was very interesting to read.

They did go through hell.

:pals:

They called it "shell shock" which I think is a lot more descriptive.

and it was very common and perhaps the commonness of it made it less stigmatized?

at any rate little was done to ameliorate the symptoms

My grandfather was over there, too. He was gassed and shot. The bullet wound healed, and since he was a runner, won a local race when he returned. However, like many of them, the gassing slowly ate his lungs over the years, eventually killing him at 38. Not long after my father was born. That's how close this posting was never to have been written.

I don't know of any lung problems my grandfather had. Maybe he had the mask on as mustard is a blistering agent he may have just had external exposure.

He told us about mustard gas, and having to shave with cold water every day so the gas mask would fit properly.

He was in an area were gas was used but was never gassed.

He said his officers were really tough about be prepared for a gas attack.

He was wounded in the leg but came home in one piece.

How was your Grandfather's health when he came home?

My Grandfather walked with a limp, not so good for a farmer that still used horses.

For all we know, they knew each other.

I have a picture or two of him from that time -- one where he's sitting in a tent with one of his buddies and one that's obviously a studio portrait of him in his Army uniform. Through the genealogy department at the National Archives I got a copy of his draft card.

I have a helmet from WW1 that he had. I think there might even be a uniform somewhere at my dad's house. He was my mother's father but she has passed.

They might have known each other.

He didn't have to go but went with his two cousins who were still in the Guard.

We have a a very large picture of several photos showing boot camp training, still in good shape.

I have his purple heart, not the one he was given then but one we got for him before he died.

Back then the men were given large paper purple hearts, my Grandfather's hung in the kitchen.

He had some stories to tell, he kept back the worse ones until we were older.

and he never talked about the war to me

I don't know what he said to others really.

:shrug:

I'm the oldest of two children in my family.

He was a big man, but by the time I knew him he was old but could still pick up a haybale and throw it around.

literally a heart attack alone at home. She was found the next day by a neighbor.

6 months after my grandfather died.

My Grandfather was never the same, he just gave up.

He died in his sleep in the nursing home.

He had his military funeral like he wanted.

He was a good and gentle man.

that's a long time

i'm not sure how long my grandparents made it i know it was well past 50, but i'm not sure to 60

Someone recently posted that ancestry.com was allowing free access to military records until 6 June. So I nabbed it. It was almost 90 years to the day that he signed it. All the other records and photos have been destroyed by a sociopathic sibling.

a sociopathic sibling destroyed the records?

man, that bites...

A couple years ago, I photographed the tombstones in the family plot. My grandfather's is government issued with his military attachments: Company B, 163 Infantry, 41 Division. (During the depression, families didn't have money for tombstones, so they stuck pieces of blank slate in the ground.) I should be able to dig up where they were in the war. It just occurred to me reading through this thread that there's public info available every day for me. I eat lunch in Pershing Park, which has a map of Pershing's troop movements. And then there's always that Internets thing.

he was a very quiet and private man. I wonder sometimes if he suffered from PTSD?

But he just didn't talk about it. I read his diary and it was a window into a man I'd never known. I read it after he died. It discussed his time in France. His love for my grandmother as well.

Amazing to me that the man I read about was the man I had known. He was older when I was born and was in his 70's when I was a kid.

I always just knew he had his rituals, he liked Cardinal baseball and watched it always, and that he read the paper every morning without fail He also went to the Catholic Church despite the fact that he'd been I guess excommunicated or at least he couldn't take communion because my mother and her sister weren't raised Catholic. I admire my grandfather, I did then, and I've had dreams about him where he's come to me and talked and was reassuring. The dreams were so different from my life experiences with him, but they always have made an impact on my life.

:shrug:

My Granpfather talked with a thick Czech accent even though he was 2nd generation already.

He liked his two bottles of Shiner beer everyday and his Gunsmoke tv show.

He was very gentle, I think he saw to much war.

He married my Grandmother when he came home and they bought a farm and built a house.

They raise 3 kids and was a great Grandfather, I miss him.

Sudetenland to be exact a little berg called Rokytnice, they were German though and immigrated here a generation before my grandfather.

I don't remember my grandfather drinking at all. He liked to watch the news, and Hollywood Squares, Lawrence Welk, and some other dramas that were on in the 60's.

He didn't talk much at all when we were around and I don't know if he did other times.

I miss them them alot now.

I was really lucky to know them.

What I would give for some video of them but this was before video cameras were cheap enough to buy.

i think lawrence welk was a fav of a lot of people from that generation

According to the Department of the Army, there are three (3) remaining living U.S. veterans of the First World War.

my grandfather has been dead since I was 14. My grandmother died 6 months after him of a heart attack.

He died of liver cancer, or it may have been prostate cancer but I know that his liver was affected and that killed him.

32 years ago. Only 3 left, wow. That is amazing too. Life goes on.

:hi:

or 7, depending on how you count

at least there were a couple of months ago...

3 Army
2 Navy
1 Marine Corps

and 1 from the US Public Health Service

it is a damned small number and very sad, but I think about it and my grandfather was born 112 years ago, so the vets must be over 100 easily.

I see there is no column for WWI at all, so I guess it is such a small number they don't bother with statistics anymore?

that is a bit depressing

they are either all gone, or almost all gone.

wow

to be born in, oh, 1900-1901 which would make them 106, 107

and those would be not too many, as the draft was already drawing down from late 1917 on.

I guess it makes me realize my own age. The fact that WW1 is so long ago that no one is around to recall it as a veteran is a milestone of sorts.

:shrug:

According to the current wiki on the topic, there are five living WWI veterans in the USA today. Of those five, one served in the Canadian army, one served in the German army, and two were still in boot camp when the war came to an end.

Frank Buckles, who is now 106 years old, is the last living US Forces combat veteran from WWI. He served as a battlefield driver in France, and was part of the occupation force after the war came to an end.

He's a fascinating guy too. In the 1940's he was an employee of an American shipping line when he was captured by the Japanese. Even though he was a civilian, he spent three years in a Japanese POW camp. This guy lived through the middle of not one, but two world wars.

I don't mean to disparage the other WWI veterans who served, but Buckles is really the last of what we think of as "American WWI Veterans".

when WWI came around. He was drafted; however, SDA's believe in "non-combatancy", ie.: he was willing to serve but refused to carry or use a weapon. That didn't seem "100% American" to the authorities at the time, so they threw him into some boxcars they were using as a temporary Federal jail for awhile. They finally relented (not sure why, but I think it had something to do with the SDA Church coming to some kind of agreement with the government regarding their members military status) and he was sent to France as a male nurse with the 88th Infantry Division, and with no gun per his request.

He spent the whole time there in the front line trenches, and his unit suffered quite a few casualties. We still have his medals, and copies of some old photos the Division photographer took.

I only knew him as an older man; he was a very gentle and compassionate soul. He talked about his war experiences to his sons, ONCE, and never spoke of it again. Much of it we had to learn through documentation.

I thought at first it was a copycat from the subject line :eyes: but then I read the post and wow. I bet being a nurse or being anyone in the trenches was a terrifying and horrendous experience to live with. I think my grandfather was compassionate, he was very spiritual in nature. He was a quiet man. I know his nerves weren't good and he had a lot of stomach problems because of that. He didn't like to leave home much. But he worked as a postman until he retired. Raised two daughters. Saw all of his grandchildren at least into elementary school.

I have no bad memories of him, a lot of neutral memories and wondering memories of him.

I know he was in action in October, 1918 - 20-some days without changing clothes, the story has it. I tracked down the area, but lost it in a hard drive crash.

I can't remember the exact area he was at, but it is written down in records I have somewhere. A small berg in France. In the trenches and I can't imagine what hell trench warfare must have been. War is hell period.

Lost an eye, gained US citizenship.

:patriot:

I thank them all for their service, I thank all veterans for their service.

...that I realized the degree of sacrifice in World War I. As someone said over in the genealogy group, demographers aren't supposed to cry, but when you read how a generation of men were lost, it really brings it home. Of course, the Americans entered the war late and didn't lose men on the scale that the French and the British did, but it's still mind-boggling.

And then the flu pandemic hit right afterwards.

Certainly none of this crossed our minds when we were kids and mention was made of Grandpa's war service.

and you are right, the flu epidemic hit

:cry:

it is truly a generation of bravery that goes unrecognized generally.

I can still see the look in my grandfather's eyes when he would talk about the war.

He was trench raider, they would go out at night and look for Germans to bring back for information.

He could speak German and with his strong accent in the dark he could pass for a German.

He had some stories to tell.

Funny, I was going through old photos this evening and found a bunch of his from his army training in Oregon.

He was born in Dachau in 1900, was drafted into the Imperial Army when he was 13 & spent the next four yrs in uniform.

So sad to think of the tragedy of war on all sides.

:hi:

His best friend threw himself on a grenade (so I've been told) to save his life.

His was in the reserves in Canada for WW2. He was 50 at the end of that war, and that's when my Mom was born.

how does one deal with "survivor guilt" from something like that?

Well WW1 is a war that is fading fast into the world of memory, and history.

it was just one of those things your grandparents, or aunts, or uncles or parents just "happen" to mention...

another thing......My grandmother stated they were slated to be on the Titanic, but arrived 15 minutes late? I don't know.......anything is a possibility. They came to the new country (well, Ohio, my eldest great-aunt was born in Cleveland) at the turn of the last century, but went back to the "old" country. Maybe they made another attempt in 1912?

They eventually came to Canada in the twenties.

sheesh. That is amazing.

Interesting things you find out when researching family eh?

but I remember my grandma saying that on a few occasions.

Could explain why I'm late wherever I go. ;) Hey, it's in the genes! ;)

And complications from it lead to his deaf when he was in his early fifties. He married later than life, after the war and left behind two small children, my grandmother and her brother.

I think my grandfather was very lucky or had a mask on

he had no health problems until late in life

died at 84 of cancer

He was a relatively old 23 at the time, and other than
to say it was pure horror, he never elaborated.

Even so, he lived to be 102 with all his marbles intact,
although the last time I visited with him, he said, he
was just tired of everything. He died in his sleep 3 months
later.

When I say he had all his marbles to the end, I mean ALL
of them. At age 99, he sent out a Christmas card with a
photo of himself, looking very much his age, with the
following caption:

COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASONED

You gotta love a guy with that kind of humor at age 99.

And I did.

I like the "compliments of the seasoned"

good genes to make it to 102!

He was always coming up with these great lines.

I don't know how old you are, but if you remember a few
advertising slogans from the past, like "Smirnoff vodka. It
leaves you breathless!" or "Quick as a wink, you're in the
pink" for Pepto Bismol, they were his. After doing odd jobs
around Hell's Kitchen to keep his family fed during the Depression,
he got into the advertising business, and did moderately well,
though he probably could have been a zillionaire star if he had been
born thirty years later (he was born in 1894). His daughter, my mom,
only survived him by six years. He was my only grandparent with those
kind of genes. My dad's parents never made it to 70, and I just
barely missed an appointment with the Grim Reaper at age 52. I
lucked out that time, but the danger is with me (and my siblings)
for good. I missed out on getting his genes, unfortunately.

If you liked "Compliments of the Seasoned," check this out:

We were driving in Washington, DC, mid-sixties, around the time LBJ
was starting his War on Poverty. The Population Explosion was just
starting to be a major theme of discussion as well. My mom was driving
and my grandfather and I were in the back seat. Out of the blue, he
said he was going to start a War on Puberty to stop the Copulation
Explosion. My mom was laughing so hard, she almost put the front of
the car through the entrance to the FBI building.

nor in my mouth!

:spray:

"a war on puberty to stop the copulation explosion"

:rofl:

I'm sorry about the genes only panning out selectively, and I hope you are able to keep as healthy as you can too! :hi:

He died in 1971 at the age of 80, but he was always a kind, loving, generous person (no obvious PTSD). Of all his children and grandchildren I was the only one who ever really listened to him about his experiences, so I was the one to whom he left all his medals. Here they are:



He was also awarded a citation. Have a look at the lower right corner and see if you can make out who signed it.

what is the red one on the right?

is that a French Medal?

Was he a Marine? That is the same design of the late USS Belleau Wood's seal, was why I was wondering.

a French medal for valor. Although he never told me, I believe the star on it denotes a second award.

My grandfather was in the 391st Infantry, US Army. Early in the war he was assigned to the French Army. I remember an old photo of him with other American officers and all of them were dressed in the same manner: an American uniform, but French helmets.

Best I can make out was John Pershing

cool

:hi:

thanks

Saw a lot of action. Mustard gassed also. Developed tuberculosis as a
result. Died at age56. Grandfather was in the Spanish America War. Cavalry.
One of those blue coated guys. Uncles in WWII, brother/husband in Korean, cousins
in Viet Nam. Me, i'm a pacifist.

Spanish American War... did you get to meet him and talk to him?

cool...

Lived with him and my grandmother for twelve years. He didn't talk too
much about his army experience, but had loads of pictures. Most of his
enlistment was served at forts "out west"...New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas
(yes, but it is west of Missouri). Dad told me a bit about his service in
France during WWI. Said that trench warfare was horrible. He fought in the
Battle at Chateau-Thierry.

and unimaginable to most of us.

He was just a grunt, infantryman, 2nd Division and saw a lot of action. He came home to Chicago and became a carpenter/cabinet maker and then the depression hit. Taught my dad to walk with his head down to look for unused street car transfers and loose change.

Gramps took part in the Bonus March on DC and met Smedley Butler. Later, back in Chicago, he worked for the communist party hanging campaign signs and such, had their prez candidate shake hands with my dad as a lad.

hahaha, grandpa was a commie, how fitting...

edited to add: he was gassed as well, died of emphysema at age 64 when I was 8.

"grandpa was a commie"

:rofl:

Sounds like a tough guy and it's neat that you learned as much about him and at least got to know him a bit.

:hi:

how did his gassing affect him?

It must have been very common to have gotten gassed.

Or so it would seem from this thread.

:hi:

I win.

:thumbsup:

I think I might have family that served in the American Revolution, they were here at the time.

Irish, Scottish, Native American mix mostly.

I win again.

:P

I had people living in Texas at the time.

I am sure some of them served in one of the armies.

Texas was splint with some people serving both the north and south.

Texas isn't really the deep south, we are both south and west.