United States Veterans of the Great War
Welcome to the information site for World War I veterans.
This is a free site. No fees, subscription, or membership required.
Photo courtesy of Stan & Sarah Sievers
The database was originally World War 1 veterans from the State of Indiana, but men from other states are also listed.
This is an ongoing, fifteen-year project, initiated from the records of the Indiana War Memorial, over 137,000 veterans are listed, but detailed records on only 38,000 to date, but more are added weekly. The detailed records have been scanned directly from the fragile, archival records at the Indiana State Library.
The original Indiana military records of the Federal government were completely destroyed in a fire at the National Archives, July 12, 1973, in St. Louis.
80% of the WW1 veteran's records were lost.
All of the records from Indiana were destroyed.
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html
INFGroup photograph of the 120th Infantry, [30th Infantry Division], commanded by Col. William B. Cochran, at Camp Sevier, S.C., on March 16, 1918.
The Indiana Historic Commission requested each county to conduct interviews with each veteran after WW1. Veterans offered insightful, entertaining, and heartbreaking stories of their experiences and they have been included in this web site. As much as possible has been captured in the veteran's own words. The names, experiences, and deeds of our veterans are a vital part of our legacy that we must not lose.
This website would not exist without the help of the Indiana War Memorial staff. It originated as a database for a kiosk at the WW1 museum. The primary force behind the project was Col. Bill Sweeney, the Executive director of the Indiana War Memorial (retired). The current director is Brigadier General Stewart Goodwin.
Many thanks to Ethan Wright for his time, David Buchanan (now Curator, Decorative Arts and Furniture at the Indiana State Museum) and Stephen Hill: www.dupagemilitaryflag.com for their patience with endless military questions. Thank you also to Donna Schmink, Collections manager at the Indiana War memorial for her great assistance with the many photos of WW1 archives and especially for her research in Women in Service which includes all of the "Gold Star" women who lost their lives in the Spanish American War, WW1, WW2 and Desert Storm from the State of Indiana.
Indiana War Memorial
55 E Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN
317-232-7615
The "Great War"
"The War to End All Wars"
The WW1 veterans who grew up in the long shadow of the Civil War veterans, fought the first World War only later to have to send their sons and daughters off to fight an even larger war. This website is dedicated to their memory and primarily consists of their stories in their own words. Their stories are grouped together by area of service or experiences.
Most of the veteran's information has been scanned or added with voice recognition software. The original documents were handwritten and often difficult to read. Any corrections or additional information are greatly appreciated.
The World War 1 Draft
The Army Act, approved May 18th, authorized raising the number of enlisted in the Regular Army to the maximum strength sanctioned by law. The National Guard and Reserves were activated and a draft was issued for 1,000,000 men.
Between 1917 and 1918, 98% of all men born between 1873 and 1900 received a draft registration notice. Approximately 24,000,000 men were registered but only a small portion actually served.
The first registration covered men born between the ages of 21 to 31 as of June 5, 1917.
There was an additional registration the following year that covered the men who had turned 21 during that year. Congressional opposition led to excluded from the draft of men between the ages of eighteen to twenty on the initial drafts. Resident aliens were required to register but were not drafted. The final draft was in September of 1918 and was expanded to cover men between the ages of 32 to 46 and 21 to 18.
A special edition of the Indianapolis Star dated July 23, 1917, in the Indiana War Memorial archives, consists of the complete listing of all registrants from Marion County, Indiana. The population of the city of Indianapolis was 339,784. The total registration figure was 34,154 with a double quota of 4,954. The double quota figure is used due to the many exemptions expected. The exact quota figure is listed at 2,477; this figure is lower than the number of men who actually served due to the credit issued for the men who had voluntarily enlisted.
Nationally over 24,000,000 men were called to register. Only 20% served.
American Troops marching in Paris for Bastille Day
National Archives Photo courtesy of the Indiana War Memorial
Postwar:
Welcome Home Sign
Post WW1 parade in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana
Both photos courtesy of Stan & Sarah Sievers