Veteran's Day Salute

With Veteran's Day upon us, I thought I would give a quick overview of Grandpa Keating's service in World War I.  This overview is based on Grandpa's documents, postcards and photos as well as my dad's recollections of Grandpa's service. I am saving all of the documents in a binder preserved in archival sleeves, but I'm  happy to show anyone who is interested!

Louis Joseph Keating joined the Illinois National Guard on April 19, 1913 for a three year enlistment.  He had just turned 17 in February of that year and is described on the forms as being a printer with brown eyes and dark hair with a medium complexion standing a little over 5'6" in height. Most likely, Grandpa had not graduated high school, but started some kind of training/apprenticeship in the printing field around age 16. (According to a study, just 9% of US youths had high school diplomas in 1910, by 1940 that number was up to 50%.  See citation: high school graduation rates)

National Guards for each state had started forming after the Civil War to replace state militias.  Grandpa probably viewed the National Guard service as an extra source of income and a way to gain skills.  Grandpa most likely still lived at home with his parents and eight siblings, so the extra income must have been appreciated by the family.  Grandpa started his service as a private in a cavalry's unit where he gained horsemanship skills and also completed a sharpshooter militia course.

Grandpa received an honorable discharge in April 1916 and is listed as having achieved the rank of Corporal of Troop H of the First Regiment of the Illinois family National Guard.  His character is described as "Excellent" in his discharge paperwork. 

By 1916, the threat of the United States entering the "Great War" was very real.  Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in June 1914 and the guns of August began that year in Europe and fighting had continued for almost two years. Many people in the US still hoped to remain neutral in the conflict, but the US government was planning for war in many ways, including the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916, enacted on June 3. This act boosted the importance of National Guard units, like the one Grandpa had been serving in.   For more on the National Defense Act, read this link: National Defense Act of 1916.

In June 1916, Louis Joseph Keating re-enlisted in the Illinois National Guard, this time as a Sergeant.  Within a month of re-enlisting, Grandpa's national guard unit was packed up and sent for training in Springfield, IL and then Texas. I assume they were transported by train to those two destinations.

Here is a photo showing Grandpa with three of his friends, listed as Joe Fox, Pete Held, Steve Wizoric and Lou Keating.  Grandpa wrote that it was taken in Springfield, Ill en route to Brownsville, Texas. Grandpa was 20 at the time of this picture.

Grandpa spent several months in training, both in Brownsville and Camp Logan in Houston.  At some point in this process, his cavalry unit became an Artillery unit and he became part of Battalion A in the 122nd Artillery. 

Despite what must have been a difficult training, Grandpa seemed upbeat about his time in Texas, writing short, snappy postcards to his grandmother, Bridget, and his Aunt Nell. 

After several months of training and "hurry up and wait" in Texas, Grandpa's unit was sent by ship to Europe.  We have a few of the letters Grandpa wrote describing his passage.  In a letter to his mother, Eleanor Keating, written sometime in July 1918, he wrote: "Arrived safely after a fine trip.  Weather was a little stormy but not for long. I was not sick at all. Expect another short trip before we reach our training camp.  We are not allowed to tell where we are at now but the country is pretty."  

In a letter dated July 23, 1918, Grandpa wrote to his brother Ed with a similar account of his trip.

Dear Ed,

Just a few lines to know that I arrived OK and am settled down for a short while until we complete our final training.  We had a wonderful trip across and I wasn’t sick once, although we had two days and nights of real rough weather when you couldn’t stand up unless both hands were firmly gripped on a railing.

    We are settled in a nice part of the country here and expect to be up helping the rest of the boys in their good work soon.

    If you happen to have any spare jack at any time you might send a little as things are high and pay days are way behind time, if you send any use postal money order.

    I will send you a picture that I am having taken with our new dinky hats & wrapped leggings.

    Well. Ed, I will close now, hoping you will drop a line to me occasionally letting me know all the news,

Your loving bro

Louis

Bat. A-122nd Art

American Ex. Forces

I think it's interesting how he gave a more vivid account of the crossing to his brother.  Ed was in the Navy and we think he was transporting troops to and from Europe, so he could relate more to rough seas.  I also like the use of "jack" as slang for money and the word OK, which was a relatively new slang term.  Ed and Grandpa got to see each at some point in France, the exact date is unknown, but Grandpa alludes to this meeting in another letter to his mother.

Here's a few photos he took in France with some annotation.

 

 

 

 

Grandpa was part of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) who worked with 110,000 French troops under the command of General Pershing. The Bottom line is: Grandpa saw some serious combat in the fall of 1918. Grandpa and his troop were involved in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel from September 12-15, 1918. This battle was the first US-led offensive in WWI. (You can read a lot more about this battle in Wikipedia at this link: Battle of Saint-Mihiel  If you prefer Britannica as a source, here's another web site: Battle of Saint-Mihiel.)

Grandpa also was in the Meuse-Argonne offensive from late September through November 1918. This was a very large and bloody engagement for the US Army, involving 1.2 million soldiers and 350,000 casualties from both sides.  (Here's the Wikipedia entry about this event. Meuse-Argonne offensive and here is the Britannica entry. Meuse-Argonne.)  I'm not a military historian, but that sounds like a terrible engagement to me.

The Armistice of November 11, 1918 was signed to end the fighting of WWI.  Grandpa's troops remained in France and he later served from Jan. 1 through April 1919 as part of the occupation in Luxembourg.  

Thank God, Grandpa was not injured in the battles, but he did suffer temporary blindness due to exposure to phosgene gas.  My dad tells me that sometime after the Armistice, while riding in a truck, Grandpa and his unit went through a pocket of phosgene gas that remained from the Meuse-Argonne campaign. Phosgene gas can be deadly, so we are lucky Grandpa wasn't killed. My dad thinks Grandpa was blinded for roughly 24 hours, but made a full recovery. Here's an article about the use of chemical weapons in WWI.  Chemical weapons in WWI

As a result of this gas injury, Grandpa received what the military called "20%" disability and received a monthly payment for the rest of his life.  The payment started out in 1920 as $8/month, but my dad believes it went up to $15/month in later years.   

On January 1, 1919 Grandpa served as part of the occupation in Bissen, Luxembourg. Here's the front and back of a postcard he sent his mother in March 1919 from Luxembourg:

For those of you who struggle reading script, here's a transcript:

Bisson Lux.

Postmark Mar 4

From Louis J. Keating to Mrs. E.M. Keating (his mother)

6759 Ada Street

Dear Mother, 

We just recently had another “shot in the arm” and have not been able to write very well.  Will write a long letter Sunday.  All OK here.  We are having summer here.  Expect to leave for a sea port in a short time rail early in May.  We are having it rather easy here now so the drill schedule has been changed. Received your last letter and note that Ed is back.  How is work in Chi? Wonder if E and I could get in at Mergys?  Would like to get job as assistant assembling new machinery.  Have Pim explore.  Yours, Louis

It sounds like poor Grandpa was getting immunizations from the army while he waited to return to the US.  It's interesting that Grandpa is starting to plan for his post-War future.  I'm not sure who "Pim" is, unless it's what they called their dad? 

Grandpa was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on June 16, 1920.  He was 24 years old at the time with brown eyes, dark hair, a medium complexion and he is listed as being 5 feet 8 inches in height.  He met and married Catherine Dowd nine years later.  The rest, as they say, is history.

November 2022