Decatur County IAGenWeb Military

World War I Casualties

Decatur County, Iowa

Last Name	Given Name	Residence	Rank	Branch of Service	Date	Cause	Place	Interment	Next of Kin	Notes
Bain	Thomas Taylor	Decatur	S2C	US Naval Reserves	08 Jul 1918	acute intestinal obstruction	Great Lakes Naval Hospital IL		s/o James & Christina (Taylor), Decatur	Enlisted 04 Jun 1918
Baker	Earl Marion	Grand River	S2C	US Naval Reserves	06 Jul 1918	acute intestinal obstruction	Great Lakes Naval Hospital IL	Grand River Cem	s/o Richard & Hannah, Grand River	b. near Grand River 25 Oct 1897; enlisted 03 Jun 1918 Des Moines; USS Missouri
Bohn	William Towner	Lamoni	CORP	US Army	09 Oct 1918	pneumonia	France	Meuse-Argonne American Cem, Lorraine France	s/o Daniel & Emma, Lamoni	b. Lafayette Twp 23 Dec 1896; drafted 24 May 1918; 351st Inf HQ Co, 88th Div
Boyer	Wheeler	Lamoni	PVT	US Army	15 Jan 1918	meningitis	Ft George Wright WA		s/o Harrison & Nancy, Lamoni	b. Mt Ayr IA 18 Mar 1884; Co M 159th Inf (2nd enlistment)
Campbell	Neal Dow	Grand River	Apprentice Seaman	US Naval Reserves	22 Sep 1918	pneumonia	Great Lakes Training Station	Grand River Cem	s/o Wm H & Minnie, Grand River	b. 28 Feb 1895 near Grand River; Co L; enlisted 20 Jul 1918
Carrico	Isaac Edward	Davis City	PVT	US Army	01 Aug 1918	KIA	France	Oise-Aisne American Cem, Picardie France		Co A 128th Inf 32nd Div
Case	Lyman E	Lamoni	LT	US Army Signal Res Corps	14 Aug 1918	KIA	over Belgium	Rose Hill Cem, Lamoni	s/o Warren E & Joanna M	b. Nokemis IL 07 Aug 1896; enlisted May 1917; 17th Aviation Aero Squadron
Combs	Robert Glenn	Leon	CORP	US Army	06 Apr 1919	pneumonia	Luxembourg	Arlington National Cem, Arlington VA	s/o Chas F & Rosa A, Leon	b. 06 Oct 1894 Leon; enlisted 17 Jun 1918; BTY C, 20th Field Art 5th Div Red Diamond Division
Cowel	John		PVT	US Marine Corp		wounds	Base Hosp No. 15, Chateau Thierry France	Chaumont France	s/o WP Cowl	b. Afton, Iowa 27 Oct 1890; enlisted Kansas City 21 Jun 1917; 84d 6th Reg.
Dale	Homer	Grand River	PVT	US Army	12 Oct 1918	bronchial pneumonia	Herring Court Hosp, Belfast France	Meuse-Argonne American Cem, Lorraine France	s/o Jno Dale	b. 16 Dec 1895 Grand River; mustered 25 May 1918 Camp Dodge IA; Co F 351st Inf 88th Div
Daughton	Leo Morris	Woodland	S2C	US Naval Reserves	14 Oct 1918	influenza	Annapolis MD Base Hosp	St Mary's Cem, Woodland	s/o James & Hannah (Grifin), Woodland	b. Richland Twp; enlisted 06 Jun 1918 Des Moines
Dawson	Harley William	Leon	PVT	US Army	06 Mar 1918			Leon Cem	s/o EF & Rosa; h/o Ethel Adaline Umphress; f/o Rex	b. 23 Oct 1895; enlisted 18 Sep 1917; Battery E, 339th Field Artillery
Dent	William L	Leon	PVT	US Army	17 Oct 1918		France	Big Springs Cem, Wayne Co IA	s/o Wm M & Mary (Brooks)	Co G 60th Inf 5th Div
DeVries	John Bennis		PVT	US Marine Corp	02 Feb 1919			Monumenta Cem Lynden WA		b. near Andover MO 18 Oct 1895; enlisted 01 Aug 1918 Des Moines; served at Paris Island; discharged 24 Jan 1919 Quantico VA
Garber	Wilfred Dolf	Weldon	PVT	US Army	15 Oct 1918	Spanish Influenza	Champ Sheridan, 133d Base Hosp Corps AL	Franklin Cem	s/o John & Rosa	b. near Weldon 04 Sep 1893; enlisted 06 Sep 1918 Camp Dodge IA; Co 42 II Bat 163d Depot Brig
Grenawalt	Harold Vane	Lamoni	1 LT	US Army	24 Oct 1918	disease			s/o CU & WK	b. 08 Apr 1891 Eagleville MO; enlisted 31 Jul 1917 Des Moines; 263 HQ Co Aviation
Harris	Otto P	Lamoni	PVT	US Army	1918	KIA		Rose Hill Cem		Co G 139th Inf
Holliday	John H	Woodland	PVT	US Army	01 May 1918	pneumonia	Camp Custer Battle Creek MI	Leon Cem	s/o Chas H & Maria J	b. 03 Jul 1887 near Woodland; mustered 26 Feb 1918 at Leon; Co B 55th Eng
Honnold	Louis	Leon	PVT	US Army	13 Dec 1918	drowned, KIA	France	Plot B Row 11 Grave 25, St. Mihiel American Cemetery, Thiaucourt, France	s/o Jas W & Ella	b. 12 Aug 1882 Leon; enlisted Dec 1917 Des Moines; Co C 2nd Prov Ord BN, American Expeditionary Forces
Judson	Ralph A	Lamoni	PVT	US Army	03 Jul 1918	KIA		Rose Hill Cem	s/o Arthur, Lamoni	b. Lamoni 1892; enlisted Phoenix AZ; Co M 125th Inf
Ladd	Chas	Grand River	PVT	US Army		KIA	France		s/o Wm & Ellen	b. Decatur Co; enlisted 08 Oct 1917; Co. B 342nd Inf.; Charles Ladd American Legion Post No. 215, Grand River, Iowa, was named in his honor.
McConnell	David L	Westerville	PVT	US Army	27 Nov 1918	influenza	Ft Riley KS	Westerville Cem	s/o Thos & Susan; h/o Myrtle Monroe	b. Decatur Co; age at death 27y 9m 3d
McJimsey	George M	Van Wert	PVT	US Army	26 Oct 1918	KIA	Verdun Sector France	Plot E Row 22 Grave 20, Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France		b. near Van Wert 02 Jan 1890; mustered 21 Sep 1917; Co D 101st Inf
Miller	Clifford		CORP	US Army	08 Oct 1918	KIA	France	Plot A Row 12 Grave 3, Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France		b. 20 Mar 1893 33rd Division, 123rd Field Artillery Regiment, Supply Company
Milner	Wm			US Army	15 Oct 1918		Camp Dodge IA	Metier Cem	s/o Verne	b. 14 Oct 1896 Weldon; enlisted 06 Sep 1918; Co 42 11 BM 163 Reg.
Musselman	John Chas	Leon	PVT	US Army	04 Oct 1918	influenza	at sea	buried at sea	s/o Chas	b. Ottawa Co KS 02 Sep 1895; mustered 07 Aug 1918; Co 9 ARD Inf
Myers	Tru W	Lamoni	PVT	US Army	26 Sep 1918	KIA	Prenys Moselle France	3/4 mile from where he fell, Saint Nihiel American Cem., Thiaucourt-Regnieville, Lorraine, France		b. 01 May 1896 Deloit, Crawford Co IA; enlisted 26 Apr 1918; Co I 357th Reg
Pender	Jasper Lloyd	Weldon	PVT	US Army	06 Nov 1918	KIA	France	Ainsworth Cemetery, Ainsworth, Brown County, Nebraska	s/o Jasper Newton Pender and Harriett Emily Hardy.	b. 10 Feb 1897 Company H, 355th Infantry Regiment, 89th Infantry Division
Reynolds	Jasper E	Leon	CORP	US Army	22 Feb 1919	pneumonia	France		s/o Chas Austin & Ellen May	Co E 336th Field Art
Smith	George W	Garden Grove	PVT	US Army	13 Oct 1918	pneumonia	France	Garden Grove Cem	s/o Hugh T & Ella E, Garden Grove	Co F 357th Inf
South	Frank Marion	Dekalb	S2C	US Naval Reserves	25 Sep 1918	pneumonia	USS Ohio, Base 2	Van Wert Cem	s/o George, Dekalb	b. Leon 13 Apr 1897; enlisted 04 Jun 1918 Des Moines
Stanford	Albert Lawson	Eden Twp	PVT	US Army	07/17 Oct 1918	KIA		Somme American Cem, Bony Picardie France		b. Eden Twp 23 May 1892; enlisted 17 Feb 1918; Co K 119th Inf Reg
Welcher	John W	Van Wert	PVT	US Army		accident
Wren	Max N	Van Wert	PVT	US Army	12/30 Sep 1918	KIA		Saint Mihiel American Cem Thiaucourt-Regnieville, Lorraine, France	s/o Mary E	b. Sharp Co AR 12 Jun 1895; enlisted at Vinita OK; Co L 358th Inf

Frank M South

Left to right: Tru W Myers, Lyman E Case, Ralph Judson, Harold Grenawalt, W T Bohn, Edd Carrico

During World War I, the Spanish Influenza appeared suddenly in January of 1918 without warning.

By noon of March 11, 1918, over 100 soldiers stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas were in the base hospital with the influenza. Within a few days, 522 of the soldiers had been reported sick.

The Influenza swept through one barracks after another across the nation, claiming the lives of many of America's doughboys. Close quarters of the troops increased transmission of the disease.

With troop movement going overseas, it didn't take long before the pandemic became world wide. The virus was deadly. The second wave of the pandemic which began in August of 1918 was more deadlier than the first. It continued to sweep the globe throughout the fall and into 1919.

The base hospital at Camp Dodge was quarantined on September 28th. Two days later, with a reported 500 cases of Influenza, all of Camp Dodge was under quarantine.

The Spanish Influenza disappeared as suddenly as it began but not before it claimed more lives than the Great War itself.

Most influenza outbreaks will kill the elderly and the young. The pandemic of 1918-1920 infected an estimated 500 million people and claimed approximately 3 to 5 percent of the world's population, predominately healthy young adults. Soldiers who were in the trenches or quartered in the barracks were particularly vulnerable.

SOURCES: virus.stanford.edu/uda/; flu.gov/pandemic/history/1918/your_state/midwest/iowa/index.html; "Decatur County's WWI Losses." Decatur County Journal. Leon IA. 20 Nov 1919. "Iowa Boys Who Have Sacrificed Their Lives That Democracy Might Live: Lest We Forget." The Iowa Magazine. Vol. 2, No. 6. Pp. 17, 18, 20. Greater Iowa Assn. Davenport IA. Dec. 1918. "Officers and Enlisted Men of US Navy Who Lost Their Lives During The World War From April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918." Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 1920. Decatur County Journal, 20 Nov 1919. HonorStates.org.
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September 2013; updated by Conni McDaniel Hall, February 2021.

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