Archive for the 'Military History' Category
Buena Vista’s Service & Sacrifice
My mother-in-law handed me a copy of the book Buena Vista’s Part in the World War, One Iowa County’s Record of Service and Sacrifice. She has the book because it includes the service records for John E. Reese, her father, during the Great War. The book, published in 1920, is in an incredibly poor state and will probably not last many more years. I will do something to record, and preserve, the portions of the book concerning John Reese but that will be less than a page of information out of a 760 page volume.
Searching though this volume, as delicately as possible, I was able to find three references to John Reese. The first, a photo with his name in the caption, is not him. The second, in the “Honor Roll of Buena Vista County”, has his service records which are quoted below.
Born February 9, 1893. Enlisted September 22, 1917. Sgt. Co. F, 316th Engineers Regiment, 91st Division. Trained at Camp Lewis ten months; to camp Mills. Sailed from New York July 6th on Armeck; landed Liverpool July 20. To France at St. Mihiel September 11 to 16; to Meuse-Argonne September 26; at 1st Station for Army of Occupation; to Brussels; to St. Nazaire. Sailed April 6; landed Hoboken April 23. To Camp Merrit; to Ft. D. A. Russell. Mustered out April 298, 1919. Received the D.S.C. for extraordinary heroism in action at Audenarde, Belgium, November 1.
The editor added the following note: Data on this division shows that thirty members of the division were given the Distinguished Service Cross. John E. Reese was one of the men so honored.
The final reference to John Reese is his own description of his involvement at the Audenarde. Stay tuned.
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