A Moment in Time

"Looking Back at 'The Great War'"

A Tribute to Veteran's Day

November 1997
By Randy Thies

A monthly series from the Kansas Historical Society

Veterans Parade, Kansas Avenue, Topeka, 1919
Kansas Historical Society

Eighty years ago, in April 1917, the United States threw its hat into the ring and entered the conflict we know today as World War I. Dwarfing all previous wars in scope and impact, the conflict was often referred to as "The Great War." Ever the optimists, Americans chose to call it "The War to End All Wars."

Kansans responded to the outbreak of war with patriotic fervor, enlisting in the armed forces and participating in bond drives, scrap drives, and victory gardens. Around eighty thousand Kansas men entered the service, most of them going to the army. More than three hundred Kansas women also joined the colors, many going to France to serve as entertainers, Red Cross nurses, or representatives of the YWCA and YMCA.

Even before the U.S. entered the war, Kansans were fighting as members of French, Canadian, and British forces. Jarvis Price of Hill City, for example, became one of the most decorated non-Canadians serving in the Canadian army. These expatriates were soon joined by Kansans serving in the "Big Red One," the U.S. Army's First Division, sent to France in June 1917.

Several units were composed largely of Kansans, and naturally became the subject of much concern and pride of the folks at home. The 35th Infantry Division, made up of Kansas and Missouri National Guard units, contained the most Kansans. Many of them were in the 137th Infantry Regiment, a unit that continues as part of the modern Kansas National Guard. Other Kansas units included the 353rd "All Kansas Regiment" of the 89th Division and the 117th "Kansas Ammo Train" of the 42nd Division. The 347th "Washburn Ambulance Company," organized at Washburn University in Topeka, contained many Washburn students and was
composed almost entirely of Kansans. The army wasn't the only service with a Kansas unit: from Holton came the "Holton Marine Band." Comprising of only twenty-five men, the whole band was cited for gallantry, with sixteen of its members being wounded under fire.

Minorities also fought as proud members of the American forces. Frank Cadue, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi, had the sad distinction of being the first Native American from Kansas to die in the war. Rudolph Negrete, a Mexican American from Topeka, was decorated for bravery and earned a sergeant's stripes for action in France. Along with a handful of other Kansans, he also served in Russia fighting Bolsheviks after the war ended in France. Since racial segregation was the rule, African Americans served in separate units. Many from Kansas served as part of the 92nd Infantry Division. Trained at Camp Funston and commanded at the company level by black officers, the unit fought in France as part of the American Expeditionary Force. Camp Funston, located on the Fort Riley military reservation, emerged as one of the largest training centers of WWI. Named after Kansas general Frederick Funston of Spanish-American War fame, the camp was built from nothing in 1917, and was just as quickly torn down after the war. Spread over several hundred acres, it eventually contained some 4,000 wooden buildings designed to house 70,000 men. Adjacent to it was "Army City," an extensive government-approved entertainment center. Rapidly demolished and now long forgotten, the uniqueness of Army City is now being documented by archeologists.

Other Kansans were in the war, although not in the military. Peggy Hull of Bennington became a war correspondent, the first women journalist to receive accreditation by the War Department. After spending time in France, she traveled to Siberia to report on the fighting between Bolshevik and Allied forces. Another Kansan, Donald Thompson, a photographer, is said to have seen more actual warfare than any other Kansan in the war. In particular, he is known for his pioneering motion picture footage that both thrilled and appalled movie-goers back home. On the home front, Kansans responded to the war effort by producing bumper crops, buying bonds, and conserving their use of foods and other essential goods. Women knitted socks and scarves for the soldiers, while Boy Scouts conducted scrap metal drives. The overall enthusiasm of this effort may have gone a bit too far, at least from our viewpoint today, in that many Civil War cannons were lost to scrap metal drives after serving as honored monuments to the soldiers and sailors of that earlier war.

Like all Americans, Kansans rejoiced at the signing of the armistice that ended the war on November 11, 1918. The troops soon came home, except for those unfortunate or adventurous few who went to Russia, and demobilization proceeded rapidly as the country switched to a peacetime mode.

Efforts were soon under way to welcome the troops. Parades were held in many Kansas communities. Arriving in Topeka, troops of the 35th Division were cheered by thousands as they marched down Kansas Avenue under an enormous victory arch and banners proclaiming their welcome.

Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day, soon became a special time of commemoration. Across the state, monuments and statues were erected to serve as tangible reminders of the courage and sacrifice of those who took part in the war. The "charging Dough boy" found popular expression in statues that still stand in Axtell, Leavenworth, Oakley, Onaga, and Parsons. A bronze doughboy stands guard over veterans in the Olathe cemetery, while a doughboy carved in stone eternally stands at attention in downtown Wilson. Bronze "Victory Eagle" statues occupy places of honor in Topeka, Lawrence, and Wamego.

Statues are not the only kind of WWI monuments erected by Kansans. Obelisks of polished granite or local stone stand in many of our cemeteries and courthouse grounds. Local memorial buildings are probably the most common WWI memorial. Unrealized today by many Kansans, these were built to be "living monuments" to Kansas valor in WWI. Other monuments of a more unique nature also exist, such as the granite sofa, dedicated to Harvey County soldiers, that sits in front of the courthouse in Newton. Also serving as monuments to the war are trophy weapons taken from the vanquished German forces: a cannon in Columbus, and a machine gun in Meade. Similar weapons, of American, British, or French manufacture, are scattered around the state.

The Kansas Museum of History's "What's New at the Museum" exhibit will feature Veteran's Day, a selection of armed forces items including a navy uniform, a captured machine gun from a German Fokker airplane, trench art, and medals. The exhibit will be open through November and December at the museum during regular hours, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Photographs and many other resources relating to Kansans in the military can be found in the Center for Historical Research. Both are located at the Kansas History Center, 6425 SW Sixth Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615-1099; 785-272-8681; TTY 785-272-8683.