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As the band played, the music echoed throughout
the hills and valleys of the cemetery and set the mood for those
gathering with their lawn chairs, finding comfortable locations
under the shade of the trees dotting the landscape.
Polly Wise walked among the guests, handing out programs of the
event sponsored by the Elkhart American Legion Post 616.
Members of the Legion Auxiliary carried hands full of poppies,
offering them to guests for a donation to support the Legion.
Among the one's offering poppies was 96-year-old Lucille Brewer
wearing her sombrero for protection from the bright sun. Lucille is
active in her community and enjoys being out and about supporting
local veterans. She’s also excited to share that in a month she will
turn 97. She takes care of herself, but has support from good
friends in the community.
At 2 p.m. American Legion Post Commander Larry Wise welcomed guests
and thanked the Mount Pulaski Community Band for the wonderful
music.
He introduced Stephanie Tiskcos who sang a moving rendition of the
Star Spangled Banner.
Pastor Steve Lobb of the Elkhart Methodist Church was called on to
deliver the invocation.
Before giving the invocation he read a poem written by Tamsen
Butler. Lobb said he felt the poem was perfect for the moment and
for the remembrance of those fallen soldiers meant to be honored on
Memorial Day.
There's no comfort in battle,
No joy in the field.
Though exhausted and rattled,
Did they know their fate was sealed?
Did they know the end would come?
Were they scared or were they strong?
Were they willing to do it all for freedom?
Did they mutter, "No, this is wrong?"
No, they grasped the flag;
They ran forth with no fear.
Their bravery did not lag;
They held their faith near.
The Lord gave them strength
And held them close in His arms.
They were willing to go the length
To rage forth despite alarms.
Did they know it was the end?
Did they know their battle was lost?
They knew what they were willing to spend
And what would be the cost.
Thank You, Lord, for hearts that are brave,
For sacrificial love and those who serve.
We appreciate everything they gave
And their unshakeable nerve.
Lobb then offered the invocation noting the purpose of the day was
to honor the dead and acknowledge their greatness.
The guests were then invited to sing God Bless America as the band
offered accompaniment.
After the music, Elkhart American Legion Auxiliary President Barb
Miller recognized members of the auxiliary for years of service.
Those recognized included:
Donna Cunningham – 15 years
Nancy Hines – 20 years
Leslie Urish – 20 years
Marlene Lanterman – 25 years
Theresa Moore – 55 years
Miller also acknowledge Gwen Rossenfelt, who was in town for the
day.
Erlene Miller was recognized as being in the audience. She is the
longest member of the Legion and is 102 years old.
Commander Wise then introduced the guest speaker for the day. Paul
Osman, a World War I historian who has studied the war extensively
and visited many battle sites and gravesites in Europe.
Osman began by saying of all the towns in Illinois, Elkhart stands
out remarkably. He noted that the stories from Elkhart are the
stories movies are made of in his opinion.
He shared general information such as during WWI one quarter of the
town’s population – 72 young men, enlisted and went to war. He noted
that several of those young men are buried in the Elkhart cemetery,
but five are still in Europe. They lost their lives and were buried
in their battle country.
He noted that World War I is a forgotten war, but that it was a war
that set the tone for America and led to the greatness of the
country. He noted that some of the developments that came from that
war included innovations in weaponry, use of chemical weapons, and
the invention of penicillin. He said that 10 percent of the American
soldiers enlisted died in that war.
Four served in Company K, the first infantry division in France and
the first one to win a battle. Seven served in the 33rd Division.
Three were air force pilots, and 20 served in supply train officers.
He noted that two brothers of the Severenson family joined up, then
their mother also joined up as a Red Cross nurse and went overseas
with her sons. There were three other Elkhart women who served as
Red Cross nurses.
Osman shared that the first life lost from Elkhart was that of
Abraham Bock. He passed around a photo page showing the young
soldier as well as his gravesite in France. Bock was in the 58th
infantry, Company C and the first to enter battle in France.
Osman read the letter of the account of the battle written by Bock’s
commander He also shared that Bock is among the five buried in
Europe, in one of the largest military cemeteries overseas. He added
that a few years ago the superintendent of archives in Europe sent a
flag to Elkhart. Osman said it was a gigantic flag that could not be
flown at the cemetery, but it is currently flying in Williamsville.
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Another Elkhart soldier buried in Europe is Emmitt Fitzgerald. He
was a clerk in a downtown Elkhart store. Osman said that Fitzgerald
was a “chick magnet” and all the girls liked him. He said Emmitt was
writing letters to dozens of girls in Elkhart.
On the day that Emmitt was killed, there were three other Elkhart
boys in the same company. Osman said there were reports that Howard
Lanterman was there, and when Emmitt was killed, Lanterman was
wounded in the leg in the same battle and subsequently had his leg
amputated. Osman said he had the honor of meeting with Lanterman’s
granddaughter on Sunday and she told him that her grandfather did
not lose his leg.
He then read a letter written by Emmitt to his parents a week before
he died. Because of the time involved in mail delivery, the
Fitzgerald family actually received the letter after Emmitt had been
killed.
The letter bragged of bravery of the Elkhart boys and
added “the German’s sure did run when they saw us Elkhart boys
coming.” The letter mentioned Lanterman as well as another Elkhart
boy, Virgil Long. In the letter he urged his mother to have “plenty
of eats laid up for Christmas, and I hope I’ll be home to share it.”
Of course, that never happened.
John Laffey was of Irish descent from Elkhart. He was the eldest of
eleven sons, married, and with a new baby. He enlisted into the 32nd
Division of the 125th Infantry. That division was made up mainly of
boys from Wisconsin who were of German descent. Osman said those
Wisconsin boys went to war with a “chip on their shoulder, they had
something to prove, they were now Americans.” As a result, that
division was vicious and ruthless in battle. He said that the
Germans were terrified of the 32nd. Laffey died in a battle that
took 2,500 lives in one hour.
He talked about Charles Cullen, a farm boy from Elkhart who was
assigned to an ammo-train unit. His unit was the most gassed unit in
history. The men and even the horses wore gas masks 24/7. Osman said
that at some point, Cullen must have been without his mask, because
he died of pneumonia, an effect of gassing.
Elza Green was the son of one of the very few black families in
Elkhart. Osman noted that technically black men were not permitted
in the American units. So, Elza wore an American Uniform but was
assigned to the French. The French unit was referred to as buffalo
soldiers and were the only unit with black soldiers. Elza returned
to Elkhart in 1919, though it was reported to his family that he had
died.
The last person Osman spoke of was Hillard Davis, a bugler with
Company C of the 124th battalion, and the most decorated soldier
from the area. As a bugler, he stayed behind when his company went
to battle. He was then the message runner between companies. As
soldiers were wounded, Davis ran out to pull them back into the
trench for safety. Afterward he was nominated for the Congressional
Medal of Honor. He did not receive that medal, but he was awarded
the Distinguished Service Medal.
Osman shifted gears and brought the stories back home to Elkhart.
The people of Elkhart were fully invested in supporting the war
effort. There was a knitters club that was noted as having donated
more sweaters, socks and hats as any village in the state. They had
a huge scrap committee that was ranked number one in salvage and
harvest of walnut for weaponry.
The town also had its own home defense corps, a militia for the
protection of the community from German invasion. Osman said that
for whatever reason, the people of the village believed that they
would be invaded and they wanted to be prepared to defend their
community and their country.
He said sure enough, in June of 1918 in the early hours of the day,
a watchman spotted a zeppelin flying low toward Elkhart and
descending for a landing. The militia was called to action. They
gathered their men and weapons and lined up to march to battle.
Osman noted, “I picture a whole bunch of Civil War vets with
Springfield muskets, pitchforks, shotguns, the whole works. The
Elkhart Home Defense Corps marched west. By then the zeppelin had
sunk to the ground. They surrounded the zeppelin and out came
American soldiers. It turned out that it was an experimental flight
coming out of St. Louis to Rantoul that had engine trouble and made
a landing. But they were totally convinced it was a German attack on
Elkhart.” Osman said the group recovered quickly, took the soldiers
into town and fed them breakfast, helped fix the engine, and sent
them on their way.
He said that Elkhart is the only village in Illinois with a Doughboy
statue. It also has one of only two in Illinois World War I cannons.
He concluded saying that for those who are here at home, they need
to know that their boys buried in Europe are well cared for and
respected. The cemetery is the Meuse-Argonne in north-east France in
Lorraine, at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon.
It is the largest military cemetery with 14,220 graves. Osman said
that it is the largest and the least visited cemetery, but the
French show up there every day to honor those dead. He said he would
guarantee that in front of each stone there is a French flag and an
American flag.
At his closing, Osman asked Polly Wise to come and read a letter
written to the Commander of the first division in 1919 concerning
the graves of the American soldiers including those five from
Elkhart.
Wise read the letter.
“Several of your soldiers now lay at rest in
our French soil. Please know that their ashes shall be cared as if
they were our own. We shall cover their graves with flowers and
kneel by them as their own families would do. We will offer a prayer
to God to reward with eternal glory these heroes who have fallen in
our fields of honor. Please do know sir that your sons are now our
sons too. We will always care for them as if they are our own. With
my profound respect, Father McCord.”
When Wise had finished the reading, the band played “To Reap the
Blessings of Freedom.” Pastor Lobb delivered the benediction.
The American Legion Post 616 Color Guard delivered the 21-gun salute
and Taps was played with echoing trumpets. The band concluded the
day with the playing of America.
Commander Wise brought the day to an end, thanking all those who had
come out to honor the fallen soldiers of Elkhart and remember all
those lives lost in battles for our freedom. He encouraged guests to
take a stroll around the noting the graves marked with small
American flags, and to remember those soldiers whose sacrifices are
represented in those flags.
[Nila Smith] |
