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Name:
John Wallace's experiences in the Great War
Date:
1917
to 1919
Location:
New Jersey, France
Topic:
Event / War or Battle
Description
The ‘war to end all wars’ was what the Great War, (World War I) was called between 1914 and 1918. Fighting between the European nations had begun in 1914 and the United States did not enter until April 1917.
Many young men in America rushed to join the U.S. military to join the allied fighting in Europe and to make the world safe for democracy. Six weeks after America declared war on Germany, a national draft registration (divided into three parts based on a male's birth year) was established across the country. The U.S. military needed a registration of available man power, those males born between 1873 and 1900.
The Robert Wallace family of Essex County, New Jersey, had three sons, born between 1894 and 1901. William and Robert, Jr. were born in 1894 and 1897, so they did register for the draft. But the youngest son, John, was born July 1901, did not need to register and was only 16 years old by July 1917. However, the fact remains that John Wallace did serve in the military, including being sent overseas.
Wallace served in the U.S. Army's 113th Infantry, it was part of the 57th Brigade which was part of the 29th Division serving with the US Army 4th Corp. This Regiment was made up of men from the Essex County area of New Jersey. The Regiment was staffed in October 1917 and served in Alsace-Lorraine and Meuse-Argonne by mid-1918.
The Regiment was demobilized in May 1919 at Camp Dix in New Jersey. So Pvt. John Wallace had to have been only 16 years old during his enlistment, training and then deployment overseas. He must have misrepresented his age, possibly stating he was born 1899, so he would be accepted into the Army. He also told the recruiter he was a mechanic, a much needed skill in the Army, when in fact he was not a certified mechanic. John just knew how to tinker on vehicles.
The United States Army did accept John; he did train and was sent along with rest of the 113th Infantry aboard one of the many transport ships, like the USS Princess Matoike, to the shores of France. He did experienced warfare in the French countryside that he related to his own young son years later.
One event was while the Regiment was on a march, John noticed a wounded German soldier along the side of the road. Being a compassionate young man he stopped briefly to offer the soldier a drink from his canteen. Suddenly rounds of gun fire filled the air and everyone hit the ground. There was a multitude of German snipers in the area and the American forces had just become easy targets. After the vicinity was secured, Pvt. Wallace's platoon Sergeant gave him hell for such a stupid act and endangering everyone. But John was only 16 years old, away from home for the first time and hated to see the suffering.
Another occurrence was while walking across an open field to deliver a dispatch to the next battalion; Pvt. Wallace was spotted by a German tri-plane. The armed plane made an about turn, took aim and started shooting in John's direction. The bullets were whizzing all around Pvt. Wallace and appeared to follow him as he zigzagged across the field. Up ahead was a deep wooded forest so he made a sprint there to hide from the pilot's view. Crouching down and not moving a muscle John remained in the woods until he was sure the plane had left the region and wasn't returning.
One of the injuries John suffered came during the Battle of the Aragonne in 1918 when he was mustard-gassed. Gas shells were dropped and formed a fog like cloud that engulfed everyone. An immediate reaction was the blistering all over the body and a temporary blindness. The government-issued gas masks helped prevent some damage to the lungs but John needed medical attention and was transported to a French field hospital. This medical facility also cared for the captured German prisoners who were injured or sick. With the mounting casualties on all sides there was little, if any, available space for incoming wounded soldiers. John found himself, along with fellow Americans recuperating outside without any shelter provided while many German prisoners were protected from the elements in enclosed tents.
Private John I. Wallace was fortunate to recover and served his full time with the 113th Infantry. He came back to New Jersey and a hero's welcome from a grateful community. He was awarded the Certificate of Honor in 1919, one recognition John was proud of, even if he did have to fib a bit about his age.
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