Veterans Day, 2008, Morton Grove's Doughboy Monument

Today is Veteran's Day, and this one should be remembered a little bit differently. The holiday evolved from Armistice Day, which honored the military service of millions Americans during World War I, which ended 90 years ago today.

Very few veterans of the Great War survive. The Wikipedia entry on surviving World War I veterans lists just a dozen men.


Just last week, a British veteran who emigrated to Australia died at the age of 108. Only one American First World War veteran is still living, Frank Woodruff Buckles.

The image most people have of World War I is trench warfare. The last man who survived the trenches is Englishman Harry Patch--he's 110.

In the picture is Morton Grove's World War I monument, known here as The Doughboy Statue. Here is the roster of the men from Morton Grove, Illinois who served in what was then called "The War to End All Wars."

The names in bold died during the conflict.

Edward A. Baumhardt
Jacob P. Baumhardt, Jr.
Frank M. Boemell
Henry G. Glauner
Frank M. Steszkal

Henry C. Anfeldt
William J. Birkhold
William C. Borchardt
Christopher F. Bremer
Otto L. Bremer
Irwin A. Dilg
Carl R. Febrow
Mathias M. Fink
Charles C. Guenther
Herman J. Heppner
Bernhard H. Hoss
Max H. Jonas
Louis Kadlec
Anthony Karsten
John J. Kohl
Peter H. Kohl
Joseph J, Kohl, Jr.
Christopher M. Lee
John J. Lochner
George J. Loutsch
Harry P. Loutsch
Leo J. Meyer
Dr. C.A. Neymann
Frank Novak
Joseph J. Novak
Walter A. Pauli
William R. Peters
Earl F. Poehlmann
Roland Poehlmann
Walter Poehlmann
Allan Ross
Martin Schuetz
Carl W. Sonne
August J. Sturm
Werner P. Vetter
Fred C. Weigt
Henry H. Weigt
Eugene Willem

You'll notice a lot of German Americans listed. Ninety years ago, Chicago's northern suburbs were heavily German. German-Americans, as well as pacifists, suffered terrible discrimination during World War I. That unhappy episode of our history is covered in a chapter of Jonah Goldberg's recent best-seller Liberal Fascism.

But these Morton Grove men served, and some died, but they're all gone now.

Remember our veterans today. And thank them.