Purple Hearts of World War I and Earlier.

Born on 10 March 1895, Pfc. Altizer enlisted in the West Virginia National Guard on 27 June 1915 from Bluefield, WV.  He was promoted to Pfc. on 5 January 1917 and served overseas from 12 June 1918 to 12 December 1918.  He was assigned to Company D, 7th Infantry Regiment on 8 July 1918. He participated in the Marne and Meuse-Argonne Campaigns before being wounded on 4 October 1918.

During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Pfc. Altizer's 3rd Infantry Division was assigned to V Corps.  Their initial assignment was to capture the Romagne Heights, which was the central strongpoint of the main line of German defenses , the Kriemhilde Stellung.  The 3rd Infantry Division relieved the U.S. 37th and 79th Infantry Divisions on the front lines on 1 October 1918.  They encountered constant German shelling with poison gas clouds floating and drifting everywhere along the front.  German aircraft controlled the air, strafing and directing artillery onto the Doughboys.  

Pfc. Altizer and his comrades endured this until 4 October, when they advanced on the Romagne Heigths, over two miles away.  the 7th Infantry Regiment was on the left side of the advance and had to cross several rolling hills, cross a ravine and then climb the slopes of Hill 253, capture the German trenches at the top, cross a mile of open ground to reach the Mamelle Trench - the main German defenses on the Romagne Heights.  All of this had to be accomplished under constant German shelling and machinegun fire.  the 7th Infantry jumped off late and was immediately pounded by German artillery.  U.S. artillery had fired smoke rounds to try to cover the advance of the Doughboys, but the smoke hung in separate "clouds," which the German gunners used as range markers to increase the deadly effect of their shells.  The infantry quickly lost formation and took horrendous losses.  By late afternoon, they had only advanced to the ravine below Hill 253, less then 1 mile ahead.  The Doughboys waited until 4 PM before attempting to capture the hill, but were forced back into the ravine after a few minutes.  It was during this day's action that Pfc. Altizer was wounded.  While his records are unclear, he may not have received medical care for two full days.  This, sadly, was common during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive because of the massive numbers of US casualties which overwhelmed the medical system.

He received his Purple Heart on 7 August 1936.  He died on 9 December 1945 of heart failure at the age of 50 years old.  He is buried at the Monte Vista Cemetery, Bluefield, West Virginia.  His grave site does not have a marker. 

He died on 5 June 1957 at the age of 69 and is buried at Keokuk National Cemetery, Keokuk, Iowa.

Research shows that 1st Sgt. Brosnan served in World War I and at least at the beginning of World War II.  It appears that he also served in the U.S. Army for some time before World War I.

During World War I, he served in Company B, 20th Machine Gun Battalion.  He was transferred to this unit on 1 January 1918 as a corps of officers and sergeants from the 55th Infantry Regiment. He was one of the three original 1st Sergeants in the Battalion.  After several months of training at Camp MacArthur in Texas, the Battalion boarded the U.S.S. Leviathan at Hoboken, New Jersey for the trip across the Atlantic, where the men were packed aboard with only 18 inches between bunks.  The ship set sail on the afternoon of 3 August 1918.  They arrived at Breat, France on 11 August.  

The 20th Machine Gun Battalion moved into the line in the Puvenelle Sector on 10 October 1918, relieving a brigade of the 90th Infantry Division.  1st Sgt. Brosnan and his Company B were assigned to support the 3rd Battalion, 55th Infantry Regiment.  They were assigned to an area known as "Death Valley" near Villers-sous-Preny.  On 12 October, the Germans noticed that a relief had taken place on the American lines and began a barrage of gas and artillery.  This began a series of artillery duels, and patrol and raiding parties which lasted several day.  On 14 October, Company B reported 15 casualties, mostly from gas attacks.  According to the official history of the 20th Machine Gun Battalion, 1st. Sgt. Brosnan was wounded by mustard gas on this day.  It is unclear if 1st Sgt. Brosnan remained on the line, or was evacuated to a hospital following his wound, but his Company was removed from the line on 18 October, and returned to the line at Bois du Four on 1 November.  The rest of the war was marked by advances and light engagements.  

1st  Sgt. Brosnan apparently remained in the Army following World War I, despite the lean and difficult years for the military caused by isolationism.  By 1938, when he was awarded his Purple Heart medal, he was listed as a PFC in Company M, 12th Infantry Regiment.  The reduction in rank probably indicates that stayed in the Army during the major post-war reductions in strength.  It was not uncommon for regular soldiers to be reduced in rank so that they could remain in the service.

He received his Purple Heart on 7 April 1938.  He died on 28 September 1954 as a resident of the Old Soldier's Home and is buried in the Old Soldier's National Cemetery in Washington, DC.  He was 71 years old.

The men of 3rd battalion, 315th Infantry Regiment began preparing for war at "Camp Meade," Maryland (now Fort Meade) from April 1918 until they departed by train on 7 July 1918 to board a troop ship destined from France.  A cheering crowd saw the soldiers off from the train station on 7 July 1918.  They traveled by train to Hoboken, New Jersey where they boarded the former Hamburg-American liner "Amerika," renamed the "America" which was then the third largest U.S. transport ship.  The America dropped anchor in Brest, France nine days later on 18 July, 1918.  

The 315th Infantry Regiment spent the next six weeks training in the Tenth Training Area, before moving to the front on 8 September 1918 .  the journey lasted several days with the regiment finally taking it place in the trenches on 13 September 1918.  There section of the line was located 9 miles northwest of Verdun.  The skulls and bones of those killed in the brutal fighting of 1916 through 1918 were still openly lying on the ground when Cpl. Cassedy's unit took up their positions.

Opposite the 315th Infantry Regiment were the German lines and the nearly obliterated villages of Haucourt and Malancourt.  The Germans had spent almost four years creating a strong defense that was 11 miles deep.  This sector of the line had become a fairly quite sector of the line, with French troops nicknaming it the "Tres-Bon" Sector.  This was about to change as the Allies began preparing for an offensive in this sector on 18 September.  On 26 September, the men of the 79th Infantry Division went "over the top" as part of the leading elements of the attack following a six hour artillery barrage.  

The 315th Infantry Regiment replaced the shattered 313th and 314th Infantry Regiments on 27 September and continued to advance against heavy German opposition.  They pasted wounded Doughboys who laid in the mud for over 80 hours before being gathered by the medics and sent to the rear.  On 28 September, the 315th Infantry attacked the village of Nantillois, one mile ahead across an open valley.  The Germans held their fire until the Americans reached the ridge just south of the village before unleashing, what one soldier called, "the most hellish machinegun and artillery fore of the entire Argonne fight."  Forty percent of the soldiers in the 315th were hit by the time they captured Nantillois at 11 AM.  The survivors continued to advance a further half-mile to Hill 274 which marked the first outpost of the main German defensive line - the Kriemhilde Stellung.  German defense in this heavily wooded area, had been untouched by American artillery, and the advancing Doughboys would have no artillery cover during the attack.  The attack started at 4:30 PM and was quickly repulsed with the Doughboys leaving 400 wounded and dead on the field.  Reserves were brought up and the Doughboys attacked again at 6 PM.  They were also repelled and spent the cold, rainy night listening to the cries of the wounded as Germans constantly shelled and gassed the American positions.  The soldiers renamed Hill 274, "Suicide Hill."

On 29 September, the 315th Infantry was ordered to attack again even though they had had no food or water since the 27th.  The 7 AM attack was smashed from the flanks as Germans fired into them from the woods and the Madeleine Farm.  The Doughboys were pushed back to Hill 274.  The 315th Infantry "practically imploded" during these attacks, according to historian Edward Lengel.  U.S. artillerymen found so many 79th Infantry Division corpses on Hill 274, that "some had to be dragged away to make a path through which ammunition could be brought to the guns without driving over the bodies."  Cpl. Cassedy was hit by shrapnel from an artillery shell in his chest and right hip on this day.  He was evacuated and spent a long period of time in the hospital, with is discharge from the Army being granted on 15 October 1920 at Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C.  It is not yet known if he had remained in the hospital for two years or was stationed there following his recovery.

William "Ed" Cassedy went on to a distinguished career in the Uniformed Secret Service working at the U.S. Mint from March 1930 until he retired in October 1949 as a Lieutenant.  He eventually moved with his wife to Homestead, Florida where he died on 4 August 1963 at the age of 76.  

He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia on 8 August 1964.  The condolence book from his funeral has over 15 pages of signatures from people who came to pay their last respects.  He received his Purple Heart on 4 August 1932.

Pvt. Colyeryahn served overseas from 10 June 1918 until 7 March 1919.  He fought at Bethincourt and the Meuse River during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.  The 320th Infantry Regiment fought during the entire Meuse-Argonne Offensive, leading the assault on Bethincourt along with the 319th Infantry Regiment on 26 September 1918.  The American infantry advanced toward the town, which had been flattened.  The Germans melted away until the early morning fog lifted from the battlefield and then they opened fire on the Doughboys with machineguns, artillery and strafing airplanes.  The 80th Infantry Division advanced 4 miles by dusk, and had already not sleep for over 60 hours.  The 80th Infantry Division continued to advance on 27 and 28 September, advancing to the Bois de la Cote Lemont without major problems.  Fighting picked up in the woods of La Cote Lemont and by 4 October, the 80th Infantry Division had suffered 1,824 casualties between 4 and 10 October.  German gas was so heavy that the Americans had to wear gas masks almost the entire time, even while sleeping.  

On 11 October, the 320th Infantry Regiment prepared for a 7 AM attack against the German defenses.  At that moment, a German counter barrage hit the regiment and "butchered the Doughboys until the dead lay in heaps."  The 319th Infantry shattered so badly that cooks, clerks and quartermasters had to pick up a rifle and hold the line.  Pvt. Colteryahn was shot in his left wrist during this day.  His records are unclear, but its possible that he did not receive medical care until 13 October.  

He received his Purple Heart on 3 April 1944. He died in October 1975 in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

He received his Purple Heart on 24 May 1932.  He died on 19 March 1975 at age 77.  He is buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Francisco, California.   

Pfc Curran served with Company B, 314th Infantry Regiment during his entire time in service from 27 May 1918 until 31 May 1919.  He arrived in France on 7 July 1918 and fought in the engagements at Sector 304, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and at Grand Montagne.  On the first day of the Muese-Argonne Offensive, the 314th Infantry Regiment led the attack on Montfaucon with the 315th Infantry Regiment.  They jumped off at 5:30 AM and bypassing the ruins of Malancourt at 7:30.  The advanced had been covered by heavy fog, but by 9 Am the fog had lifted giving the Germans clear fields of fire on the U.S. infantry who had bunched together in the fog.  The 314th Infantry was pinned down for 5 hours a half-mile north of Malancourt.  They tried to move forward again at 2 PM but were quickly beat back with heavy casualties.  The weakened American infantry attacked again the next morning at 4 AM and slowly advanced as the Germans were forced to withdrawal along the entire defensive line to avoid being outflanked by other American units.  During the entire advance, the 314th was constantly shelled by German artillery.  During the night of 27 September, the 315th Infantry Regiment passed through the 314th to lead the next attacks.  The 314th continued to be shelled as the entire 79th Infantry Division was destroyed by the 29th.  It was on this day that Pfc. Curran was wounded by shrapnel to this left hand.

He received his Purple Heart on 28 January 1942.  He died in 1962 and is buried at the St. Edward's Cemetery, Shamokin, Pennsylvania.

Wagoner Danforth served in the U.S. Army from 31 July 1917 to 29 April 1919.  He received the Purple Heart, Victory Medal, and Silver Victory Button.  He died on 22 April 1964 in Greenhills, Ohio at the age of 64 and is buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery, Glendale, Ohio.

Pvt. Donnelly served in the 2nd Company of the 153rd Depot Brigade until he was assigned to his infantry unit in France, where he served until he was discharged.  He fought in the battles of the Argonne, Toul, Flanders and Thiacourt.  He is listed as having been severely wounded on 17 September 1918.  He recovered from his wound in Europe and returned to the United States on 6 January 1919.  He was discharged from the Army on 13 March 1919 and returned to Providence where he worked as a carpenter.  

He was awarded his Purple Heart on 11 January 1933.  He died on 20 May 1956 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Providence of lip cancer at the age of 64.  He is buried at the St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

He was awarded his Purple Heart on 18 July 1939.

Corp. Harkins joined Battery C, 6th Field Artillery on 15 May 1917 at Douglas, Arizona.  He sailed to St. Nazaire, France with his regiment on 31 July 1917, from Hoboken, New Jersey, aboard the transport ship Henry R. Mallory. All did not go well for then Pvt. Harkins as he was AWOL (Absent Without Leave) on 9 - 10 September 1917, which cost him 2/3 pay per month for three months.

In October 1917, the 1st Division entered the Sommerviller Sector of the line near Lorraine.  Battery C was emplaced near Bathlemont-les-Bauzement, with one gun in action on the morning of 23 October 1917.  At 6:05 A.M., Battery C was given permission to fire, and the first shot of World War I by American troops roared into the German positions.  Pvt. Harkins was not in the section which fired the first shot of the war.

On 22 January 1918, Battery C went into positions a kilometer right of Mandres. On 23 January, the unit was subjected to its first gas attack.  Pvt. Harkins was gassed on 1 April 1918.  During the period between 5 - 10 March, 1918, all batteries were hit with vicious gas attacks, with all of Battery D being hospitalized.  Pvt. Harkins was listed as being "Gassed in Action" with no exact date given in some records.

Pvt. Harkins was promoted to Corporal in September 1918 and was dropped from the Regimental roster on 4 May 1919.

Cpl. Harkins received his Purple Heart on 21 June 1933.  He also received the Silver Star and French Fourragere for his service in France.  He died in June 1970 in Chicago, Illinois.  He was 72 years old.

Pvt. Hendee served with the 5th Marines throughout the war.  He was wounded for the first time on 18 July 1918.  The 5th Marines saw extensive combat during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive as part of the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division.  The 5th Marines entered the line on 2 October 1918 near Sammepy.  They were given the objective to take the Blanc Mont Ridge, which was the most important German position in the Champagne.  Attacking the western edge of the ridge, some Marines called the attack on 3 October "the toughest day of the war."  Supported by tanks and artillery, the 2nd Infantry Division took the crest of Blanc Mont in three hours of some of the most terrible fighting of the war.  On 4 October, they captured the remainder of the ridge and pushed north to the village of St. Etienne and broke the back of the German defensive system in Champagne.   Pvt. Hendee was wounded for the second time on that day.  He was not alone.  The 5th Marines sustained more casualties on 4 October then on any other day of the war, and by the time the 2nd Infantry Division was withdrawn form the line on 10 October, the division had suffered 4,754 casualties.      

He received his Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster on 6 June 1938.  He died on 14 August 1953 and is buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California.  He was 64 years old.  

Pvt. Henderson took part in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive only 4 months after being inducted into the Army.  This was not uncommon, as many soldiers arrived at the front without the knowledge to fire their rifles.  The 28th Infantry Division launched an attack on the first day of the Offensive on 26 September 1918.  The 110th and 111th Infantry Regiments led the attack moving behind a rolling artillery barrage.  The early morning attack soon bogged down near the village of Varennes because of heavy German machinegun fire, but regrouped and moved forward, like the veteran unit they were, to capture the village by noon, but soon ran into trouble at the defense of Montfaucon.  On 27 September, the division's left, consisting of the 111th and 112th Regiments, entered the misty woodlands of the Argonne.  German machineguns fired through the fog and cut down the American infantry, who could not locate the German positions.  The Doughboys withdrew to their original positions by nightfall.  Little progress was made by the 111th Regiment on 28 -29 September as German machineguns raked the field back and forth inflicting a huge number of casualties.  They were able to capture the Le Chene Tondu Ridge after a rare night attack on 29 September.  With the Doughboys not holding the crest of the ridge, the Germans attacked in division strength on 1 October, trying to push the Americans back down the ridge's steep slopes.  The Doughboys waited until the Germans had closed to within 25 yards before opening fire onto the Germans.  To make matters worse for the Germans, their own supporting artillery fire fell short and crashed in their own troops.  

Following the German attack of the 1st and into 2 October, the 111th Infantry Regiment repeatedly tried to capture the crest of the Le Chene Tondu Ridge.  Over and over they attacked over the ridge only to be pushed back to the same positions they had held since 28 September.  German fire continued to rake the American lines, as bullets snapped all around the Americans forcing them to stay on the ground during daylight hours.  The 28th Infantry Division took 2,916 casualties on 1 and 2 October.  All four infantry regiments of the 28th Infantry Division tried to attack the ridge again on 4 October, but the soldiers of the 111th and 112th Regiments had suffered to much and didn't even get out of their foxholes. The 111th Regiment stayed in their position on 5 October, but Pvt. Henderson still suffered a wound on that day, testimony to the constant and dangerous fire that hit the Americans in their defensive positions.   

He received his Purple Heart on 31 January 1936.

He fought in the following engagements: Chemens des Dames Sector, 8 February - 20 March 1918;  Toul Sector, 1 April - 14 June 1918; Toul Sector (Bois Brule Offensive) 10 - 14 April 1918; Marne Salient (Pas Finis Sector), 4 July - 1 August 1918; Aisne Marne Offensive, 18 - 23 July 1918.  

The photograph on the right shows Pvt. Hurley taking part in a parade in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.  This parade takes place after 1935 as he is wearing his Purple Heart on his uniform.  The photo on the bottom right is Pvt. Hurley's tunic.  The photo on the bottom left is the Columbia Accolade issued to Pvt. Hurley for his wounds.  This document was issued to soldiers who were wounded or killed in World War I. 

He received his Purple Heart on 17 May 1935.  

Pvt. Jones fought in the Meuse Argonne Offensive from 28 October to 11 November 1918 , where he was wounded by gun fire and shrapnel only 30 minutes before the end of World War I.  He also served at the Second Battle of Verdun from 26 - 30 September 1918 and in the Defensive Sectors of Ovocourt and Troyon.   

He received his Purple Heart on 18 February 1937.  

Capt. Joy began his military career in 1891 when he joined the Connecticut National Guard as a Private.  In December 1893, he received his commission as a 2nd Lt., and rose to the rank of Capt. in February 1900.  He  lead Company E, 4th Infantry in the Connecticut National Guard until World War I, when he assumed the rank of Regimental Sergeant-Major in the 57th Coastal Artillery Regiment.  Sgt.-Major Joy was the first member of the regiment to be wounded in World War I, seeing action in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns.  After the war, he resumed the rank of Capt. in the National Guard and was assigned as the commander of Company B, 4th Infantry.

Upon retirement from the National Guard, Capt. Joy served in the Bridgeport Draft Board in World War II and was a president of the Putnam Chapter of the Order of the Purple Heart.

He died in October 1947 at the age of 72.  He is buried at  St. Michael's Cemetery, Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Pvt. Kragle unit served with the French 77th Infantry Division where he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre Medal with Bronze Star for Valor on 14 November 1917.  

He died in 1955 in Orange County, Florida.

He was wounded by Mustard Gas on 22 October 1918 and was admitted to the hospital on 28 October 1918.  He had participated in the St. Mihiel Offensive from 12 September 1918 to 10 October 1918 and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive from 10 October 1918 until he was wounded.

The 89th Infantry moved into the line on 19 October to replace the U.S. 32nd Infantry Division during the third phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.  They were given orders to "mop up" the woods of Bois de Bantheville, but found the woods held in force by the Germans.  They attacked Hill 253 on 20 October and continued to find Germans throughout the woods.  The Germans launched gas attacks all throughout the night of 21 - 22 October and infiltrated back into the woods each night to fire into the flanks and rear of the Americans.  Pvt. Lyons was gassed during the 21 - 22 October attacks.  The 89th Division suffered 1500 casualties in the woods of Bois de Bantheville.    

He was from Kansas City, Kansas.  He received his Purple Heart on 26 April 1934.

John McLean worked at a painter before joining the Army.  His first unit was Co. K, 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division.  On 24 November 1917, he was transferred to Company K, 58th Infantry Regiment,  4th Infantry Division where he was promoted to Sergeant on 9 July 1918.  He  first went into action on 18 July 1918 at Chateau Thierry.  Following this battle, he took part in the Battle of Vesle River, where he was wounded by a gun shot on 4 August 1918.  He was evacuated from the front following his wounding, where he spent the next several months in various hospitals in Paris and Bordeaux.  In October, he returned to his unit to participate in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He was discharged from the Army on 14 March 1919 at Camp Dodge, Iowa.  

He received his Purple Heart on 10 March 1938.  He died on 28 June 1958 at the age of 65  in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He is buried at St. Peter's Cemetery, Mendota, Minnesota.  

He received his Purple Heart on 11 February 1936.

On 10 November 1918, on the last full day of the war, a battalion of the 128th Infantry regiment attacked across a fog draped field near Peuvillers, France, east of the Meuse.  The fog was so heavy that the soldiers could only see a few feet ahead of them.  They failed to notice that they were advancing into dense woods until the fog lifted and it was too late.  German machinegun fire chopped down the Doughboys.  Many of those that survived the hail of bullets laid wounded in the field until after the end of the war at 11 AM the next day. 

He received his Purple Heart on 5 August 1939.  

Bugler Silva served overseas from 9 September to 10 April 1919.  He was "slightly" wounded on 15 July 1918 and served in the Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. 

He received his Purple Heart on 16 May 1932. He died on 6 June 1952 in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. 

Pvt. Stocker was from New York, New York.  He served in the US Army two different times.  The first tour  was from 15 June 1917 until 2 January 1919, which included his overseas World War I duty.  After the war, he served from 12 July 1920 to 30 September 1925.  He retired as a Staff Sergeant. 

Pvt. Stocker received his Purple Heart on 20 January 1933.

Pfc. Tepe was born on 9 November 1895 in Jefferson Township, PA.  He was drafted into the Army on 23 February 1918 and was assigned to Company B, 111th Infantry Regiment on 3 April 1918.  He served overseas from 5 May 1918 until 28 April 1919 and was discharged on 4 May 1919.

While in France, he was promoted to Pfc. on 25 June 1918 and fought at Hill 204, Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Woods, 2nd Marne, and the Argonne.  He was slightly wounded by a gun shot in the right hand on 1 July 1918 at Hill 204.  This was the first battle of the 111th Infantry Regiment and members of Company B were one of two companies to take part. 

He received his Purple Heart on 6 March 1934.

Sgt, Wenstrom served in the 33rd Infantry Division, a unit made up of members of the Illinois National Guard.  During the Muese-Argonne Offensive, the division attacked on the first day of the offensive.  They attacked into a corpse filled swamp, near Forge Creek and Bios de Forges, which the French had declared impassable.  Fortunately for the Doughboys, the Germans did not think an attack was possible through the swamp either, and the 33rd Infantry Division was one of the few American units to meet their objectives at the beginning of the offensive.  Massive traffic jams nearly halted the flow of fresh ammunition, food and the evacuation of the wounded, yet the division was ordered to continue to attack.  The traffic jams were so bad that General Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, could not even get through to inspect the front.  The endless columns of stopped trucks made easy targets for the Germans who constantly shelled the ammunition trains from the ground and strafed them from the air.  Sgt. Wenstrom was wounded on 2 October during one of the endless attacks that made up the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

He received his Purple Heart on 4 May 1945.  He died in March 1969 while living in Clearwater, Florida.  He was 75 years old.