^_____   ♦   ^_____

Ralph N. DOERRES
Sgt., 332^nd Inf., Co. "L"
Submitted by the children of Ralph N. Doerres

Ralph Norman DOERRES, our father ("Daddy" to us), was one of the few men to serve exclusively with the 332nd Infantry Regiment in WWI from when it was organized in the late summer, 1917 to when it was demobilized in May, 1919 — he took part in or witnessed just about every aspect of the adventures of "Wallace's Circus."

Born in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1892, the fourth of five children of Mary Dimity Doerres and John Doerres, Ralph was educated in Chillicothe's public schools (his father was a member of the school board).  Shortly after finishing high school, he enlisted in Company "H", 4^th Infantry, Ohio National Guard in July 1910 serving until 1915 and attaining the rank of Sergeant.

Ralph was working at Youngstown Sheet and Tube as an "efficiency engineer" when he registered for the draft in 1917.  Once Chillicothe had been selected as the site of Camp Sherman and the first round of the draft was imminent, he returned to his hometown.  He wrote to his draft board, Youngstown No. 1, requesting that he be " ... included in the first five percent of the quota ..." and for permission "... to report to Commanding Officer of Camp Sherman, Wednesday, September 5th. ..." and signed it "Yours for service."  His letter was returned to him with the handwritten reply "... You will have to wait until your turn comes ..."

Read more: Ralph N. DOERRES

^_____   ♦   ^_____

Orion L. GRABLE
Corp., 332nd Inf., Co. "K"
Submitted by Greg Melone, great-grandson of Cyrus Blackburn, the recipient of Corp. Grable's letters

My name is Greg Melone and I live in Washington Pa.  I have a collection of 15 letters that were written by Orion GRABLE to my Great Grandfather Cyrus Blackburn.  Mr. Grable was writing to his friend, my great grandfather, while serving in the 332 Infantry Regiment, Company K.  Most of the letters were written from Camp Sherman in Ohio.  Mr. Grable refers to himself as one of the "Jefferson boys" as he was one of many men from Jefferson County Ohio serving.  Mr. Grable describes his training and lifestyle while at Camp Sherman, and mentions getting a marksmanship metal. He speaks with pride and patriotism in the letters, he also mentions the support he receives from receiving letters from folks back home.

September 24, 1917 from Camp Sherman

Read more: Orion L. GRABLE

^_____   ♦   ^_____

William George HALLETT
Pvt. 1^st Class, 332^nd Inf., Co. "K"
Submitted by Sue Miller, granddaughter of William G. Hallett

William George Hallett, (my grandfather), born 19 March, 1895 in Brisbane, Australia, the son of a Merchant Marine in England (George William Hallett) and a governess (Ann Mitchell Hallett), had the value of patriotic duty instilled in him at an early age. Growing up on a sheep station in Australia (land-granted to his parents by Queen Victoria) gave him a keen understanding of hard work, survival in rough conditions and the challenges of making a life in this world.

George and Ann emigrated with William and his two younger sisters to the U.S. after 13 years on the sheep station in Australia and settled in western Pennsylvania, where George found work in the coal mines. Black lung disease took his life and Ann relocated the family to Ohio, settling in Warren.

William would forever call Warren, Ohio his home, married his sweetheart Josephine Kuhn there, raised a daughter, Joan, and used his design and mechanical skills to establish a career in a Tool & Die company, advancing to Shop Foreman. He had a spotless workshop and created many of his own tools.

William’s service and experiences with the 332nd Infantry, were recorded in very small journals in quick, sometimes short-handed entries. Through these journaled notes and the few conversations I had with my grandfather about his time overseas, I learned that he was honored to have served his country, but also “saw things no one should ever see”. He was a very peaceful man and I believe his early exposure to the violence of war shaped him dramatically. He loved spending time in Nature and working in his large and beautiful garden and passed his appreciation of life and the outdoors onto my brother and I, a tremendous gift, that we now share with our grandchildren.

Read more: William George HALLETT

^_____   ♦   ^_____

Lloyd R. LANCE
Pvt., 332^nd Inf., Co. "K"
Submitted by Alan Lance, grandson of Lloyd R. Lance

LLOYD R. LANCE was born in Wood County, Ohio (Weston) 1894.  He took the soldiers oath on April 27, 1918 at Bowling Green, Ohio.  He was assigned to the Infantry and later assigned as a Machine Gunner in Company K of the 332d.  I am not positive what type of machine gun he was issued, but most Allied units were using the Model 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun.  (French made).   Anyone familiar with the unit's history knows of the tremendous amount of marching and counter-marching the unit did to convince the Austrians that there were many more American troops at or near the front.  The Hotchkiss machine gun weighed 53 pounds and its tripod mount 58 pounds.  A case of ammo (288 cartridges) weighed 28 pounds.  So it is probable that Grandpa Lance was carrying a substantial load on these multiple marches.

Read more: Lloyd R. LANCE

^_____   ♦   ^_____

Joe PRINSA
Pvt., 332^nd Inf., Co. "K"
Submitted by Vince Arnold (great-grandson)

My great grandfather had a non-traditional experience in the American Army during WWI. He was born, raised started a family of two small boys and a wife whom he left in Italy and managed his way to join the US Army in WWI

On April 2, 1918, Joe PRINSA joined the US National Amy in France at age 29. His service during WWI was first in France with Co M of the 331st Infantry, till July 3rd when he transferred to the 332nd with Italian, British and American forces known as American Expeditionary Forces 6. This military action was with the Austrians at Vittorio-Veneto along the Pave River, Italy in late October 1918 and early November right up to the end of the war at 11:00 AM Nov 11th 1918.

On 29 March, the 332nd Infantry Division, aboard the Duca d'Aosta, left Italy and set sail for the United States with Grandpa Joe among them. Joe Prinsa’s entry into the United States was in 1919 when the ship returned the men to Ohio, and eventually to 83rd Division headquarters at Camp Sherman near Chillicothe.

Read more: Joe PRINSA

^_____   ♦   ^_____

Bernard ROSENBLUM
Corp., 332^nd Inf., Co."F"
Submitted by Brad Herzog, the grandson of Bernard "Bunny" Rosenblum: excerpts from Brad's book "Turn Left at the Trojan Horse" (at WhyNotBooks.com) from a chapter about his grandpa "Bun" 

I never knew BERNARD ROSENBLUM. He died fifteen months before I was born.  From what I can gather, he was quite the character. He was a football star, a soldier, and a loyal son who toughed it out in the family business. He was an accomplished painter and a musician who liked Dixieland jazz. He was a beer drinker, known for uncapping beer bottles with his teeth. He had a reputation as a bit of a playboy, but he also sang with the temple choir. It can be wonderful to get to know your maternal grandfather through gushing platitudes and earthy anecdotes. Isn’t that how myths are born? My imagination conjures up a larger-than-life figure: heroic, talented, charming, and irreverent.

     It has been nearly four decades since Bunny passed away. Now that I see the significant roles that grandparents play in my sons’ lives, I find myself wanting to know more about not only who my grandfather was, but where he came from. After all, to learn more about him is to discover the genesis of myself. All of my life I have learned about him through the recollections of others – his little brother who outlived him by more than thirty years; his best gal who clung to the memory of him like a life preserver in her final days; his daughter, who still lights a candle every May to honor her dad, who died when she was only twenty-three. I always wished I could hear about him in his own voice. I would hear the pitch and timbre, what kind of laugh he had, the peculiarities of his northern Appalachian accent. Thanks to a package sent to me by my mother before I embarked on my expedition, I can.

Read more: Bernard ROSENBLUM