The Boys Who Went to War: An Appreciation

By Will H. Gibson

Forward

They were just plain, stalwart, courageous, manly young Americans, having high regard for their Country and her Institutions, under whose influence they had been taught to respect the rights of others and to abhor the theory of the despot, that his prerogatives permitted him to murder, ravish, burn, pillage and destroy with impunity and without accounting.

Killed in Battle in the World War. He spent nearly all his life in Mountain Home.
In our homes they were industrious, peace-loving, kind-hearted boys without desire for participating in the ravages of war; but on the Battlefields of France and Flanders they became demons, hurling the ravishing Hun from his ill-gotten terrene and again exemplifying the spirit of their fathers in bringing to a sorely tried but determined people the sunshine of a new hope.

Of such were our boys of Elmore County, who in the Great World War won honor for themselves and brought distinction and everlasting glory not alone to our community but to the State and our beloved country.

Mid scenes of apprehension, with heavy hearts and tears that would not be restrained, we bade them a fond farewell, uttering a silent prayer for their safe return to our firesides and an audible word of encouragement in their determination to do their full duty. We saw them off not knowing what their destiny might be.

Oh, the joy of that memorable day, November, eleventh, Nineteen Hundred and Eighteen, when the wires brought the glorious news of the Armistice.

May we, in a slight degree at least, convey to our veterans of that titanic struggle, for the defense of a liberty loving people, the happiness of that occasion. Every restraint of loving, sad faced, heavy hearted wife, sister and mother was loosed. The stern, determined countenance of father, brother and friend faded into the broad smile of satisfaction. Universal joy knew no bound. Every heart uttered a prayer of thanksgiving, and every physical emotion emphasized an unspeakable gratitude to God, for Peace and the glorious victory of our Khaki clad citizens soldier boys on foreign soil.

Those of us who remained at home spare no effort to lighten the arduous task of our boys "OVER THERE," and our hearts are gladdened by the thought that so large a number were permitted to return to us.

Our task however, will not be fully accomplished until every pledge, insignificant as our efforts were, made for the succor and support of "THOSE WHO BORE THE BRUNT OF THE BATTLE", shall have been fully discharged.

Elmore County holds and shall ever continue to hold, in grateful remembrance the brilliant achievements of her sturdy sons and welcome their return with feelings of delight not to be expressed in words.

To our fallen heroes and those who may be incapacitated for life we shall accord an indelible inscription of lave upon the hearts of a grateful people.

Introduction

On that day in early April 1917 when Congress at the request of President Wilson, declared war in Germany, Bennie Bruce, a Mountain Home Boy went to Nampa and enlisted in company B of the Second Idaho Regiment. A day later Harry Isaacs, then employed in Boise, enlisted in company H. Charley Maxwell had joined company B the summer before for the insurrection on the Mexican border and he went to Nampa to report for duty. Medric Labbee was already a member of company K and he reported to his company. These were Elmore county's first soldiers of the World War, and within a week more than a dozen other boys had joined the Idaho National Guard. Three or four had enlisted in the regular army and Bruce Stanfield went to Salt Lake and joined the Navy. It was at this time that the people at home began to compile a list of the young men and women who were offering to make the Supreme sacrifice for the ideals of liberty and humanity. The list was kept with reverential care and each new name added with tears and rejoicing, until the plan began to grow to make it possible to issue a memorial booklet to give to these young people. Until the end of the world War the list was kept up to date as far as possible. When work on the compilation of this history was begun, letters were sent to all the men and women whose names appeared on the list, asking them for pictures and short biographical sketches and pictures of as many as possible. The work of compiling the date secured was undertaken by Mrs. C. E. Mason, who spent a great amount of effort in the work. For months she corresponded with the returned war veterans and their relatives and from the information collected, compiled the data. In September 1919, the War Mothers organization in Mountain Home assisted by patriotic citizens put on a day of celebration for the returned veterans, and histories and biographies of many of them were secured on that day. The celebration consisted of a dinner at noon served to more than 150 veterans and their wives and sweethearts, an afternoon of street sports, participated in only by returned service men, another big dinner in the evening and an evening of dancing. During the afternoon in behalf of the County commissioners, Will H. Gibson, in a welcoming speech, presented to each of the returned veterans an illuminated certificate of appreciation. These certificates were issued for all of the names on the list of the Elmore county service men, but a large number of them were never delivered, because it was impossible to locate the owners. There were eight or more boys from Elmore county on the first list who lost their lives in the war, four of them, Carl Miller, Levi Kellogg. Thad Prince and William Miller having been killed in action. The proceeds from the sale of this book are to be added to a fund for the building of a memorial building for the men who went to the aid of their country, various organizations in the country having signified their intention of helping in the construction of a building that will be used as a meeting place for the American Legion and as a community hall. In this building will be collected memorials of the work done in Elmore county and it will be a public monument for all time. Various civic and public bodies will donate the funds. There will be an appropriation available from the state, and the county commissioners will be asked to match the state's donation. The Sub Rosa club, the leading women's club of Mountain Home, has acquired a tract of land which they intend to donate for a site, and the American Legion is already beginning to accumulate a fund toward the fitting up of their room in the building. This book is intended to be a permanent memorial record which the owners will preserve so that in future years they will have printed records of the part Elmore county and her boys and girls actually took in the suppression of the Hun, and the menace to civilization that the ideals of the Central empires represented. The list as given in this book contains 389 names, which is approximately 10 percent of the population of the entire county. It is not believed that this list is complete as a large number of men enlisted in other counties and states or joined through the selective service boards of other states where they happened to be away from home at the time of the call. Numbers of boys who had resided in Elmore county nearly all their lives moved away befor becoming members of the American army, but all such have been added to the list and claimed as Elmore County's boys so far as their war records could be discovered. The list of 389 names is given first and immediately following are given biographical sketches where such sketches could be secured, without any selection for branch or time of service or extent of participation in the activities against the central empires.