World War I
April 6, 1917 to November 11,1918
In answer to the nation's call to arms, one hundred and twenty-three young men
from Jackson County formed a company of volunteers in 1917, which
was designated D company, 4th Wisconsin. They marched proudly down
Main Street and up the hill to the railroad depot on September 26,
1917 accompanied by the cheers of family and friends. There they boarded
a train bound for the National Traing Grounds in Waco, Texas. These
brave men joined other Wisconsin and Michigan National Guardsmen to
form the famed 32nd "Red Arrow" Division. The Company D boys shipped
to Europe and took on a new identity: C Company, 107th Ammunition
Train, 32nd Division. This group of close friends saw action at Chateau
Thierry and the Argonne Forest in France, among other battles, where
they took part in a fast moving offensive that helped break the stalemate
of trenches. Eventually the 32nd pushed into Germany on the heels
of a retreating enemy, and held the honor of carrying the first American
Flag onto German soil in World War I. The French allies eventually
came to dub this fighting division "Les Terribles". Company C returned
home to Jackson County on May 28, 1919. The story of this close-knit
unit is well documented, but it is also important to note that the
official total of service personnel from Jackson County in that great
conflict was 625. Many local men served with distinction in other
units in the army and faced the German U-Boat "Wolfpacks" in the Navy
during World WarI.