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Contact Info
Home Town Lamar
Last Address Independence
Date of Passing Dec 26, 1972
Location of Interment Harry S. Truman Library - Independence, Missouri
Harry S.Truman enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard in 1905 as a private. He had previously applied to West Point but was turned down because of poor eyesight. His original eye test produced the results of 20/50 in the right eye and 20/400 in the left. He stayed in the Missouri National Guard and served in it until 1911 attaining the rank of Corporal. With the onset of American participation in World War I, he rejoined the Guard, re-enlisting in April, 1917. This time he passed the eye test by secretly memorizing the eye chart. Being 33 years of age, with some college behind him, he was commissioned as a First Lieutenant on June 22, 1917 and helped to organize the 2nd Regiment of Missouri Field Artillery (Battery F) His unit was sent to Camp Doniphan, adjacent to Fort Sill, near Lawton, Oklahoma for training. While here, Truman quickly organized and ran a Canteen which proved popular and profitable to the Regiment. His unit was called into Federal Service on September 5, 1917 as the 129th Field Artillery, 60th Brigade, 35th Infantry Division. They continued their training until being called to France for battle. They shipped on the U.S.S. George Washington and arrived in Brest, France on April 13, 1918 and within a month Truman was promoted to Captain (Apri 23, 1918) and took charge as Commanding Officer of the 129th Field Artiillery Battery D. Captain Truman attended a course of instruction at the Second Corps School at Chatillon-sur-Geine, France from 27 April to 5 June, 1918. In July, 1918, the Officers and men of the 129th Field Artillery moved to Camp Coetguidan in Brittany for advanced training in the use of the (French) 75mm field gun under simulated combat conditions. Here Truman took Command of D Battery of the 129th Field Artillery Regiment. Battery D was composed of 188 men; 167 horses, and a compliment of French 75mm guns. On September 6, 1918, the 129th under Captain Truman engages in their first combat operation in the Vosges Mountains. Early in September, 1918, the 129th Field Artillery undertook one of the longest and most brutal road marches of the war, from the Vosges Mountains to the Argonne forest. Over 100 miles of crowded, muddy back roads to the new American Sector. This march and the five days of intense combat that followed were the ultimate test for Battery D. His Battery also provided support for George S. Patton's tank brigade during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He participated in the Vosges, Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. During a sudden attack by the Germans in the Vosges Mountains, the battery started to disperse; Truman ordered them back into position using profanities that he had "learned while working on the Santa Fe railroad." Shocked by the outburst, his men reassembled and followed him to safety gaining the support and admiration of his men who willingly followed him for the rest of the war. In the closing weeks of the war the 129th Field Artillery moved into action for the final time to defend the old battlefields of Verdun. They fired their last shots 15 minutes before the Armistice took affect on November 11, 1918. Battery D had fired more than 10,000 shells during the war and under the Command of Captain Harry S. Truman, the Battery did not loose a single man. The 129th returned to the United States on the S.S Zepplin arriving in the U.S. on 20 April, 1919. Captain Truman was discharged honorably on May 6, 1919 at Funton, Kansas. A month later, on June 28, 1919, after returning to Independence, Missouri, he married his childhood sweetheart, Bess Wallace. They had one child, Mary Margaret (Feb. 17, 1924 - June 29, 2008). He became the 33rd President of the United States of America in 1945 - 1953. His parents were John Anderson Truman (1851 - 1914) and Martha Ellen (Young) Truman (1852 - 1947). He had a brother, John Vivian (1886 - 1965); and a sister, Mary Jane (1889 - 1978). His education consisted of the Presbyterian Church School in Independence, Missouri and graduation from Independence High School (now William Chrisma High School) in 1901. He attended the University of Missouri in Kansa City, Missouri and Oxford University n England. He shortly re-joined the Missouri National Gaurd as one of its reserve officers and was appointed Major in the Field Artillery Officers Reserve Corps on January 10, 1920. He was reappointed on January 10, 1925 and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, Field Artillery Reserve on May 27, 1925 and thereafter reappointed on May 27, 1930 and was promoted to Colonel, Field Artillery Reserve, on June 17, 1932. Here he remained until his retirement with that rank on January 31, 1953. He was postumously awarded the United States Congressional Gold Award in 1984. He was a Baptist and a Mason most of his life. In fact, here is his Masonic Record:
MASONIC RECORD
Initiated: February 9, 1909, Belton Lodge No. 450, Belton, Missouri. In 1911, several Members of Belton Lodge separated to establish Grandview Lodge No. 618, Grandview, Missouri, and Brother Truman served as its first Worshipful Master. At the Annual Session of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, September 24-25, 1940, Brother Truman was elected (by a landslide) the ninety-seventh Grand Master of Masons of Missouri, and served until October 1, 1941. Brother and President Truman was made a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33°, and Honorary Member, Supreme Council on October 19,1945 at the Supreme Council A.A.S.R. Southern Jurisdiction Headquarters in Washington D.C., upon which occasion he served as Exemplar (Representative) for his Class. He was also elected an Honorary Grand Master of the International Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay. On May 18, 1959, Brother and Former President Truman was presented with a fifty-year award, the only U.S. President to reach that golden anniversary in Freemasonry.
The war was a transformative experience that brought out Truman's leadership qualities; he and his war record made possible his later political career in Missouri.
He served as member of the Senate from 1935-1945, as Vice-President to Franklin Roosevelt 1945, and President of the United States from 1945-1953.
President Truman along with his wife, Bess, is buried at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.
Information about his later career, service as President of the United States can be found in references below.
Chronological Record of the 129th Field Artillery
1917-1919
August 5, 1917-Molibized as 2nd Missouri Field Artillery in Kansas City, Missouri, except Batteries C and E which mobilized in Independence, Missouri.
September 26, 1917-Entrained for Camp Doniphan, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
May 10, 1918-Entrained for Camp Mills, Long Island, New York.
May 20, 1918-Sailed for overseas (except E Battery, which sailed on May 18th and F Battery which sailed on May 27th), via England, and entering France at L'Havre.
June 11, 1918-Billeted in Angers area.
July 7, 1918-Entrained for Camp Coetquidan, near Guer, Brittany.
August 17, 1918-Entrained for Vosges.
August 19-20, 1918-Detrained at Saulxures.
August 23, 1918-Moved into position in Gerardmer Sector, in Vosges Mountains, with echelon at Kruth, Alsace.
September 1, 1918-Relieved from positions.
September 3-5, 1918-Billeted at Vagney and Zainvillers.
September 6-10, 1918-Billeted at Ville-en-Vermois and Coyviller, southeast of Nancy.
September 10-12, 1918-On march.
September 12-15, 1918-In Army Reserve in Saint Mihiel Offensive, in Foret de Haye. September 15-22, 1918- On march.
September 22, 1918- Took position on Hill 290, northeast of Neuvilly, with echelon at Aubreville. September 26-30, 1918-In action in Argonne-Meuse Offensive in support of 35th Division. October 1-2, 1918-Continued in action in support of 1st Division which relieved 35th Division. October 5-12, 1918-At Seigneulles, north of Bar-le-Duc.
October 15, 1918-Took position in Sommedieue Sector, on Meuse Heights east of Verdun in support of 35th Division.
November 7, 1918-Remained in support of 81st Division when 35th Division was relieved. In action in new offensive toward Conflans and Metz.
November 11, 1918-At 11am ceased firing as per orders on account of Armistice.
January 22, 1919-Moved to Bar-le-Duc area.
February 17, 1919-Reviewed, with 35th Division, by General Pershing and the Prince of Wales. Entrained for Le Mans area.
March 29, 1919-Moved to Camp Pontanezan, Brest.
April 9, 1919-Sailed for home on S.S. Zeppelin.
April 20, 1919-Landed in Hoboken and billeted in Camp Mills, Long Island.
April 30, 1919-Entrained for home.
May 3, 1919-Parade and reception in Kansas City, Missouri, then proceeded to Camp Funston, Kansas.
May 6, 1919-Final discharge issued at Camp Funston, Fort Riley, Kansas.
World War I/Meuse-Argonne Campaign
From Month/Year
September / 1918
To Month/Year
November / 1918
Description Meuse-Argonne, 26 September - 11 November 1918. At the end of August Marshal Foch had submitted plane to the national commanders for a final offensive along the entire Western Front, with the objective of driving the enemy out of France before winter and ending the war in the spring of 1919. The basis for his optimism was the success of Allied attacks all along the front in August. Furthermore, he pointed out, the Allies already had active operations in progress between the Moselle and Meuse, the Oise and Aisne, and on the Somme and Lys Rivers. Foch acknowledged that the Germans could stave off immediate defeat by an orderly evacuation combined with destruction of materiel and communications. Therefore the overall aim of the fall offensive would be to prevent a step-by-step enemy retirement. As Foch anticipated, the Germans eventually contributed to the success of his strategy. Their High Command could not bring itself to sacrifice the huge stores collected behind the front lines, and so delayed the withdrawal of its armies.
Foch's great offensive, planned to begin in the last week of September, called for a gigantic pincers movement with the objective of capturing Aulnoye and Mézières, the two key junctions in the lateral rail system behind the German front. Lose of either of these junctions would hamper seriously the German withdrawal. Despite grumbling from the English that they lacked the necessary manpower, a chiefly British army was assigned the teak of driving toward Aulnoye. The A.E.F. was designated for the southern arm of the pincers, the thrust on Mézières. Simultaneously the Belgian-French-British army group in Flanders would drive toward Ghent, and the French armies in the Oise-Aisne region would exert pressure all along their front to lend support to the pincers attack.
Pershing decided to strike his heaviest blow in a zone about 20 miles wide between the Heights of the Meuse on the east and the western edge of the high, rough, and densely wooded Argonne Forest. This is difficult terrain, broken by a central north-south ridge that dominates the valleys of the Meuse and Aire Rivers. Three heavily fortified places-Montfaucon, Cunel, and Barricourt-as well as numerous strong points barred the way to penetration of the elaborate German defenses in depth that extended behind the entire front. This fortified system consisted of three main defense lines backed up by a fourth line less well-constructed. Pershing hoped to launch an attack with enough momentum to drive through these lines into the open area beyond, where his troops could then strike at the exposed German flanks and, in a coordinated drive with the French Fourth Army coming up on the left, could cut the Sedan- Mézières railroad.
The task of assembling troops in the concentration area between Verdun and the Argonne was complicated by the fact that many American unite were currently engaged in the St. Mihiel battle. Some 600,000 Americans had to be moved into the Argonne sector while 220,000 French moved out. Responsibility for solving this tricky logistical problem fell to Col. George C. Marshall, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3 (Operations), First Army. In the ten-day period after St. Mihiel the necessary troop movements were accomplished, but many untried divisions had to be placed in the vanguard of the attacking forces.
On the 20-mile Meuse-Argonne front where the main American attack w to be made, Pershing disposed three corps side by side, each with three divisions in line and one in corps reserve. In the center was the V Corps (from right to left the 79th, 37th, and 91st Divisions with the 32d in reserve), which would strike the decisive blow. On the right was the III Corps (from right to left the 33d, 80th, and 4th Divisions with the 3d in reserve), which would move up the west aide of the Meuse. On the left was the I Corps (from right to left the 35th, 28th, and 77th Divisions with the 92d in reserve), which would advance parallel to the French Fourth Army on its left. Eastward across the Meuse the American front extended in direct line some 60 miles; this sector was held by two French Corps (IV and II Colonial) and the American IV Corps in the St. Mihiel sector. Pershing had available to support his offensive nearly 4000 guns, two-thirds manned by American artillerymen; 190 light French tanks, mostly with American personnel; and some 820 aircraft, 600 of them flown by Americans.
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive falls into three phases. During the initial phase (26 September-3-October) the First Army advanced through most of the southern Meuse-Argonne region, captured enemy strong points, seized the first two German defense lines, and then stalled before the third line. Failure of tank support, a difficult supply situation, and the inexperience of American troops all contributed to checking its advance.
In the second phase (4-31 October) the First Army, after the inexperienced divisions had been replaced by veteran units, slowly ground its way through the third German line. The enemy was forced to throw in reserves, drawn from other parts of the front, thus aiding the Allied advances elsewhere. In the face of a stubborn defense, American gains were limited and casualties were severe, especially as a result of the newly devised enemy tactic of attacking frontline troops with airplanes. First Army air unite retaliated with bombing raids which broke up German preparations for counterattacks. By the end of October the enemy had been cleared from the Argonne and First Army troops were through the German main positions. Two notable incidents of this phase of the campaign were the fight of the "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Division (2-7 October), and the feat of Corp. (later Sgt.) Alvin C. York, who single-handedly killed 15 Germans and captured 132 on 8 October.
In mid-October the organization of the Second Army was completed, at Toul in the St. Mihiel sector, to provide means for better control of the lengthening American front and solutions of the diverse tactical problems that it presented. Pershing assumed command of the new army group thus formed.
Before the third and final phase (1-11 November) of the offensive got under way, many of the exhausted divisions of the First Army were replaced, roads were built or repaired, supply was improved, and most Allied units serving with the A.E.F. were withdrawn. On 1 November First Army units began the assault of the now strengthened German fourth line of defense. Penetration was rapid and spectacular. The V Corps in the center advanced about six miles the first day, compelling the German units west of the Meuse to withdraw hurriedly. On 4 November the III Corps forced a crossing of the Meuse and advanced northeast toward Montmédy. Elements of the V Corps occupied the heights opposite Sedan on 7 November, thus finally accomplishing the First Army's chief mission-denial of the Sedan- Mézières railroad to the Germans. Marshal Foch, at this juncture, shifted the First Army left boundary eastward so that the French Fourth Army might capture Sedan, which had fallen to the Prussians in 1870. American units were closing up along the Mouse and, east of the river, were advancing toward Montmédy, Briny, and Metz, when hostilities ended on 11 November.
General Pershing authorized the results of the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, the greatest battle in American history up to that time, in his Final Report: "Between September 26 and November 11, 22 American and 4 French divisions, on the front extending from southeast of Verdun to the Argonne Forest, had engaged and decisively beaten 47 different German divisions, representing 25 percent of the enemy's entire divisional strength on the western front.
The First Army suffered a loss of about 117,000 in killed and wounded. It captured 26,000 prisoners, 847 cannon, 3,000 machineguns, and large quantities of material." More than 1,200,000 Americans had taken part in the 47-day campaign.
