First Americans Killed in WW I-- Part 6: Merle David Hay

From Wikipedia.

Born July 20, 1896  Died November 3, 1917.

Born in Carroll County, Iowa.  Enlisted 3 May 1917, among eight men from Glidden, Iowa, who enlisted that day.

Re-interred July 1921 at West Lawn Cemetery in Glidden.  This was later renamed the Merle Hay Memorial cemetery in his honor.  The Iowa legislature had an eight-foot monument erected at his grave.

Shortly after his death, the highway running from Des Moines, Iowa to Camp Dodge was renamed the Merle Hay Road and a memorial boulder was placed on it in 1923.  The Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines is also named for him.

The first American military casualty of World War II was also an Iowa native from Arlene.  Robert M. Losey was a military attache killed April 21, 1940, during the German bombardment of Dombas, Norway.

--Cooter