Saturday, June 16, 2018

Jefferson Barracks in World War I


From Wikipedia.

In the June 13th post I mentioned about 48 men from DeKalb County, Illinois, leaving from Sycamore to go for army training at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri (near St. Louis).

In March 1912, Jefferson Barracks became the first base for training in military parachuting.  Albert Perry, a civilian, became the first person to parachute from a plane.

1911--  Lt. Dwight D, Eisenhower began his military career at Jefferson Barracks.

During World War I, Jefferson Barracks served as a training and recruitment center for men heading overseas for Europe.  It was the largest U.S. induction and demobilization center for troops in World War I.

--Cooter

1 comment:

Capt. Schmoe said...

My Grandfather, from Marshal County IN, trained at Jefferson Barracks before going to France during WW1. He spent his 16th birthday in France. Apparently, he lied about his age to enlist.