The Bicentennial of Illinois Statehood, December 3, 2018: World War I

From the November 4, 2018, Sauk Valley.Com.

ILLINOIS SENT MORE THAN 350,000 SOLDIERS TO EUROPE TO FIGHT DURING WORLD WAR I

By Tony Reid.

Artie Bennett, a Marine from Clinton, Illinois, was cut down by a hail of bullets in France.  A letter home from a fellow Marine said Bennett, age 18, had been attacking a German machine gun nest as Marines fought to stem a enemy advance that was threatening Paris in June 1918.

He lingered an hour before dying, one of the first casualties from Illinois.

The letter was typed by fellow Marine  Private John  W. Olsen, said:  "He passed away quietly, without complaint, and was laid to rest near where he fell."