Samuel Tankersley Williams participant of World War I
Biography
Early life and military career
Williams was born in Denton, Texas on August 25, 1897.: 26–27  He attended the schools of Denton, and graduated from Denton High School in 1916.: 14–15   In May 1916, he enlisted as a private in the Texas Army National Guard.: 16  He took part in the expedition against Pancho Villa, advancing to corporal and sergeant in 1917.: 17  Having claimed an 1896 date of birth in order to meet the minimum age for a commission, In May 1917 Williams began the officers training course at Camp Bullis, Leon Springs, Texas.: 22, 26  He received his commission in August 1917, four months after the American entry into World War I, and was appointed a second lieutenant in the Infantry Branch of the Officer Reserve Corps.: 28–29 From 1917 to 1919, Williams served with the 359th Infantry Regiment, part of the 90th Division, as part of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front. He took part in offensives including the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, and the Meuse–Argonne offensive, the largest battle in the history of the United States Army, and in the Toul Sector, receiving a serious wound while serving as company commander of Company I of the regiment's 3rd Battalion.