Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-10-28
First Lieutenant George L.
Twigg Writes Mrs. o. ].
Larson of Death
=. of Son.
IN AERO SQUADRON
Was EnrOute to Front When
Stricken With


son, Emil Larson, died in a French hos.
pital Sept. q, is in receipt Of a letter
from First Lieutenant George L. Twigg,
commander of Emil's squadron, tell
ing of the young mans death and the
military funeral given him. Mr.. Lar.
son enlisted in Omaha Dec. 10, and was
sent to Fort Logan, Colorado, and
thence to Waco, Texas, and from there
started overseas. Lieut.. Twigg's let
ter follows:
France, Sept. 2S, 1918.
My Dear Mrs. Larson:
Please accept my sincere sympathy
in the death of your son, Emil.
! know, or rather think l know, some
of the details you are wondering about.
And / will give you all l can, as we
are only allowed to write certain facts.
Your boy left a station or camp in
the lower or southern part of France
for the front. We encountered very
bad weather en- route, and your son,
with some other boys, developed colds.
As usual we had a medical unit with
us and your boy was given medical
attention en- route and when we arriv-
ed at the front we sent your boy to a
hospital where he was given every at
tentiOn possible.
Visited Him Daily.
One of my officers and my medical
officer made a visit every day to the
hospital to see if they could do any
thing for the boys, one of whom was
EaH.ii,1 and we did everything in our
power to help them. Emil developed
pneumonia and my medical officer re-
ported the same to me and l called up
on him each day and the medical at
tention given your son was excellent.
Our medical officer paid a visit to the
hospital yesterday afternoon and. re-
ported to me that Emil was very ill and
that he did not expect him to live.
At 200 p. M. yesterday afternoon,
September %, 1918, / was notified that
your son had died. He died at 4:3O p.
m. His personal effects were at once
collected by one of my officers and we
have to send them to a depot and in
due course you will receive them.
Paul Bearers IOwans.
We sent for some men of the squad
ron from Iowa and found six in the
squadron, and l made them the bear
ers. They are all from the state where
your boy was born, and they acted as
bearers.
Emil was a member of the 18th
Squad, and the members Of that squad
acted as a firing squad.
Some of his friends picked some
flowers and people near here gave them
some more, and they were all placed
over the flag covered casket.
The body was held in the hospital
where he died and the squadron of $50
men and seven officers marched to the
hospital for the funeral. The casket
was placed on a Ford truck with three
soldiers from Iowa on each side led
by the chaplin and escort of seven men
Of the 18th Squad and in real of the
casket in squadron formation followed
the Squadron.
On the way to the cemetery, which
is known as American Expeditionary
Force Cemetery No. 1, we passed
through a town, and the last respects
and every honor which can be bestowed
upon a soldier who died for his u
try was given your son.
The Cemetery.
The squadron was formed In lines
on each side of the path in the Gene
terry, and the casket was carried
through, the last honor which could be
given your son by his comrades was
given as the casket was carried up the
path, the men presented arms and the
sermon and a volley Of "a shots was
fired over the casket, and then the last
respect was given. Taps was sounded
and the casket was lowered into the
grave at exactly $3.50 p. IN.
A Red Cross nurse was the only
lady present, and she picked one of
the roses from the grave and told me
she would send it to YOU, as ] gave her
your address, and trust that you will
receive same.
The only record l can give you rs
to the locating place of your boy is
A. T.. F. Cemetery No. 1, grave No. 80.
Mrs. Larson. / only trust that if 1 am
to die for this cause, which / am apt
to, only hope that l may have half
the honor and funeral your son had.
He had everything-honor, attention,
etc.-that is possible in the United
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