Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-05-27

side serving his enlistment in the
different naval stations in the y.
S., Mike Morrison got across to
England before the war was over.
| McGregor had harder luck and was
discharged before the war closed.
Ed Drager, Thomas McGregor,
Chris Rasmussen, William Knox,
William Vanorder, G.. Bailleau,
Frank Putkammer, Fred Drager,
Alex McGregor managed to pass
the army examinations. The rest
Of the aspirants came back home to
wait the draft With ten million
men to pick from, the recruiting
offices were too particular.
July 25 the first draft list was
out, Frank Huston of Phelps was
the first man drawn, number 25S.
Seventy-two men in all were drawn
at this time. Of this number APP
proximatel J half would be indicted
into the service within the next
four months.
August finds the local board busy
eXaming the men who were called.
In groups Of fifteen or twenty the
men were examined and either ac-
copied or rejected. This part of
the job was anything but the easy
one it was after the Questionaires
came out. There were many
claims for exemption. There were
many physically unfit.
By September LIST the work was
to large extent finished for the
time being. Villas County was
ready to send it's first draft contin-
gent when ever the call came.
This consisted Of two men, John
Bumbalek, Number 154 of Eagle
River an d Morton Pembcrtoa,
Number 430 Of Vinegar. These
men left for Camp Grant, Septem-
Der 6.
September 10, the second contin-
gent was ready to go. Twenty
three men formed this group. They
came from every town in the coun-
ty. Nearly every one of them saw
service in France before the war
was over. Willow Trapp of Arbor
Vitae one of the first Villas county
casualties was in this second group.
Frank Heehn, Fred Sailer, Erland
Johnson, Chester Caskey, naming a
few representing the best that the
county had in the way of soldiers
were others in this group. All of
these men participated in at least
two major offensives and some of
them in every battle fought by the
Americans after Cantigny.
October 4 the third contingent of
twelve men started for Camp
Grant. Of this group perhaps Eric
Edward Johnson 2056764 of Con-
over and Angus Mayo 2055844 of
Eagle River we're the star per-
formers. Johnson before he re-
turns home will have passed
through the Aisne-Marne, St. Mi
hiel, and the Muese-Argonne. Mayo
will see scrapping with Jerry on
practically every active sector of
the front before he returns. There
is very interesting little sidelight
on Mayo which may just as we'll be
here as later. Mayo wasn't really
meant to go in the third contin-
gent. His friend Herman Rade
was. These two men having been
close friends in civilian life wished
also to stick together in the army.
Mayo went before the local board
and applied for permission to go
with the third group instead of
waiting till later. The local board
saw things his way and granted his
request and he and Herm went to
Camp Grant in the same bunch.
They later were separated in the
army but that was the fault of the
army and not according to their
wishes Can you beat it?
And in the meantime a Liberty
Loan had passed peacefully by.
The quota assigned to Villas County
was S20,00000. When the books
were finally audited at the end of
the drive it was found that the
county had oversubscribed $4,000.
A very notable beginning but moth
ing to what it was going to do
later on. The people as yet were
not as ready to leave their money
with the government as they were
going to be later on. The war
spirit as yet had not seized upon
their minds. They could still
think bit Of themselves and won
der whether it was the right thing
to do. Later this doubt never en-
tered their minds. They gave to
the limit.
The Second Liberty Loan opened
October 8. 1t was better handled
| than tho fret r. 1,,oc bo++ox II