By FRIEDA JACOBSON | St. Luke’s Auxiliary
Honoring our veterans is something that St. Luke’s in rural Elroy has always made time for. For at least 75 years, the Kendall American Legion has come out on Memorial Day to honor all veterans who have St Luke’s Cemetery as their final resting place and have been joined by members of the congregation and neighbors.
Each of them has a story to tell. Since we have several letters written to family at home during Carl Ziese’s service to our country, we thought you might like a peek into life in the Army during World War I. Carl Ziese was stationed in France and was a private in Co L, 7th Division, 64th Infantry. Communication to and from soldiers was carefully screened, which set the tone for letters sent and received.
• On Aug. 9, 1918, he wrote from Camp Merritt that he sent home some money by Post Office and wants his family to let him know when it arrives. He says that he had a good trip down. “It took four days to get here and saw lots of fine country.” Carl wanted to know if his brothers had started cutting oats at home. “I am getting $30. A month pay, but insurance costs $3 a month, so I only got $27 when I got paid yesterday.”
• On Oct. 27, 1918, from New Orleans, La., he wrote, “It is nice and warm here, so we are all running around with our shirts open. There are mostly all new boys here that have come in the past few days, and all are from Wisconsin. On the trip down, we went through Milwaukee and Chicago and then straight south. We had our meals right in the train and never had to leave our original train car the whole trip. We arrived at 6 a.m. Saturday morning.”
• On Jan. 26, 1919, from France, he says, “I received some candy and smoking tobacco as a Christmas gift from the Red Cross. I just completed a week of Gas and Grenade School. We had a big football game last week, and my team won 46 to nothing. It had been raining a lot and now the ground is frozen. We get up about 6 a.m. here and drill five times a day. I hope to be home soon.”
• On Feb. 26, 1919, from France, Carl wrote,” I am now in the Supply Co. and am feeling fine. I have two horses to tend to. We have about 500 in camp. Some of them were infected with lice, so we had to take them to a big dipping vat that was 12 feet deep and make them swim through it. We go to a show most every night.”
• On May 10, 1919, from France, he wrote, “On May 9, we were inspected by General Pershing and passed in review for him. The sun shined brightly that week, which had not happened before since we arrived in France. President Wilson’s daughter was here last week and sang for us. I observed that here, people are just starting to plant potatoes and that the grass is about 4 inches high.”
• On Oct. 6, 1919, again from France, his letter says, “I am well and want to know if they are thrashing and cutting corn at home yet, if the winter wheat is planted, and if the crops are doing well. I encourage everyone at home to write me, especially my brothers-in-law, Oscar Steffen and John Harper, and want to know if any of them has heard from Malcolm Schumann. I also want to know if Alfred’s thumb is doing better.”
It was Oct. 11, 1919, a month before the armistice, when the 7th was shelled for the first time. After 33 days in the line, the 7th Division had suffered 1,988 casualties. Carl fortunately survived and was released from service in June 1920 to go home and work the family farm with his brothers, which he continued to do until his death in 1957. Carl was an active member of the Cleary Legion Post 115 in Elroy after he returned home.
Back at St. Luke’s, in the 1940s, women’s names began appearing in prominent rolls in the church in the meeting minutes and as official members. This was a time of frequent changes in ministers and when the decision to form an association with Peace Lutheran in Elroy and share a pastor was made.