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Harry R. Ahrens | |
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Harry R. Ahrens | |
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WWI Victory Medal* |
Army of Occupation of Germany Medal** |
He reported to the Army in San Antonio and was assigned to the 90th Division, the "Alamo Division", which was being formed at Camp Travis in San Antonio at that time. The division was deployed to Europe during June 1918, moving first to Camp Mills on Long Island, New York and then sailing from Hoboken, New Jersey.
Harry was assigned to Field Hospital Number 359 where he held the grade of wagoner and an occupation designation of Mechanic. He drove a truck to pick up the wounded and transport them to the hospital.
The 90th Division participated in the St. Mihiel offensive and the Meuse-Argonne campaign in France. During the latter campaign, the division was under fire for seventy-five days without a relief. They were still advancing when halted by the armistice on November 11, 1918.
Harry remained with the 90th Division after the war when it formed part of the Army of Occupation in Germany. He returned to the United States on June 7, 1919 and was discharged from the Army at Camp Bowie, Texas on June 19, 1919.
Although there is no documentation at this time of Harry receiving any medals, he was eligible for award of the two medals shown by virture of his service in France and Germany during the medal's eligiability periods.
*World War I Victory Medal - The World War I victory medal was similar in design for each of the Allied powers. Due to the large number of significant campaigns involved, the Army adopted a European approach to recognize the campaigns. Rather than individual medals, clasps were adopted for addition to the medal ribbon. There were 13 campaign (sometimes called battle) clasps plus a "Defensive Sector" clasp for the Army. Basic dates of eligibility for the medal alone were April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918. (Harry was eligible for two campaign clasps; the St. Mihiel campaign and the Meuse-Argonne campaign)
**Army of Occupation of Germany Medal - The Army of Occupation of Germany Medal was not established until November 1941. The medal was authorized to any member of the Army who served in Germany or Austria-Hungary between November 12, 1918 and July 11, 1923.