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Note: Army Records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act request on January 17, 2000
Name: Sims, Louis J.Seaial/Service Number: 4816799
Date of Birth: June 12, 1896
Dates of Service: Sept. 4, 1918 to Jan. 10, 1919
Rank/Grade: Private
Assignments & Geographical Locations: Company 40 163 Depot Brigade
Place of Induction: Kansas
Place of Separation: Camp Johnston
Place of Birth: Strawn, Kansas
Brenda and I stopped by the Willamette National Cemetery this last fall (1999) and visited both Uncle Louis and Clarence Arthur Cummins graves. This is by far the nicest cemetery I have ever visited. We just happened to be there on a clear Sunday morning. On the crest of the hill the cemetery occupies you can look east and see Mt Hood and look north and see all of Portland Oregon. Louis' grave stone is the standard flat VA type with the following
Louis J Sims Kansas PVT 3 CO 1 Shop Reg QMC World War I June 12 1896 Nov. 15 1968
The birth year conflicts with the social security application that Louis filled out and sign showing 1895. I can not explain this difference.
I have tried to find a unit history for Louis' army company but there is not one written. I think Louis' army service had a great impact on his life. The US entered WWI on April 6, 1917. Pershing arrived in France with the first of the A.E.F. in June 1917. At that point Pershing had only two truck companies and 66 trucks. American soldiers and equipment really never got to France in numbers until mid 1918 and by the Armistice on November 11, 1918 there were over a million Americans and thousands of trucks. Most Americans were coming or already back by mid-1919.
Basically a unit like Louis' would have been assigned the task of repairing and overhauling the motor transportation of a particular division. Since trucks were new to the army, they had not standardized on a few designs like they did latter on. In the end Pershing had about 294 different makes and body types of motor vehicles, 213 of which were produced in the US. In the repair shops and motor pools, supply officers tried to keep track of almost 60,000 separate and non-interchangeable spare parts. Louis then, had a wonderful introduction to the trade of mechanic in his short army service. About 1920 the US experienced a depression in the farm product prices. This lead to may abandoning farming for other pursuits and may have influenced Louis to leave Kansas for Oregon and take a job as a mechanic. It is something to work with at any rate.
Record 1 | Previous Record | MARC Display | Next Record Author: Wheeler, F. I.. Title: Completion report of Camp Joseph E. Johnston, Jacksonville, Fla. / F.I. Wheeler.. Published: [Jacksonville, Fla. : s.n., 1918?] Description: 85 leaves, [16] leaves of plates (some folded) : ill., maps ; 28 cm.. Subject: United States. .Army--Military construction operations World War, 1914-1918 --Engineering and construction Camp Joseph E. Johnston (Fla.). Notes: Cover title. Text is typescript; ill. are photographs.. Location/Call Number/Status: Military History Institute Library Shelving Location: MHI Stacks Call Number: UA26.J63 W43 1918 Copy Number: c.1 Available -- Military History Institute Library Shelving Location: MHI Stacks Call Number: UA26.J63 W43 1918 Copy Number: c.2 Available
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