Eugene E. Closson

"A Self-Made Man"

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The Story: Chapter 3 - World War One (1917-1919)

[ Introduction ] Chapters: [ 1 - Growing Up (1894-1909) ] [ 2 - The Church (1899-1917) ] [ 3 - World War One (1917-1919) ] [ 4 - Attending Graceland (1920-1924) ] [ 5 - Courting Julia (1924-1927) ] [ 6 - Church Appointment (1927-1931) ] [ 7 - Graceland Faculty (1931-1959) ] [ 8 - The Coliseum (1931-1948) ] [ 9 - Retirement Years (1960–1974) ]

Sections: Heading to War A Close Call The War Ends Return to Independence

Photo Links: World War I Photos

Heading to War

In 1917, at the age of 23, Gene enlisted in the United States Army. Gene was always very patriotic and felt that this was his duty. Gene joined an ambulance company in the 110 Sanitary Train Medical Corps, 35th Division and was a medic in the ambulance corps. He trained at Camp Donovan in Oklahoma for only a few weeks before being sent overseas.

During a three-day furlough, before heading overseas, Gene returned home to Independence. During a church service at the Stone Church, Brother Bullard spoke to him in prophecy, saying that Gene would soon go overseas with the army and see thousands of men wounded and killed on both sides. But if Gene were to remain faithful to the gospel, he would return unharmed.

A few days later he left for New York, and then on to Liverpool, England. After a short stay, the troops went down to Southampton by train. Then, during the night, they crossed the English Channel into France. The ship carrying the ambulances was torpedoed on the way across the English Channel, and all the ambulances were lost.

When they arrived, since they had no ambulances, they worked on the wounded right on the battle field, picking up soldiers and bringing them back to an area where they would be picked up and taken to the hospital. After spending some time working on the battlefield, Gene was designated to be the one to sort out the wounded and decide which ones would be sent back first. “I remember the pleading looks in the eyes of many of the men, asking if I would let them go next because of their suffering.” All they could do for the men was give them basic first aid treatments there on the front line. Many of them died before they could be moved back to the hospital.”

A Close Call

During the war, Gene had a very good friend named George Stagg. George was not a church member. Although George used profanity quite freely and had other characteristics that Gene didn’t approve of, there was some strong bond between them. At one time on the battlefield during the long hours without rest or food, Gene became overcome by fatigue and fell asleep right out on the open battlefield. Six German planes came over with machine guns firing but Gene didn’t even hear them or know they were there. Gene’s friend George came running out from the bunker, where he was safe, and picked Gene up, carrying him into the trench.

Gene was not even aware of what was going on until a few hours later when he woke up in the trench and some of the other men told him that George had saved his life. “Of course, I owed him a great debt of gratitude because of this, and it’s help me to broaden a little bit, perhaps quite a little bit, my concept of religion. I was a strict church-goer, did not use profanity, tobacco, anything of that sort, alcohol in any form, was very careful of what I said, what I did; but here George was kind of a rough and tumble fellow who was not careful of his language, and while he didn’t drink to any excess, he smoked almost constantly, but he was the one in an emergency who risked his life to save mine.”

The War Ends

Gene's Journal

In November of 1918, Gene wrote the following entries in his journal:

Aix-Les-Bains, France

November 28, 1918

Here in my room at the Hotel Jocelyn No. 9 Rue La Martine I sit alone. It is about seven O’clock and we have just finished dinner. If you wish to see me just step into the hall and my door is the first one to the right as you enter. I May be a little lonesome tonight and am sure I would enjoy your company.

This is Thanksgiving Day! Where will I be on Christmas?

SOME DAY SOON!! WE'RE COMING BACK TO THE U.S.A.

TO THE LAND WE LOVE THAT'S SO FAR AWAY.

WE'VE WHIPPED THE DUTCH BUT WE DON'T ASK MUCH

JUST FREEDOM FOR ALL, BOTH GREAT AND SMALL...

AND A HURRY-UP TRIP TO THE BEST LAND OF ALL...

SOME DAY SOON!!!

November 28, 1918

Tomorrow I shall leave this beautiful city. All good things will soon be ours in America so---- “Cheer up”!

Although the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, Gene didn’t know it until a day later. His company had been in the combat zone in the Aragon Forest and had been pulled back a week or so earlier for some rest and to get the company back into shape to go back into the fighting at Verdun. It was while they were there that they heard on the radio that the Armistice had been signed the day before. “None of us believed it because we could still see and hear fighting going on at a distance. We didn’t believe it until in the afternoon when they saw a squadron of German planes flying back, they were surrendering, and they were flying back across the line into France having been overpowered I supposed, by our forces up closer to Germany.” Although they were relieved that the war was over, and anxious to get home, it was not until May of 1919 that they landed back in the United States.

Return to Independence

On May 7^th, 1919, Gene returned from Europe. The next morning he returned to the Kansas City Steel Mills and went right back to work as a machinist. He continued working there until he entered Graceland in 1920. He continued to work there during summers and vacation from school.