Indiana World War Records: Gold Star Honor Roll, A Record of Indiana Men and Women who died in the service of the
United States and the Allied Nations in the World War, 1914-1918  

James Bethel Gresham; Corporal, Sixteenth Infantry The first American to give his life on the battlefields of France after the armed forces of the United States Began military operations against Germany was a Hoosier lad, James Bethel Gresham, of Evansville, Indiana. The impressive ceremonies held at the time of his funeral, and that of the two comrades who fell during the same raid that caused Corporal Gresham's death, are particularly appropriate to Indiana's Gold Star Volume. General Bordeaux, the French commander of the sector in which the raid occurred, near Bathelemont, accompanied by his full staff, infantry, artillery, and engineer chiefs, and a representative of the French Corps commander, had charge of the ceremonies. As the bodies of these first heroes were lowered in the graves, a company of United States Infantry fired three volleys, and the trumpeter sounded taps. General Bordeaux delivered the following address:

"In the name of the Eighteenth Division, in the name of the French Army, and in the name of France,
I bid farewell to Corporal Gresham, Private Enright, and Private Hay, of the Sixteenth Infantry, American Army.  
"Of their own free will they had left their happy and prosperous country to come over here.
They knew that the war continued in Europe; they knew that the forces fighting for honor, love, justice, civilization,
were still checked by the long prepared forces which are serving the powers of brutal domination, oppression, barbarity.
They knew that an effort was still necessary.  "They ignored nothing of the circumstances.
Nothing had been concealed from them neither the length nor hardships of this war, nor the violence of the battle, nor the dread fulness of the new weapons,
nor  the perfidy of the foe. Nothing stopped them. They had accepted to lead a hard and strenuous life; they had crossed the ocean despite great peril;
they had taken their place on the front by our side; they have fallen facing the foe in a hard and desperate hand-to-hand fight.
Honor to them! Their families, their friends, and their fellow citizens will be proud when they learn of their death.  
"Men: These graves, the first to be dug in our national soil, at but a short distance from the enemy,
are as a mark of the mighty hand of our allies, firmly clinging to the common task,
confirming the will of the people and Army of the United States to fight with us to a finish;
ready to sacrifice as long as it will be necessary, until final victory for the noblest of causes that of liberty of nations,
the weak as well as the mighty.  "Thus the death of this humble corporal and of these two private soldiers appears to us with extraordinary grandeur.
 We will therefore ask that the mortal remains of these young men be left here be left to us forever. We will inscribe on their tombs:
 'Here lie the first soldiers of the United States Republic to fall on the soil of France for Justice and Liberty.'
The passer-by will stop and uncover his head.
The travelers of France, of the allied countries, of America, the men of heart who will come to visit our battle-field of Lorraine,
will go out of their way to come here to bring to these graves the tribute of their respect and of their gratefulness. 

Adams County

Name: David D. Bixler
Rank: Private  
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Bixler (mother deceased); born September 9, 1896, Wabash Township, Adams County, Ind. Teacher. Entered service September 4, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 17th Company, 5th Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Transferred to Battery A, 67th Infantry. Died of empyema January 7, 1919, Base Hospital, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried, Berne, Adams County, Ind. 

Name: Jesse F. Christen
Rank: Private  
Son of John and Catherine M. Christen; born December 27, 1887, Root Township, Adams County, Ind. Druggist. Entered service September 21, 1917, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 67th Company, 159th Depot Brigade; later to Headquarters Company, 139th Field Artillery. Transferred to Wilmington, Del.; assigned to Company B, 12th Battalion, U.S. Guards. Died of pneumonia October 21, 1918, Wilmington, Del. Buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Decatur, Ind. 

Name: Clarence Clark
Rank: Seaman, 2nd Class  
Son of John Henry and Capitola Lord Clark; born December 14, 1897, Adams County, Ind. Farmer. Entered U.S. Navy May 27, 1918, and was sent to Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Chicago, Ill. Promoted to fourth gunner; later assigned to duty as 2nd class seaman. Died of influenza October 12, 1918, Great Lakes Training Station, Chicago. Buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Decatur, Ind. 

Name: Roy Coffelt
Rank: Private  
Son of Jonas and Anna Coffelt; born August 6, 1889, near Geneva, Adams County, Ind. Laborer. Entered service September 20, 1917, Decatur, Ind., and was sent to Camp Taylor, Ky. Assigned to 67th Company, 17th Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Committed suicide by hanging himself, September 28, 1917, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried in Burris Cemetery, Geneva, Ind. 

Name: Clelmer Clayton Eley
Rank: Sergeant  
Son of Jacob and Hannah Eley; born February 1, 1889, Berne, Adams County, Ind. Employe of Citizen's Telephone Company, Decatur. Entered service May 29, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Gordon, Ga.; assigned to 27th Company, 7th Battalion, 157th Depot Brigade. Transferred to Camp Merritt, N. J.; embarked for overseas July 23, 1918; assigned to Company H, 329th Infantry. Died of pneumonia September 19, 1918, Hospital No. 52, Le Mans, France. Buried in American Cemetery, Le Mans, France. 

Name: Chester Fox
Rank: Private  
Son of Jacob and Rachael Fox; born July 12, 1896, Sterling, Kan. Living on a farm in Adams County, Ind., when he was called into service April 28, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Funston, Kan.; assigned to 27th Company, 164th Depot Brigade. Embarked for overseas June 4, 1918; assigned to Company B, 353rd Infantry. Participated in battles of St. Mihiel, and Bois de Banthville. Killed in action October 28, 1918. (Place unknown). 

Name: Reuben Hugh Heller
Rank: Private  
Son of Frank and Polina Heller; born September 14, 1895, Hartford Township, Adams County, Ind. Farmer. Called into service September 4, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 17th Company, 5th Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Died of influenza October 5, 1918, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Hartford Township, Adams County, Ind. 

Name: Frank Oliver Henschen
Rank: Private  
Son of Jacob E. and Mary M. Henschen; born September 6, 1893, Kirkland Township, Adams County, Ind. Farmer. Entered service September 5, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 319th Auxiliary Remount Depot. Died of pneumonia January 4, 1919, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried in Steel's Cemetery, Kirkland Township, Adams County, Ind. Survived by widow, Clara May Henschen, and one daughter, Doris Marie, Decatur, Ind. 

Name: Christian Hirschy
Rank: Private  
Son of Henry and Anna Hirschy; born June 16, 1893, in Monroe Township, Adams County, Ind. Farmer. Called into service July 25, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 39th Company, 10th Training Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Died of influenza October 12, 1918, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried in Berne Cemetery, Adams County, Ind. 

Name: Samuel Huser
Rank: Private  
Son of John and Katherine Huser; born May 18, 1893, in French Township, Adams County, Ind. Farmer. Entered service April 27, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 18th Company, 5th Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade; transferred to 4th Company, 1st Training Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Died of influenza May 10, 1918, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried in Huser Cemetery, near Berne, Adams County, Ind. 

Name: John Klopfenstein
Rank: Private  
Son of John and Katherine Moser Klopfenstein; born April 25, 1896, in Adams County, Ind. Employe of Brass Foundry, Sturgis, Mich., where he entered service September 19, 1917. Sent to Camp Custer, Mich.; assigned to Company D, 328th Machine Gun Battalion. Transferred to Camp Merritt, N. J. Went overseas and was transferred to Company C, 18th Infantry, 1st Division. Killed in action September 12, 1918, St. Mihiel, France. 

Name: Urbain Kuntz
Rank: Private  
Son of Alfred and Adele Saugy Kuntz; born October 5, 1895, Massillon, Ohio. Moved to Adams County, Ind. in 1898. Watchmaker. Entered service September 2, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Grant, Ill., and was assigned to Company D, 5th Limited Service Regiment. Died of pneumonia October 4, 1918, Camp Grant, Ill. Buried in Geneva, Adams County, Ind.  
Name: Ralph Theodore Miller
Rank: Private  
Son of Martin and Louise Borne Miller; born February 26, 1894, Preble, Adams County, Ind. Merchant. Entered S. A. T.C. August 15, 1918, Cincinnati University, Cincinnati, Ohio; transferred to Carnegie Institute, Pittsburg, Pa.; assigned to 298th Aero Radio Squadron. Died of pneumonia October 20, 1918, Pittsburg, Pa. Buried in Woodland Cemetery, Decatur, Ind. Survived by widow, Lucy McCrory Miller, Fort Wayne, Ind.
 
Name: Vernon Solomon Mosser
Rank: Cook  
Son of Solomon and Sarah Buehrer Mosser; born April 26, 1896, Geneva, Adams County, Ind. Served one full term enlistment in U.S. Regular Army, and re-enlisted following declaration of war against Germany. Assigned to Cooks Headquarters. Overseas in March, 1918. Took part in Second Battle of Marne, and Argonne Forest. Returned to U.S., and while stationed at Ft. Schuyler, N. Y., was accidentally drowned, July 30, 1919. Buried, Geneva, Ind. 

Name: Charles Anthony Murtaugh
Rank: Private  
Son of William and Mary Murtaugh; born September 28, 1897, Woodruff, W. Va. Later moved to Decatur, Adams County, Ind. (date not known), where he was an employe of the Chicago and Erie Railroad. Entered service September 5, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 17th Company, 5th Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Died of pneumonia October 8, 1918, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, Decatur, Ind.
 
Name: Vernon Christopher Parr
Rank: Sergeant  
Son of John H. and Margueretta J. Parr; born February 6, 1890, Wapakoneta, Ohio. Moved to Adams County, Ind., in 1894. Railroad fireman. Enlisted in U.S. Regular Army April 27, 1917. Sent to Ft. Thomas, Ky.; assigned to 19th Cavalry. Transferred to Camp Ethan Allen, Vt.; assigned to 77th Field Artillery. Transferred to Camp Greene, N. C. Overseas in May, 1918. Died September 27, 1918, from wounds received in action. Body returned to U.S., and buried in Berkley, Va. 

Name: Omar Reusser
Rank: Private  
Son of William and Sarah Reusser; born December 17, 1889, Berne, Adams County, Ind. Carpenter. Entered service September 21, 1917, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky. Transferred to Camp Grant, Ill. Overseas March 14, 1918; assigned to Company B, 18th Infantry, 3rd Division. Died of pneumonia February 8, 1919, Bordeaux, France. Buried in Talence, Gironde, France. Survived by widow, Emma Ryf Reusser, and one son, Omar William Reusser, Berne, Ind. 

Name: Jefferson J. Schwartz
Rank: Private  
Son of John J. and Maria Baumgartner Schwartz; born February 27, 1893, in French Township, Adams County, Ind. Farmer. Entered service May 25, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 15th Company, 4th Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Transferred to Quartermaster Corps, Camp Supply Office. Died of pneumonia February 22, 1919, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried in Christian Apostolic Cemetery, Wells County, Ind. 

Name: Albert Daniel Smith
Rank: Private
Son of Daniel and Mary Elizabeth Smith, born January 14, 1896, in French Township, Adams County, Ind. Farmer. Entered service July 24, 1918, Decatur, Ind. Sent to Camp Taylor, Ky.; assigned to 39th Company, 10th Battalion, 159th Depot Brigade. Died of influenza October 5, 1918, Camp Taylor, Ky. Buried in M.R.E. Cemetery near Berne, Ind. Survived by widow, Hazel Smith, and one son, Albert Jr., Grove City, Ohio.