26th probably saw the toughest combat service in the First World War. Frank Benedict, then of Gridley, but since a resident in El Paso had the most peculiar wound, for he has carried his own rifle sight in his cheek since the Meuse-Argonne when a German bullet knocked it off his own rifle and into his face. William J. Leach, Spanish-War veteran who was pastor of the El Paso Methodist Church in 1916-1919, took a year's leave to serve with the Y. M. C. A. Attached to the 2nd Division overseas. Those from our community who lost their lives in World War I were Chester Blumenshine, John Lincoln North, Fred S. Skinner and Nelson Kamp. From the Secor area Ray W. Buck, Robert Cox, Taylor Dearth and Gustav Maier did not return from service. Max Pierce, formerly of El Paso but living in Bushnell in 1917, and Raymond Buell Seaton of Washington, whose father and stepmother lived in El Paso, also lost their lives. Most of these men died of disease, but Seaton was one who was killed in action.

World War II might be said to have begun in Shanghai, China with the 1932 Japanese bombing of that city, which followed closely the Manchurian occupation. Frank C. Cleary² was stationed there at that time by his business firm and calmly took motion pictures of the air raids. Arthur Lee Elkins was serving in the international section with the 4th U. S. Marines and died of disease that year. His young brother Leo was killed in action in far away Europe in 1944 in one of the closing campaigns of what we might call the same war. Both Elkins brothers are buried today in Evergreen Cemetery within a few feet of each other. This tends to show the vastness of this war; it was the first that was really world wide.

Following World War I the United States Army developed a reserve program for the first time under the leadership of Gen. Leonard Wood. A great many officers of the war remained subject to call in what was called the Officers Reserve Corps, and the Illinois National Guard and its 33rd Division gained added improvement and importance as a peace time training medium, implemented by graduates of the Reserve Officers Training Corps and the Citizens Military Training Camps. A number of El Pasoans thus gained valuable training for World War II duties, which they would not otherwise have had. Lt. Col. Donald Mayne was a product of the R. O. T. C., and Major Harold Render who was badly wounded in the fighting in Europe was a four year C.M.T.C. trainee during peace time.

Three old World War I retreads were in World War II within four days after it began: Clay M. Donner, Virgil C. Gordon and Cassell C. Kingdon. Donner had been an overseas lieutenant in the 33rd Division in World War I and Gordon and Kingdon saw only state-side service. In World War II they reversed this on the General who busily handled Ohio's draft calls. While Gordon helped plan one phase of the African invasion and landed with it near Casablanca, Kingdon commanded the 480th Port Battalion at Casablanca and in the invasion at the Salerno beach landing, handling half the ship-to- shore supplies for the American forces prior to the fall of Naples.

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