Remembering Walter Edward Dier, 1892 - 1918

On this Memorial Day 2017, I want to remember Walter Edward Dier, who died on 1 November 1918 in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive that brought an end to World War I.

Walter Dier, born in 1892, was the younger brother of my great-grandmother, Mary Ann "Mayme" Duwe (nee Dier). His parents, Matthew "Matt" and Signe "Cena" Dier farmed in the Town of Sevastapol, northeast of Sturgeon Bay, in Door County, Wisconsin. Walter grew up to be a Cheesemaker, working in Ephraim at the time he registered for the draft in June 1917.

Walter's draft registration card tells us that, at age 25, he was of medium height and build, and had black hair and grey eyes.  Here is his signature on the card:

As part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), Walter served in the 89th Infantry Division, 354th Regiment. The 354th, formed in September 1917 at Camp Funston, Kansas, was mostly composed of Missouri men, but was later filled out with men from Colorado, Wisconsin and Illinois.

By 20 October 1918, when the 89th Division moved to the front lines, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive had been underway for almost one month. This massive offensive in northeastern France sought to cut vital German rail lines by penetrating to the vicinity of Sedan and Meziere near the border with Belgium.

As the regimental history relates:

"...we were in the first wave launched against an enemy strong point, consisting of fourteen machine guns on a hillside just southeast of Barricourt. This was the hardest and fiercest resistance we had met during our whole time on the front."

It is likely that Walter Dier died in the assault on those machine guns. Ironically, Walter, a second-generation American, died less than 80 miles from his father's birthplace in Merzig, Saarland, Germany.

Here is Walter Dier's grave marker in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, located in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, Departement de la Meuse, Lorraine, France.

According to the excellent interactive encyclopedia created by the American Battle Monuments Commission, 

"Over 1,200,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines took part in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Of these, over 170,000 became casualties; and 26,000 died."

The same source tells us that the 89th Division suffered 5,625 wounded and 1,466 killed during the course of the war.

As a point of comparison, there are 58,300 names of American service men and women carved into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C.

Please consider visiting the Wisconsin Veterans Museum on the Capitol Square in Madison, where the exhibition "WWI Beyond the Trenches: Stories From The Front" will run until April 2019.

Sources:

History of Company F, 354th Infantry, 89th Division.

 

Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Wikipedia article.

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 26 September to 11 November 1918, interactive learning resource presented by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Meuse-Argonne offensive, map showing daily position of front line : Map Room G-3, G.H.Q., May 24, 1919. (Library of Congress)

The Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

PVT Walter Ed Dier, Find A Grave record.