One of the fun things that has been uncovered in our family history search is the WWI Footlocker from Otto Mauser. Otto is the brother of my Great Grandfather Ben Mauser. This footlocker was really a treasure of information. It included Otto’s full uniform and most of the supplies and literature he received during his time in the service. It also included his VFW membership cards and membership recognition documents for years of service.
I had a bit of a challenge finding information on Otto’s service, so I hired a professional from Golden Arrow Research service and this is the summary that was provided from that research
“Mauser enlisted in the Army on 25 July 1918. The following day he was assigned to the 60th Company of the 163rd Depot Brigade. The depot brigades were units that processed unassigned personnel and new recruits into the service. They would receive their initial training and equipment at the depot base when entering the service. The 163rd Depot Brigade was stationed at Camp Dodge in Iowa. He was briefly with Company 35 Labor Regiment at Camp Johnston. On 21 September 1918 he was transferred to the 341st Field Remount Squadron at Camp Johnston in Florida. He was sick in the hospital with many other men in the unit (probably Spanish Flu) a few days later. On 18 October 1918 he was transferred to the 347th Field Remount Squadron while still hospitalized. He is listed as a Horseman on the October 1918 muster rolls. He physically joined the 347th at Camp Johnston on 23 October 1918. The only records that I could find for this unit end in December of 1918 but he was not listed as being transferred on those records. There are no available daily reports or muster rolls. On 27 January 1919 Mauser was transferred to Motor Transport Company 356 at Camp Hill in Virginia. He was transferred out of the 356th Company on 21 April 1919. He was sent back to Camp Dodge in Iowa for discharge in May of 1919 and here the trail ends.”
Otto wasn’t transferred overseas, but a newspaper clipping that was found notes that “Otto Mauser was all dressed up for the big trip when the armistice was signed and he was returned to one of the southern camps, where he is looking after the horses. The officers seem to take kindly to the western farm raised boys like Otto Mauser and George Cruickshanks, who know without being shown which end of the animal to put the crupper on. ” I assume this is from the Julesburg, Co paper as the Deuel County and Keith County papers are digitized in this time frame and the article isn’t in either of those.
These are just a few of the images that were in the footlocker. We can identify Otto on the left side of the one group photo and loved that in the panorama of all the tents that he circled which one was his.
Cory and Nicole Family History 