After many years and not remembering much about my grand father's stint in the Army, I was sure he was attached to the 32nd Infantry Division, however, the insignia on this helmet is not the infamous "Red Arrow"
So looking into this further, I found grandpa's military return information stating that he returned from Brest, France on April 25, 1919 aboard the USS Wilhelmina and back to Boston in May 4, 1919.
You will see he was a Field Artillery Sargent, attached to the 120th Field Artillery - Battery E. I discovered the following regarding the 120th FA Regiment. This is copied directly from Wikipedia: The 1st Battalion, 120th Field Artillery Regiment, also known as the "Red Fox" Battalion came into being on 22 September 1917 at Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas, as part of the 57th Field Artillery Brigade, better known as the Iron Brigade. The 120th Field Artillery Regiment previously had been the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry. The history of the 1st Wisconsin Volunteer Cavalry Regiment goes back the American Civil War days.[1]
Today, the 1–120th FAB (1-120th Field Artillery Battalion) is part of the 32nd IBCT (32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team) and is headquartered in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, and has four corresponding batteries: Alpha Battery is located in Marshfield, Wisconsin; Bravo Battery is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin; Charlie Battery, located in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; and Headquarters Battery which is located in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Headquarters Battery has 6 detachments (dets) that include the fire support element of the battalion: det 1 is located in Berlin, Wisconsin; det 2 is located in Madison, Wisconsin; det 3 is located in Clintonville, Wisconsin, det 4 is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, det 5 is located in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, and det 6 is located in Wyoming, Michigan.
Their coat of arms insignia is:
His name is also listed on the WWI war memorial monument on Jackson Street in Janesville, WI
Going back to the Diamond insignia on the helmet, looking at the assignment when their unit was activiated, their pre-european training was conducted at Camp MacArthur in Waco, Texas. Since they were assigned to the 57th Field Artillery Brigade, again straight out of Wikipedia: This was part of the 32nd Infantry Division, the unit was organized under War Department orders of 18 July 1917, from National Guard troops from Wisconsin and Michigan. Brigadier General William G. Haan, while acting as Division Commander, was also in command of the 57th Field Artillery Brigade. The 119th Field Artillery, composed largely of Michigan artillery and cavalry troops, was commanded by Major Chester B. McCormick, later promoted to the rank of Colonel. The 120th Field Artillery was made up almost entirely from troops of the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry, and the commanding officer of the latter organization. Colonel Carl Penner, continued in command. The 1st Wisconsin Field Artillery Regiment became the 121st Field Artillery, the heavy artillery regiment of the 57th Field Artillery Brigade. The Commanding Officer of the Wisconsin Artillery, Colonel Philip C. Westfahl, became Commander of the new regiment.
I believe this may be where the diamond may have come from....What I discovered is that the diamond is the insignia for the 5th Infantry Division
So there may have been some kind of resource sharing with grandpa's unit since both training camps were located in Texas and sent to France together, maybe a mixup of helmets or they were moved to the 5th ID?? still investigating...
I believe this may be where the diamond may have come from....What I discovered is that the diamond is the insignia for the 5th Infantry Division
Again from Wikipedia:The 5th Division was activated on 11 December 1917, just over eight months after the American entry into World War I, at Camp Logan, near Houston, Texas and began training for deployment to the Western Front.[3] The entire division had arrived in France by 1 May 1918 and components of the units were deployed into the front line.[4] The 5th Division was the eighth of forty-two American divisions to arrive on the Western Front.
The 5th Division trained with French Army units from 1 to 14 June 1918.[3] The first soldiers of the unit to be killed in action died on 14 June of that year. Among the division's first casualties was Captain Mark W. Clark, then commanding the 3rd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, who would later become a four-star general. On 12 September, the unit was part of a major attack that reduced the salient at St. Mihiel.[4] The division later fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the largest battle fought by the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) (and the largest in the history of the U.S. Army) in World War I. The war ended soon after, on November 11, 1918. The division served in the Army of Occupation, being based in Belgium and Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg until it departed Europe. The division returned to the United States through the New York Port of Embarkation at Hoboken, New Jersey, on 21 July 1919
So there may have been some kind of resource sharing with grandpa's unit since both training camps were located in Texas and sent to France together, maybe a mixup of helmets or they were moved to the 5th ID?? still investigating...
Bill Hirschinger
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