World War I
Howard Middleton was born in Wayne County in 1896, the son of Charles and Ida Middleton and one of eight children. When he was about 7½ years old, his father committed suicide, citing financial troubles. His mother then moved the family to Cedar County where, in 1910, she and one of her sons, Jay, were farm laborers. Howard signed his military registration card for World War I in June of 1917, when he was 20 years old. On April 16, 1918, Pvt. Middleton is shown departing from Hoboken, N.J., on the ship Czaritza. He was a member of the 61st Infantry, 9th Brigade, 5th Division. According to Wiki pedia: The 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) — nicknamed the “Red Diamond,” or the “ Red Devils” — was an infantry division of the United States Army. The entire division arrived in France by May 1, 1918, and components of the units were deployed into the front line. The 5th Division trained with French Army units from June 1 to June 14, 1918. The division later fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the largest battle fought by the American Expeditionary Force (and the largest in the history of the U.S. Army) in World War I. The war ended soon after, on Nov. 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, N.J., on July 21, 1919. Howard was then released from the Army Sept. 24, 1919.
After he returned home, Howard married his wife, Lena, in 1920 and they moved to the Osmond area in about 1924. The 1930 census shows them living in Plum Grove Precinct where they farmed. (Just a side note, Howard and Lena were married in May 1920, and their oldest son, Lee, was born two months later, in July 1920. Hmmm.)
Around 1939, “a form of creeping paralysis,” later traced to World War I duties, set in and Howard became progressively worse. He entered various veterans’ hospitals for specialized care, which did not help him. A couple years later, when it became impossible for him to continue farming, the farm equipment was sold and the family moved into Osmond.
In the last few years of his life, which he knew was to be short, he remained cheerful despite his condition. He was bedfast for a year prior to his death, having gone from crutches, to a wheelchair, and then to his bed.
In those last few years, his three sons – Lee, James and Robert – all joined the military. His dream, before he died, was to see his three sons fight for their country during World War II and come safely out of battle.
At the time of his death in March 1946, one son, James, was at sea and was unable to get home for the funeral; however, he had been home on furlough the previous fall. The two others had been discharged, although I did find a record that his son, Robert, a corporal with the U.S. Marine Corps, had been injured at some point. The couple also had a daughter, Patty, who would have been around 10 years old when Howard died.
Howard and Lena are both buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery at Osmond.
