After three years (Yes...Three Years!), I finally received the VA Claims File for my great-grandpa, Jim Dodge. There are more than 250 scanned images from his VA Claims File. These documents range from applications forms to letters of inquiry to forms verifying income. Grandpa Jim's Claims File begins in 1918 with his enlistment and ends in 1989 following the passing of my great-grandma. In looking through the File, I have decided to split up his File over several posts so as to not overwhelm anyone who reads or follows this blog (as well as not overwhelming myself trying to share 70 years worth of information on my family).
This first post will look at the War Risk Insurance application from 1918. War Risk Insurance was enacted by Congress in October of 1917 and provided for members of the military and their families to receive financial compensation in the event of death or disability. The maximum amount of life insurance each member of the military could purchase was $10,000.00 (the minimum was $1,000). Those who applied for War Risk Insurance had to pay a small premium per $1,000 purchased, which premium was deducted from their monthly pay (the premium was less than one dollar for each $1,000 in insurance purchased). This insurance was administered through the U.S. Treasury Department.
Grandpa Jim was inducted (drafted) into the Army on August 6, 1918 at Salida, Colorado. He was then sent to Fort Logan, Colorado (Southwest of Denver), for acceptance into the Army. He arrived there the next day, August 7th. While there, he was assigned to the 19th Company of the General Service Infantry. Also, he applied for War Risk Insurance. The application lists his name, age, date of birth, current home address, and date of enlistment. He applied for $10,000 in insurance coverage and named his mother, Fannie H. Dodge, as the beneficiary. He signed and dated the application. Below is the image of the War Risk Insurance application.
Two days later, he was shipped off to Camp MacArthur in Waco, Texas for basic training, arriving there on August 11th. He was there until September 16th, when he was sent to Hoboken, New Jersey, to board the US Army Transport President Grant to France. The Transport left on September 23th and arrived in France on October 7th. Grandpa Jim was then assigned to Co. C, 162nd Infantry Regiment to continue basic training at Contres, France. Through the month of October and into November, he was assigned to this training Regiment and did not see combat. However, in late November, he was transferred to Company F, 9th Infantry Regiment and was part of the first American occupying forces to enter Germany, where he was stationed until his return to the States in late July of 1919. He arrived back at Hoboken on August 1, 1919 aboard the US Army Transport Princess Matoika and was sent over to Camp Merritt, New Jersey. On August 9, 1919, he was transferred (along with 168 other soldiers to various camps for discharge - according to the morning reports) to Fort D.A. Russell in Cheyenne, Wyoming for discharge. He was discharged from Fort D.A. Russell at Cheyenne, Wyoming, on August 16, 1919.
Following application for insurance, a certificate was issued and sent to the beneficiary. From the file, it appears that this took some time to happen. In January of 1919, his father, Nathaniel, wrote the Treasury Department to inquire about the insurance certificate. He was informed by letter dated February 4, 1919, that the certificate of insurance had recently been issued and sent to Fannie. Nathaniel also inquired about a monthly allotment to Fannie in the amount of $15.00. It appears that this allotment may have been denied as Fannie had her husband, as well as other children, at home to help provide for her.
Fannie passed away on May 11, 1919 in Buena Vista, while Grandpa Jim was serving with the American Army of Occupation in Germany. Fannie was 63 years old. From what has been passed down to me, this sad news followed Grandpa Jim home. I don't know when this news would have caught up to him, or if he didn't find out until after he came home just a few months later in August. As a side note, Fannie was a young girl when her father, John B. Stevens, enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 (and re-enlisted in 1864) and fought in the Civil War. I can't imagine what Fannie must have felt, with her father having gone off to war, to see her son also march off to war in 1918, and also not knowing that August 6, 1918 would be the last time they would see each other. Any letters that were written between Grandpa Jim and his family have long since been lost, so there is no record of what would have been shared during time overseas.
Following his discharge from the Army on August 16, 1919, a Notice of Discharge was sent to the Treasury Department, which oversaw the Bureau of War Risk Insurance. This Notice lists much of the same information that was on the Insurance Application. The Notice also lists his monthly premium that he paid, which was $6.60 per month. The Notice also lists his date of enlistment as August 15, 1919. This is likely the date he arrived at Fort D.A. Russell from Camp Merritt, New Jersey. Below is the image of the Notice of Discharge.
I imagine managing one's way through military service isn't easy. Managing one's way through the process of applying for benefits following military service isn't easy either, which is what we will look at in the next post.
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