Carl’s Military Momentos

I’m not sure about the dates; apparently Carl misrepresented his age while signing up for the military and joined when he was 16!

Jean marked which one is her father. I don’t know where or when this picture was taken.

Carl is at some camp or other; I wonder why all their gear is on that table.

Jean marked her father’s head with a little X.

Carl’s up a tree with some friends; they look a little militarily dressed, so I assumed he was with some training camp somewhere. Looks like maybe they were visiting a local park? All purely guesses. Grandma labelled it for us.

Carl wrote “Railroad Yard Junglinsten Lux Notice my long pants and Bugle”

Jean marked her father’s spot in this picture. I guess that’s him sitting down near the end of this railroad platform.

So, we’ve had much debate about what these numbers actually mean. Carl clearly wrote them, it’s his handwriting. He also doodled various words around, experimenting with spelling. He had lovely handwriting. Anyway, here’s what I think about the dates:

1910 to 14 Faran [maybe Fargo?] N. Dakota Za[cut off]: Carl was living with is parents in Plato South Dakota during the 1910 census. 14 to 16 with Pa: my dad is convinced Carl meant ages 14 to 16, because Carl joined the army at age 16 (by misrepresenting his age), which would have been 1911. 16 to 19 Army: this makes sense as age or years. Carl did join the Army at age 16, 1911. He served until the end of World War I, though, 1919, age 24. June 19 to March 19 Raake: now what on earth could that mean… June comes before March! And I don’t know what “Raake” is. Googling only ends up with Scandinavian doctors.

Could Carl have joined the Army in 1910 or 1911, and served in Fargo, North Dakota? Then taken a break from 1914 to 1916, the rejoined in 1916 to 1919? The last line is still a mystery.

I think the mystery F word up top is “farm.”

I’m guessing on the date here, of course. But I think Carl went over to Europe 1917 or 1918. I’m pretty sure that’s Helen, Carl’s sister in law behind him. I don’t know about the boy. Grandma labelled this “WWI, dad leaving.”

Was this picture taken when they left for the war, or when they returned? I’m guessing it was when they left. Kurt doesn’t look like he has as many medals as in the later pictures.

Carl’s band won a contest, and the prize was a few days in Monte Carlo. I wish I’d scanned the back of it. Carl had written something, but I forgot to make a note of it. Carl is the one sitting in the middle row with the bugel, all the way to the left.