1917 
1946Play World War One Music
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On April 6, 1917, John (Jack) Emory Swaim, a former Midwestern school teacher, was sorting mail in the post office in Bluffton, Indiana, when the United States declared war on Germany. Jack, seeing his destiny, immediately enlisted, and was assigned to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis. His wife, Alice Belle, and their sons, Ivan and Marion (my father), stayed with Belle's mother in Humboldt, Kansas, for the duration. At thirty-two, Jack was older than most enlistees. First Lieutenant Jack Swaim reported to Fort Riley, Kansas, and the 89th Division, eventually to be dispatched by troop ship to Europe, where he was later elevated to the rank of captain. From France and Germany, Jack mailed home scores of postcard-sized photos, which are a veritable record of his combat days. in the Argonne region on Oct. 20, 1918, Jack was gassed by the Hun but survived.
The descriptions here are in his own words
[Ehrang, Germany, 1918] Myself [3rd from left, front row], Lt. Wanter and my sergeants. (1) 1st Sgt. Schoolfield (2) Sgt. Lynn, Scout (3) Sgt. Page, Platoon Sgt. (4) Sgt. Jarman, Platoon Sgt. (5) Sgt. Tebbe (6) Sgt. Fetters (7) Sgt. Stark, Mess Sgt. (8) Sgt. Winn (9) Sgt. Prater. Two of my sergeants are not in the picture as they could be found when the picture was taken. With some German girl, I suppose.
[Ehrang, Germany, 1918] (1) Sgt. Tebbe (2) Corp. Milton (3) Pvt. Walters (4) Sgt. Todd (5) Pvt. Segler (6) Sgt. Lynn (7) Corp. Rippberger (8) Pvt. Hunt (9) Corp. Pugh (10) Pvt. Rumohr (11) Cook Weber, Head Cook (12) Sgt. Fedders (13) Cook Elliott, 2nd Cook (14) Corp. Doty (15) Pvt. Running (16) Corp. James (17) Corp. Blankenship (18) Corp. Grimes (19) Corp. Fluhart (20) 1st Sgt. Schoolfield (21) Sgt. Jarman. Captain Swaim [seated, left] 2nd Lt. Wanter. These are all old men of my company and came over with me.
Ehrang, Germany. 1918. The level plain on the right is our drill ground. This certainly must be a beautiful place in the summer time. The woods are all pine and everything is covered with snow, which fell night before last, so it is even beautiful now. But "we want to go home."
"Greetings from Ehrang, panoramic view"
World War One came to an end on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. But before the armistice ...
"Western Theater of War -- Soldiers grave and French ammunition wagon near Longwy" A shell has struck a French ammunition wagon. See the result? Notice the cross, which indicates a grave.
See the crosses with the German helmets on them. These are German graves. I have seen "beaucoup" sights like this.
"Western Theater of War - Mercy-le-Haut - Soldiers grave"
This is a view of Essey, France in the St. Michiel Sector. We captured this place from the Square-head on Sept. 12 and fought our way about 6 kilometers beyond this town on the first day. I have marched my company through this town on several occasions, the last time on the darkest and rainiest night I ever saw on Oct. 7th.
Another view of Essey. This is the main street and your boy has marched down it -- not to the sound of bands, but bursting shells, and the night so dark you couldn't see your hand before you, and a man not allowed to even light a cigarette, for the enemy aeroplanes were hovering over our heads watching for such a mark. See?
"Essey, Hindenburg Street"
This is a view of the Bouillonville railroad bridge, destroyed by the Germans early in the war. The line I have drawn on the landscape represents our sector (the 356th) on Sept. 12th. The arrow shows which way we were going. We passed by the bridge about 3:00 P.M. on that date, and drove the enemy out of the town, and my battalion and company taking many prisoners here. My kitchen was brought up and located as indicated by my mark (X). This place being about 4 kilometers in the rear of the front line as established after this drive. The food was hauled up to the mess at night only. Why? Oh, because. The woods you can see in the distance was one mass of barbed wire, and German machine guns, and covered several square miles of land. Some of the hardest fighting of the day was done by us in this woods. Here is where your boy almost got his. I'll tell you about it when I come home.
The grave of 7 German officers and 48 men near Verdun.
"Western Theater of War - Mass grave near Dannevoux/Verdon - 7 officers and 48 men from Infantry Regiments 130, 135 & 145"
This is a view of Beurey, France in the St. Michiel section. We captured this town with the assistance of the 355th and some "tanks" late in the evening of Sept. 12th. We slept on our rifles on the ground in a field near this town that night and took up the fight again in the morning, and remember we had no breakfast of hot cakes and sausage before going to work either -- and no supper the night before, and no dinner the day before either, and no breakfast the morning before either. This town was about a half mile from the front line after the drive and about 12 kilometers from where we went over the [top?]. It was fired into the Square-head day and night, and Johnnie had many narrow escapes here.
A view of Bouillonville at which place the cemetery is where we captured "beaucoup" prisoners and where the ruined bridge is located. On the night of Oct. 6th my company was relieved in this section and marched back this far by daylight. And we were not allowed (in fact it wasn't healthy) to march on the roads by daylight, my company and I spent the day of Oct. 7th in the upper story of the building marked (X). At dark we took up the march, passing through Essey, and marching until daylight, spending that day in the woods. On the third night we again marched all night to Lagny where we were loaded into trucks and brought up to the Argonne Front. No rest for the weary.
"Western Theater of War - Crown Prince Bridge over the Maas [River] by Sivry" I have been in this vicinity. Have crossed this stream into No Man's Land with patrols.
This is a vew of Tailly, France in the Argonne Sector. I was never in this place. Our Div. Hdqt. were located here
"Tailly"
"Western Theater of War - Epinonville" Epinonville is in the Argonne front. I have been in this place several times, these pictures show the place as it is.
This is a view of Montsec, sometimes called Hill 380, in the St. Michiel Section. This is where we first went into the trenches on Aug. 5th. Our lines were at the foot of the picture and not shown. I have peeped over the paraphet of the trench and watched Germans at work on this hill many a day. It was the strongest enemy position in this sector and was one big machine gun nest. The French lost 25,000 men trying to take this hill in 1916. On the day of the drive, Sept. 12th, we were allowed 24 hours to take this hill and took it in 5 1/2 hours, All credit to the American Doughboy. This was not a job for the Quartermaster Corps, believe me.
"Montsec"
Another view of Beurey, France.
This is another view of Essey. The town was torn up by German shells early in the war and after our occupation. You can see they did a very thorough job.
Another view of Thiaucourt in the St. Michiel Sector.
Another view of Thiaucourt, Lt. Cullen's Waterloo.
"Panoramic view"
"Thiaucourt [France]. Parade before the Duke of Braunschweig" This is a view of Thiaucourt in the St. Michiel Sector, from which the Germans were driven out on Sept. 12th. We held this section from Oct. 1st to 8th and were only about 1 kilometer north of this town. The Germans shelled and gassed this town night and day. It was at this town that Lt. Cullen was gassed, and I got some myself. When this picture was taken it was held by the Boche.
This is a view of the church at the little town of Romagne in the Argonne region. I was sent to the hospital from this town. I was put in the ambulance in front of this church on Oct. 20, 1918. Our troops had taken this town only a short time before, and the German shells were falling in the town fast and furiously, believe me.
"Western Theater of War
French shot-up Church in Montfaucon"I have been here in this very church at Montfaucon. The place was the Crown Prince's Headquarters and when I was here the Huns had just been driven back a few miles -- not so far but what the shells were then falling thick and fast. It was here that the 89th took hold and proceeded to drive them back still farther. See how the devils have demolished this beautiful church?
This is one of the vessels the U.S. took from the "Hun."
"S.S. Powhatan
Issued by the Jewish Welfare Board to Soldiers and Sailors of the U.S. Army & Navy"
Ehrang, Germany, 1918. Captain John E. Swaim (left), handsome in his uniform, a Sam Browne belt, epaulets on the shoulders, four pockets on his tunic, wrapped leggings over the laced boots up to the baggy knickers. Two of his lieutenants, and an unknown, but beautiful, young woman with a wide mouth and luxurious hair, who is wearing a wedding band.
Despite a damaged lung from the Hun's mustard gas, Captain Swaim survived World War One to retire as a branch postmaster in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and to live his last days on a farm near the tiny town of Talihina in the southeastern part of the state. He would show his grandsons his medals and ribbons with fading colors. The Distinguished Service Cross. The Silver Star. The Distinguished Service Medal. He treasured the souvenirs from his war. In the corner of his bedroom was a sword in an etched scabbard that could have belonged to the Kaiser, but hadn't. A stiletto removed from a decaying Prussian corpse. On a chest of drawers was a spiked helmet, tarnished, laughable now, but which was fierce on the heads of Huns screaming from behind fixed bayonets. He would drive his grandsons into an Indian town where the railroad track ran down the center of Main Street, and where he stopped for his mail at the post office, picked up a carton of Luckys at the drug store, and bought them orange sherbet. Captain John E. Swaim (rt) died at the U.S. Veterans Hospital in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1957.
SOME OF DON'S OTHER SITES: WCBS Appreciation Site Book Beat: The Podcast Wired for Books Radio Days Aspinwall HS Class of 55 Ambrose Bierce Site Bucks County Writers Workshop Errata Steinbeck in Bucks Co Pennsylvania Sunsets Growing Up in WW 2 Fighting the Hun in WW I Official Stuart Cummings Ripley Site Swaim Name in History The Swaim in America
