AMERICAN LEGION POST #62 VETERANS MEMORIAL

The American Legion Post #62 was named after William H. Crippen of Humboldt. Crippen was the first soldier from this town who died in battle during WWI, also known as the Great War.

Tension among countries in Europe and a chain of events eventually led to the war among the European countries. This was the greatest war the world had ever seen. Along with thousands of young American men, Crippen signed up for the war, enlisting in the Second Marines. Eventually the United States sent over American troops, but at that time they were not experienced in warfare. Though the American troops and their allies gave much resistance to the German Army, many became victims of the Germans.

At the age of 19, Crippen gave up his life for his country in 1918. In 1921, he was moved to his final resting place in the Humboldt Cemetery. His parents eventually received the Victory Medal after his death. Crippen was one of more than 100,000 other Americans who lost their lives in WWI. In a war that lasted less than four years, it claimed more than 17 million people globally.