World War I & II

The state of Missouri played a unique role in World War I-as the birthplace of Gen. John J. Pershing, the commanding officer of the American Expeditionary Forces, and Maj. Gen. Enoch Crowder, the primary author of the military draft-and it is an impressive legacy featuring a colorful cast of characters, events, and communities. Missouri was home to two flying aces of the war as well as Bennett Champ Clark, the youngest colonel in the American Expeditionary Forces and the first national commander of the American Legion. During the war, the state was home to farms and ranches that provided an army of mules that assisted Allied forces in hauling critical materials and equipment in the harshest of conditions. Additionally, 156,000 of the state's citizens served in the military with approximately 10,000 wounded or killed in action.

Jefferson City has a unique and enduring legacy of brave individuals banding together to answer the nation's call to arms. The Missouri National Guard's Company L, 2nd Infantry mobilized in support of the Mexican Border War in 1916 and later federalized for deployment during the Great War. Local youth scrambled to recruiting stations for a chance to join in the fray against Germany and Japan during World War II. Later, brave residents found themselves in the Korea peninsula or the jungles of Vietnam. It is clear that the Jefferson City community has a history of embracing the groundswell of patriotic pride that emerges in support of those who chose to fight--and sometimes lay down their lives--for a cause they view as greater than themselves.

The Show-Me State possesses an enduring military heritage that unfolded several decades before it became a state in 1821 and stretches forth to the present day. Missouri has molded many notable military leaders, such as Gen. John J. Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. It has been the site of a Spanish fort, built in the area that is now downtown St. Louis, and serves as the home of the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. These people and memorials continue to generate reminders to its citizens of the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who have fought on behalf of the state and nation.