Louis G. Schreck

World War I

Louis Schreck was born on October 9, 1894 on a farm between Dedham and Willey. His parents were George and Theresa (Muhr) Schreck, both immigrants from Bavaria, Germany. Louis attended local schools and completed his education at Highland Park College, a private college north of downtown Des Moines. After completing his coursework, he took a job with Standard Oil in Des Moines followed by a position with First National Bank in Randolph, Nebraska.

Louis was inducted into the US Army in Cedar County, Nebraska and departed for Fort Riley, KS on March 6, 1918 with 13 other recruits, arriving at Fort Riley the next day. He was assigned serial number 938834 After medical tests, inoculations and a 30-day period to assure the absence of disease, the group received initial training at Camp Funston, a facility within the boundaries of Fort Riley. After completion, Louis was assigned to the staff of Evacuation Hospital No. 9. These medical units were formed at Camp Dix, NJ in anticipation of moving to the European battlefields. His unit sailed from New York harbor on August 8, 1918 aboard the USS Louisville, a liner that had previously been the USS St. Louis. By August 21, 1918, Louis was listed on a roster for Evacuation Hospital No. 9 at South Hampton, England and had been promoted to Private First Class.

Evacuation hospitals were intended to be mobile and close to the battlefield to provide immediate care. The advancement of weapons and the resulting severity of injuries quickly demanded these hospitals have greater capabilities both in types of services and numbers of patients. The equipment and personnel utilized required 90 large trucks (or 30 railcars) to transport greatly limiting their mobility. The hospitals ultimately were 9 to 15 miles from the front and could process 1,000 patients per day.

Evacuation Hospital No. 9 moved to France and was involved in action around St. Mihiel starting September 12, 1918 and remained engaged through the Meuse Argonne offensive which ended November 11, 1918 with the cessation of hostilities. Louis remained in Europe as a part of the Army of Occupation. His unit sailed for the United States on June 15, 1919 from St. Nazaire, France aboard the USS Texan. (This ship was still in service hauling cargo when it was sunk by a U-boat off the shores of Cuba in 1942.) Louis and his unit arrived in Newport News, VA on June 27, 1919. The unit then returned to Camp Dix, NJ where he was discharged on July 13, 1919. He was a Sergeant First Class at his discharge, a remarkable rise in rank given his 18-month length of service.

Louis returned to Templeton and married Clara Heithoff on June 1, 1920. They moved to Nebraska before returning to Templeton in 1923 when Louis founded the Templeton Savings Bank. He operated the bank until his death on May 26, 1958 at age 63.