Kirk Douglas farms between Brodhead and Juda and he has an interest in history. He’s always liked finding old newspapers and Monday he brought a tidbit of the past to the Monroe Times office.

One yellowed, brittle piece of newsprint he’s come across is the Aug. 10, 1921 edition of the Brodhead Independent Register. The front page of this edition tells the story of Victor Ostrander Zimmerman, who died 100 years ago this month –— July 31, 1918, to be exact, as a United States Soldier serving in the Army in World War I.

According to the article, Victor was the youngest of four children of William Henry and Cynthia May (Ostrander) Zimmermann. He was born in Oakley, May 2, 1894. At birth he weighed less than two pounds, but thankfully he rapidly developed into a healthy and active child.

He attended the Oakley School until joining his father in farming. Later, he helped his father with the Zimmerman & Son store, which stayed in operation until his enlistment in the Army during World War I.

Victor enlisted in the Army in Monroe and became a member of Co. H, First Infantry, Wisconsin National Guard, on May 2, 1917. He went into training at Camp Douglas on Sept. 27 of that year. Following his National Guard training he was ordered to Camp MacArthur at Waco, Texas, for final training before being sent overseas.

As with many Wisconsin World War I soldiers, Victor was transferred to the 32nd Division, which was under organization and Victor became a member of Co. H, 127th United States Infantry.

In January 1918, the regiment moved by rail to Camp Merritt, New Jersey.

Victor’s trip to Europe was postponed as men in his company came down with Scarlet Fever and had to be quarantined.

After the pause in travel, Victor and his company traveled by ship to Europe and were sent directly to the front lines in Alsace, which put them in German territory. Victor’s unit was thrust into one of the hardest-fought battles involving American Troops, which was an advance on Chateau Thierry. The battle plan was to push German troops out of long-held trenches and encircle them at the Marne.

The attack progressed, but led to a fierce defense by the Germans, who defended railheads in order to use trains to retreat troops out of what had become the Marne Salient. Had the Salient been encircled, hundreds of thousands of German troops would have faced capture.

It was during this portion of the battle that Victor lost his life on July 31, 1918.

“Comrades have told conflicting stories as to how he died, but the trench mirror which was returned to his parents, and which they believe he carried in the left pocket of his shirt, has five closely-punched bullet holes,” according to the Independent Register.

Victor’s body was buried in the American Cemetery at Nesles Aisne. Later it was removed and brought home for burial “close to the home where he was born and brought up” in 1921.

There were 122,000 soldiers from Wisconsin who served in World War I and of those 4,000 lost their lives. Victor was remembered as an “obedient and cheerful member of the family, always willing to do his share or whatever work was to be done.”

The lines in the Brodhead Independent Register discussing his character were glowing.

“He always looked for the good side in others and was charitable and forbearing towards their frailties almost never speaking a harsh word concerning another,” according to his remembrance.

The news of his death was a blow to his family, but also to all of those who lived in the Oakley area, which was a tight community. 

Unlike conventional religious behavior at the time, Victor had no affiliation with a church before he left for Army training. However, his parents received in the mail a card from Lutheran Chaplain Gustav Stearns, stating that Victor had accepted Christ and had been baptized during his Army training. His parents noted that Victor signed the card.

It’s quite common for soldiers in training to take up the habits of the friends that they make in their company, platoon or squad. Victor likely attended Lutheran church services with his comrades in the 32nd Division, which was almost exclusively made up of Wisconsin men, and becoming baptized and a member of the church would have been encouraged by his brothers in arms.

Victor was survived by his parents, one brother, Walter Ray Zimmermann; one sister, Mertie (Zimmermann) Weidman; his grandfather, John H. Ostrander, and several nieces and nephews.

We are 100 years removed from the horrors of “The Great War.” The war embroiled all of Europe, portions of Africa and Asia. The Spanish Flu that followed the armies like a plague, killed more soldiers than combat.

What did the war accomplish? The armistice agreed upon at the end of the war created more hardship and it put in motion the coming of yet another horrific world war, one that would claim the lives of more family-loving, hardworking farm boys from gentle communities such as ours.

— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.