World War I Veteran-U.S. Army-Motorcycle Messenger. I was also told that he & Ruth had 12 children: Susan, Margaret, Louise, Nettie, Harry, Wanda, Billie, Carl, Lester, Claud, Ruth & Judy. I would love to find more about the children, & more info on his military service. His enlistment date & place, discharge date & place, Rank & if he received any medals or awards. I understand he was wounded, was he awarded a Purple heart? According to my sons, it's this kind of background that would draw their interest. On our Wells & Chase family lineage there are very strong feelings of Patriotism towards our country. I am proud to recognize anyone who has served in our Armed Forces, and are connected to the family.

Most of our Veterans went undiagnosed having PTSD. To forget what they saw or experienced, the pain from wounds or being gassed, some turned to drink, and some could no longer handle the stress of life. It took a toll on them & their families. I've found evidence of this on both sides of our family. Now that we know & understand what PTSD is. We can step back & understand more fully what life was like for them. What other family members went thru, trying to understand the anger & drinking. Behavior that was so not like them, that it was obvious something was seriously wrong. It is so much better for our warriors today. We now understand why the behavior & can give or get them the help they need. I hope this train of thought helps. My husbands grandfather is the first veteran from WWI that is a good example for our sons. He was severely wounded & witnessed most of his unit being mowed downed by German machinegun fire. Fenton's nightmares of the red poppy fields would turn him to periods of anger & drinking. Now my husband & his siblings understand why & what their Grandpa Fenton went thru. My husband, Rod was on board the USS Sanctuary off the coast of Vietnam during the TET Offensive. He witnessed that carnage & further understood what his grandpa Fenton faced.

I hope this helps other family members to realize or even understand what he went thru. As veterans ourselves, we do our best to honor our family & extended family members who served.

Submitted by Kathy
on 24 Aug 2018