John William Ross lied about his age when he joined the army. He was six days past his 15th birthday when the war to end all wars came to a halt on 11 November 1918.
That's Johnny, on the left, and his buddies in post-war Europe. In the 1920 Census, 16-year-old Johnny was in Germany...and reporting his age as 21.
Johnny came home safely from the war, married,* and raised three children. His youngest child is my mother.
*Johnny's wife-to-be gave her age as 18 on the marriage license; she was just past her 17th birthday. Given these precedents, I asked my mother what she lied about. "I had my parents' permission to get married," she told me. (She married at 17, too.)
3 comments:
What a great story...I feel like I've been transported to another time. Great pictures, too!
Addie
That's a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your special veterans day story!
Post a Comment