Perry man one of 150 African-American Iowans honored in WWI Poster

Diversity is our strength

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Houston Hoover, a 29-year-old Perry man, was working as a general laborer for the Chicago, Minneapolis and Saint Paul Railroad Co. when he was drafted into World War I. Pvt. Hoover was killed in action Nov. 11, 1918, only a few hours before the fighting ended. He is buried in France.

Houston Hoover of Perry is number 33 on The Roll of Honor, a World War I poster honoring African-Americans from Iowa who served in the Great War.

Perry’s war hero from 100 years ago, Houston Hoover was a 29-year-old Perry man working as a general laborer for the Chicago, Minneapolis and Saint Paul Railroad Co. when he was drafted into World War I. Pvt. Hoover was killed in action Nov. 11, 1918, only a few hours before the fighting ended. He is buried at St. Mihiel American Cemetery in Thiaucourt, France.

Hoover of Perry was among the 150 African-American Iowans honored in a World War I poster, entitled “The Roll of Honor,” housed among the State Historical Museum of Iowa’s collection of World War I artifacts.

The Roll of Honor’s list is not all inclusive, but it offers clues about some of the many Iowa families who watched their sons march off to war.

Most names on the list have been forgotten long ago, but a century later, census records, draft registration cards and articles from an Iowa-based, African-American newspaper called “The Bystander” provide a glimpse of the men and the lives they led before and after the war.

The men on the Roll of Honor came from all walks of life. Their ranks included miners, dentists, lawyers, railroad workers, an undertaker and even a baseball player.

Several men trained to be officers at the U.S. Army’s Fort Des Moines  —  the country’s first training camp for African-American officers —  while others were part of the military’s enlisted corps.

The Roll of Honor represents only a few of the sons, daughters, spouses, neighbors and friends from Iowa who served during World War I, but their stories illustrate the service and sacrifice given by so many Iowans. Each name on the Roll of Honor tells a story of a unique life and sacrifice. Hoover of Perry was one of at least two men who paid the ultimate price and were killed in action near the end of the war.

For more information about the men listed on the Roll of Honor, see the article on the State Historical Museum of Iowa website. Museum volunteers and staff researched the draft registration cards for these men and conducted additional research.

Lois Crozier is a volunteer at the State Historical Society of Iowa.

1 COMMENT

  1. Have no doubt I recognize and honor the sacrifice here. It pleases me to have men like these remembered, yet the timing of Mr. Hoover’s death also reminds me of the absurdity of war. The shelling by both sides continued unabated until almost the last few seconds before the Armistice was to take affect. Indeed, many men like Mr. Hoover died for no other reason than artillery units merely wanted to dispose of excess ammunition rather than haul it away.

    “Many artillery units continued to fire on German targets to avoid having to haul away their spare ammunition. The Allies also wished to ensure that, should fighting restart, they would be in the most favourable position. Consequently, there were 10,944 casualties of which 2,738 men died on the last day of the war. An example of the determination of the Allies to maintain pressure until the last minute, but also to adhere strictly to the Armistice terms, was Battery 4 of the U.S. Navy’s long-range 14-inch railway guns firing its last shot at 10:57:30 a.m. from the Verdun area, timed to land far behind the German front line just before the scheduled Armistice.”

    I recommend a novel by Dalton Trumbo titled “Johnny Got His Gun.” It is a fictional account of a young American soldier horribly wounded during during the last few hours. The book and the movie are neither for the faint of heart. Though there is no way a film can mimic the violence and gore of combat, I commend the producers of “Saving Private Ryan” and “Fury” for keeping some of the scenes as horribly graphic as possible. Unlike the war movies of the 1950s and 1960s, recent films do not spare the viewers as they depict combat as dirty, disgusting, violent and brutally grotesque as the technology and censors will allow. Men don’t die well shaven and in clean uniforms. Those that linger often suffer unimaginable agony until death itself delivers them.

    Yes, I’m pleased Mr. Hoover is being remembered, but I’m getting tired of monuments. There are far too many bronze and marble monuments for those who I’m sure would much rather be honored with living memorials. Honor and remember them by not sending their kids off to die fighting to preserve the wealth of rich old men.

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