John B. Albers

World War I

John Albers was born near Templeton on June 3, 1888. His parents were John M. and Carol (Schwaller) Albers. Both his parents were born in the United States. His father passed away in 1915 and his mother in 1916 before US involvement in WWI.

John was one of the earlier inductees entering the US Army on January 29, 1918 and receiving serial number 855476. He was initially sent to Camp Dodge near Des Moines. Camp Dodge was previously a base for the Iowa Army National Guard (and remains so today) that was turned over to the US Army in 1917. Camp Dodge was transformed into a US Army induction center and training base with over 1,300 new buildings constructed in a matter of months.

John was assigned to the 163rd Depot Brigade for training and then to Company D of the 318th Engineers Regiment. This regiment was a part of the newly formed 6th Division of the US Army. Much of the training for the 318th Engineers appears to have been conducted in Vancouver, WA but no documentation has been found that John was at that location.

The 6th Division began transiting to Europe in May, 1918 and was assembled in England. John’s unit (Casual Co 249) sailed from New York on June 29, 1918 aboard the USS Chicago. The 318th Engineers appear to have landed in Brest, France and began construction work in Gievres in central France which included warehouses, barracks, water supply systems and laying railroad tracks. The rest of the Division left England for France on July 21, 1918.

Once fully assembled, the Division went through additional training near Chateauvillain in east central France. In September, the 318th Engineers were stationed at Camp Nicholas (Gerardmer, Vosges) near the front and were involved in stringing barbed wire and digging trenches just yards from the German trenches. The 318th Engineers also operated a saw mill to produce lumber for many purposes. By the end of October, the 6th Division was moved to Les Islettes in the Meuse sector and was part of the Meuse-Argonne offensive that led to the end of hostilities on November 11, 1918. By the end of the war, John’s unit had been in combat for 43 days.

After the fighting stopped, the 318th Engineers moved to a sector northeast of Verdun and began to salvage equipment and ammunition from French trenches and dugouts. They also repaired bridges that had been destroyed by retreating German troops. On March 14, 1919, John and his unit sailed from St. Nazaire, France aboard the USS Manchuria. They arrived in Hoboken, NJ on March 24, 1919. John was discharged from the US Army on April 5, 1919 earlier than most Templeton boys due to his earlier enlistment.

After returning to Iowa, John lived in Arcadia until 1936 when he moved to Coon Rapids for the remainder of his life. There is no indication he ever married. In the early 1950’s, he was awarded the title of Carroll County’s Master Gardener. He died on November 2, 1956 at age 68 at the Veterans Hospital in Omaha. He is buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery.