We now have a pretty good idea of why an Evansville soldier's family endured the agony of waiting four months to learn of his fate after World War I, and how his name was left off a monument to the casualties of the one of the last battles of that war.
Mt. Vernon resident Nancy Hasting has spent the past two years researching the final days of her great-uncle, Army Sergeant Chester Schulz. He was killed in battle near Sedan, France just four days before the end of the war.
Hasting's efforts have led U.S. military cemetery officials to agree to add Sgt. Schulz's name to a monument honoring the U.S. Army First Division casualties at Wadelincourt, France.
Chester's mother, Gertrude Schulz, put Evansville on the map during World War I when she organized and chaired the first national convvention of the War Mothers of America in Evansville in September of 1918.
Hasting published a book this year about the Schulz family. It is called "A Tragedy of the Great War- The story of Chester Schulz".
WNIN has followed the story of Chester Schulz for the past ten years. It is a significant story of Evansville's participation in World War I, as well as a poignant reflection on one family's triumph that turned to tragedy in the early days of the last century. We will travel to France with Nancy Hasting in July to be there when Hasting gets to see a plaque installed honoring Chester Schulz's sacrifice. Look for updates leading up to full coverage on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I in Novvember.
