John Aloysius Busselman
Era: World War I
Military Branch: Army
Images 1, 2: Front and back of Mr. Busselman's WWI draft category card from Duluth, MN, draft board (dated January 7, 1918).
Images 3, 4: Front and back of Mr. Busselman's WWI American Expeditionary Forces field service postcard (dated March 17, 1918).
Images 5, 6: Front and back of Mr. Busselman's WWI discharge document/enlistment record (dated January 9, 1919).
Image 7: Envelope from War Department with list of items included in discharge package.
Image 8: Form letter sent to spouses of discharged WWI veterans.
Image 9: Application to serve in Minnesota National Guard (dated December 30, 1940) in advance of U.S. entry into WWII.
Image 10: Minnesota National Guard ID card (dated December 15, 1942).
Image 11: Cover of ID card.
Mr. Busselman served in World War I and during World War II.
He served in the Minnesota National Guard until his unit was activated. Then he served in the U.S. Army.
He served as a Private from July 6 until August 5, 1917 and was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the M.G. Co., Minnesota National Guard.
He served as a Corporal from August 5, 1917 until April 5, 1918, in the 125th Field Artillery Regiment. He received a certificate of proficiency at Divisions Machine Gun School as Instructor in Technical and Tactical Branch of Heavy Machine Gunnery at 34th Division (“Red Bull” Division) School, Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico.
He served as a Sergeant at Headquarters Command #2, Technical and Tactical Division of Nation Machine Gun School, Camp Hancock, Augusta, Georgia, from April 5, 1918 until November 11, 1918.
He was discharged from the Army at Camp Dodge, Iowa, on January 9, 1919.
During the build-up toward World War II, he signed up to serve in the 5th Regiment of the Minnesota Defense Force, Minnesota National Guard, in 1940.
Mr. Busselman was born on September 7, 1892, in Eau Claire, Minnesota.
He died on April 28, 1989, in Duluth, Minnesota, at the age of 95.
Sources: Miscellaneous documents provided by family
