SERGEANT BLUFF, IA -- None of the members of Sergeant Bluff's American Legion post personally knew George Nelson. But like a number of young men of his generation, Nelson's name lives on through the Legion, though many in the community probably don't know much, if anything, about him.
They see the name George Nelson Post 662 and likely don't think twice about the name or why the Sergeant Bluff post bears it. "People know what the Legion is, but don't know about him," post vice commander Vince Bugg said.
For the record, Nelson was the first, maybe only, Sergeant Bluff native killed in World War I. An Army private in the 129th Infantry, Nelson was gassed on Oct. 4, 1918, during the Meuse Argonne Offensive, the last major campaign of the global conflict also known as the Great War. He died 11 days later, on Oct. 15, 1918, in a French hospital and is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.
Monday was the 100th anniversary of his death. If you drove by the Legion post in Sergeant Bluff, you may have noticed that the 38 flags outside had been lowered in his honor. "I just felt it was something we ought to do in recognition for him," Bugg said.
Legion members across the area, across the country, could echo Bugg's sentiments. The American Legion was formed in the wake of World War I, and many of the posts across the country are named for service members killed in that war. With the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the war approaching on Nov. 11, hundreds of posts find themselves in a situation similar to the George Nelson Post.
Americans fought and died in the war for roughly a year and a half, so in a relatively short time frame, all those people for whom Legion posts were named were killed. The 100th anniversaries of each of those deaths have been reached in the past few months or soon will be.
Bugg said he didn't want to see that anniversary pass without some kind of recognition for a man who 100 years ago died for his country. It's a chance, he said, to remind people of who Nelson was.
He grew up on a farm near Salix, the son of Hans and Kirstine Nelson. Hans, who had died when George was 7, and Kirstine both are buried in Sergeant Bluff, as are two of George's older siblings -- a sister named Cecilie and a brother also named George -- both of whom died as young children before he was born. Bugg said Nelson is the only Sergeant Bluff native believed to have been killed in World War I, and that's probably why his name was chosen for the post when it was chartered in 1941.
In a glass display case inside the Legion post at 901 Topaz Drive are three photos pertaining to Nelson. One is a black and white portrait of him in suit and tie. A second, taken in France, shows Nelson in his full Army uniform. The third is a color photo of Nelson's grave marker in France, sent to Bugg by a worker there.
Those photos, as well as the results of genealogical research on Nelson, were a focal point of the post's 75th anniversary celebration in 2016. Post members wanted those who came to help them celebrate learn more about this man none of them knew, though they see his name often.
World War I has faded into our national memory. All the war's veterans are gone. There are few left who were even alive when the war ended, much less remember it. But Bugg doesn't want George Nelson to be forgotten. He died at age 23 while serving his country, even if it was so long ago. "I'd hate to see this time go by and him not get mentioned," Bugg said. Though very few of us were around when Nelson left, he hasn't been forgotten. Nick Hytrek, Sioux City Journal October 16, 2018
Pvt George J Nelson Grave Marker in France
Pvt George J Nelson in Uniform
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