The 90th Infantry Division officially came into being at Camp Travis Texas, on August 23, 1917 under the command of MG Henry Allen. It was raised from draftees from the states of Texas and Oklahoma. John C. Daniels from Collinsville, Oklahoma was one of them.
The 90th was the Twenty-Second Division to join the American Expeditionary Force, under the command of General John J. Pershing who would write afer the war ... "The 90th is one of the very best divisions sent over here, everyone says so!"
The Division Insignia that John wore on the shoulder of his uniform incorporated the letters "T" and "O" to symbolize both states. These letters yielded the nickname "Tough Ombres" symbolizing the heralded "esprit de corps" of the unit.
The 90th Division's first baptism under fire came during the St. Mihiel campain. 90th Division troops were the first to attack from the trenches on 12 SEP 1918. The other great offensive in which the 90th Division played an important role was the Meuse-Argonne campaign.
It was during one these periods of fierce fighting that Corporal John C. Daniels of Company B. 358th Infantry Regiment, 179th Infantry Brigade, 90th Division, was KIA. Giving his life while in the service of his country on 26 Sep 1918, on a battlefield near St. Mihiel, France, during WWI.
Total WWI Casualties for the 90th Division: 1,387 Killed, 6,623 Wounded, and more than 2,000 gassed.
