Among Our Chapter Members: President John F. Kennedy and General of the Armies John J

Among our Chapter members: President John F. Kennedy and General of the Armies John J. Pershing

Military Order of World Wars

Greater Boston Chapter

November2011

SPECIAL NOTICES

Tree Lighting Ceremony at the USS Constitution: All are invited to attend this event by CDR Matthew J. Bonner, 72nd in Command, on Sunday, 4 December at 1530 (3:30 pm). Adults over 18 will need a picture identification, and will go through security. CDR Bonner tells us that a “special guest” is expected to make an appearance.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance: A ceremony in remembrance of the Pearl Harbor attack will be held at the Destroyer Cassin Young (docked permanently near the USS Constitution) on Wednesday, 7 December. For parking inside park, please provide your name and vehicle information to Bob Gillen. Bob suggests arriving no later than noon as all must be seated by 1210 and the ceremony begins at 1230.

Special Thanksto Dave Graham for his efficient handling the printing and distribution of the new members booklet.

MID-WINTER REGION 1 CONFERENCE2011

Our mid-winter Region 1 conference is scheduled for Saturday, 3 December, in Portsmouth, NH Please refer to the Region 1 website for details, a reservation form and driving directions. Bob Gillen will explain our much-expanded YPAL program with Norwich University at that meeting and will call for volunteers to assist in its implementation.

NOVEMBER 1MEETING

Our meeting was conducted at our usual venue, the Union Oyster House, with the Chapter Commander, Red Clevenger, presiding. Other companions present were: Harry Weinberg, Larry Willwerth, Walt Stamper, Fred Maguire, Ed Rainsford, Al Mundo, Earle Kishida, Phil Phleger, Mike Lavey, Alan Rieper, Dave Graham, Bob Davenport, Bob Gillen, Arthur Marcotti, Jason Sokolov and guest speaker, Jim Littleton. The meeting opened with an invocation, a pledge of allegiance, and the recitation of the MOWW Preamble. A moment of silence was observed in memory of Eugene McSweeney and Frank Belitsky.

Fred Maguire was presented his membership card and pin by Red Clevenger and Walt Stamper, who was Fred’s sponsor in joining the Order. Walt Stamper discussed the “Wreaths Across America” program, which the Chapter is again supporting this year. All 50 states will have wreath placement ceremonies this year on Monday, 5 December.

Our Finance Officer, Arthur Marcotti, presented the Treasurer’s report. Our checking account contains $ 1,219.84, and our savings account has $6,894.10, for a total of funds available of $8,113.94 of which $1,363.40 is restricted for our Youth Patriotic scholarship program, leaving $6,750.54 in operating funds. Thanks to Bob Gillen, Bob Davenport, Dan Dell’Elce, Arthur Marcotti, Ed Rainsford, Jason Sokolov, Leo Lazo Mile Lagow, Harry Weinberg, Red Clevenger Walt Stamper, Al Mundo and Mike Lavey for their recent contributions to the YPAL Fund.

Red then introduced long-time companion and frequent speaker on tax and economic matters, Jim Littleton.

Jim distributed a package of information and gave a presentation that covered essential tax information and also some general observations concerning recent changes that might impact individual members.

Jim’s presentation was broken down into eleven categories: 2011 tax law changes, “nice to know” information, rules regarding cost basis reporting, 2011 income tax rates, 2012 income tax rates, the social security income increase for 2012, the medicare cost increase for 2012, inflation adjustments for 2012, the work of the Congressional “Super Committee”, 2011 mileage rates and his study of tax brackets vs. effective tax rates.

Following this informative presentation, Red presented Jim with a certificate of appreciation and the meeting dissolved.

The following article has been accepted for publication by Officers Review:

Newly promoted Sergeant Weiscopf, with mustache and seated, with his squad

during Federal training in Plattsburg, New York, Summer 1916

A Quiet, Dignified Man

The Greater Boston Chapter Remembers a Founding Companion, Major Edwin L. Weiscopf

A few years ago a lady, then in her nineties, named Louise Johnson, mentioned to one of our companions that her father had been an original member of the Chapter. She declared that “He idolized General Pershing and had to join as soon as the Chapter was formed.” Sure enough, her father, Major Edwin L. Weiscopf, is on the Chapter’s roll of perpetual members. It took little encouragement for Mrs. Johnson to tell her father’s story which, augmented by some research, we thought we would memorialize for our Chapter and the Order.

In 1898, when the Spanish-American War was declared, Ed Weiscopf was a restless teenager and high school student in Boston. Anxious for adventure and in the spirit of patriotism, he convinced his parents to cooperate with their silence, and although records are unavailable, we believe that he joined the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, the predecessor to the Massachusetts National Guard. Being very tall for his age, and with the excuse that he was born in the Mid-West and had no copy of his birth certificate available, he was enlisted. Of course, the war lasted only a few months and he was ultimately discovered to be underage and sent home back to the tedium of high school and all the other tasks of adolescence.

But as soon as age and opportunity allowed, Ed was back in service enlisting in November 1901 as a private in the 46th Coast Artillery Regiment. He was honorably discharged at the end of 1902 with the comment that his character was excellent. During this tour he did not serve outside of the continental United States, but records also note that he served in the Philippine Insurrection, but without any details as to his service.

Ultimately Ed returned to civilian life to work his way through the rest of his education, eventually graduating in the second class of the Suffolk University Law School, located in Boston. By that time he had begun his life-long habit of socializing in various groups. He was an early member of the United Spanish War Veterans and its now-forgotten “fun” group, the Military Order of the Serpent. In 1905 he joined the Germania Lodge of Freemasons and the following year the Masonic Scottish Rite in St. Andrews Lodge, also in Boston. While all of this was happening, he worked in his parents’ retail business, which was the sale of china, crystal and silverware – essentially wedding gifts and luxury goods. There seems to be no record that he ever practiced law as a civilian, but he went on to establish his own business which was the sale of restaurant equipment and supplies. In this period he married Minnie, and his daughter Louise was born in 1915, to be followed by her sister in 1917.

By 1916, with war raging in Europe, Corporal Weiscopf participated in advanced infantry and artillery training in the Federal Military Training Camp at Plattsburgh, NY, where he was promoted to sergeant. Massachusetts archives have no record of this service and any immediately preceding service, but a series of surviving photographs produced by the US Army Signal Corps as postcards and the notes Ed addressed to his wife on those cards show him immersed in these efforts, apparently with great satisfaction to be back in uniform.

The United States entered World War I in early 1917. Enlistments were slow in coming in the first weeks after war was declared. Many Americans wanted no part of a European war and President Wilson had campaigned for re-election on the slogan “He kept us out of War.” In addition, some of our largest, finest and most-influential ethnic groups were surprised and initially unhappy at this rapid reversal of national policy.

Ed Weiscopf was one of the early volunteers feeling strongly that he had to get into it regardless of the difficulties of family and business. He immediately applied for, and was granted, a direct commission in Federal service as a captain of infantry, beginning active service in early May of 1917.

Perhaps shrewdly, the Army kept him in the training system because he was easily able to relate to the flood of younger junior officers entering the service, as he did, directly from civilian life; and on the other hand, with considerable prior service, he was by then a thoroughly experienced soldier. His daughter remarked that his reserved demeanor was a positive factor: he was always already with a word of encouragement and a smile, quick praise for good work and an appropriate corrective word when that was needed. He served in Camp (later Fort) Devens, Massachusetts; Plattsburg, NY; Washington, D.C.; and Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama. Ed’s work was universally praised and he received promotions both as to rank and functions. Unit histories published after the War praised his work as vital in preparation of units, notably the 151st Depot Brigade and the 18th Infantry Brigade, for active service overseas.

Now clean-shaven, Major Weiscopf, second from right, with other officers

Camp Sheridan near Montgomery, Alabama, 1918

Discharged in December 1918, MAJ Weiscopf returned home to his young family and business pursuits, and although precise records are not available, it appears that he found his way back into reserve service. Of course, when the MOWW was formed, he joined; and he was also an early and devoted member of the American Legion eventually serving as adjutant and commander of his Post. His reputation followed him and it appears that he retained his status as a major, continuing to serve through the 1920s as a staff officer in various assignments, such as a brigade signal officer, judge advocate, and provost marshal. But with advancing age and in the face of all of the challenges presented by the Great Depression to a family with two young daughters to raise and educate, his service had to end. He did succeed in financially-trying times in sending both of his daughters to college and seeing them graduate in the deepest part of the Depression.

As Ed was easing into late middle age, devoting more and more of his time to family, social and veterans activities, World War II erupted. Of course, he had to take part. Too old now for other service, he joined the Aircraft Warning Service and devoted much of his time to that and related stateside war support activities in this, his third war.

But after all this going and doing and the many absences from home life it involved, how did his elderly daughter evaluate the man himself? Louise Johnson summed it up this way: “I had the most wonderful childhood. There was never the slightest difficulty in my home. My father was a quiet, dignified man - but he did a lot.” Louise passed away in February of 2010 leaving us her father’s last uniform, photos and other memorabilia.

The Fort Devens Museum, Ayer, MA has accepted the uniform, medals, pictures and other memorabilia for the purpose of creating an exhibit in memory of MAJ Weiscopf. His late daughter and the MOWW will be credited. The principal sources of information for this article were the late Louise Johnson and her executrix, Mrs. Diane Soderland and BG Leonid E. Kondratiuk, Military Historian of Massachusetts. Note: Research indicates that quite improbably there were two persons named Edwin Leroy Weiscopf born within a few years of each other, both law school graduates, and whose service in WW I as U.S. Army captains overlapped. The “other” Edwin Leroy Weiscopf was a practicing lawyer in New York. Could these two have been first cousins named after the same grandfather?