U.S. Captain Harry S. Truman, Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 35th Division, France 1918

Long before serving as the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman served his country on the front lines of World War 1. After the United States entered the First World War in April 1917, Truman left his farm and reenlisted in the National Guard of Missouri (his first service having ended in 1906). In July 1918 the men of the 129th Field Artillery shipped out to Europe for advanced training in the use of the 75mm field gun. They eventually participated with distinction in the Vosges, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. The war was a transformative experience for Truman honing his organizational and administrative abilities. Despite beginning 1917 as an unsuccessful farmer, Truman achieved a war record and the leadership experience that would support his postwar political career in Missouri and beyond.