Uncle Jack in World War I: Revising the Timeline

I need to report that I overlooked online copies of military muster rolls for World War I, which affect our understanding of the service of granduncle Orville P. Bonn (1896-1985), whom subsequent generations knew as Uncle Jack.

I had assumed such records were lost because Jack’s Official Military Personnel File was destroyed in the fire at the National Military Records Center in 1973.   Bad assumption.  FamilySearch maintains online images of muster rolls in a collection called the Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939.^[1]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” Database, FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org : 19 October 2023.  The Army shipped these records to the National Military Records Center after 1973.

Information in these roll calls helps answer some key questions.

1.  On 14 March 1917, nine days after enlistment and while a fresh recruit at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, private Orville P. Bonn was assigned to the 3rd Aero Squadron.^[2]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 3rd Aero … Continue reading  The 3rd Aero Squadron was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas.  Many 3rd Aero Squadron men assisted in the building of Kelly Field – also known as Camp Kelly – in April and May 1917.

2.  Jack served on the Mexican border in late March and probably part of April 1917 .  However, he was not with the 1st Aero Squadron in Columbus, New Mexico, as I speculated.  Instead, Orville P. Bonn is listed as a recruit with the 6th Cavalry at Camp Marfa, Texas on 30 March 1917.^[3]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 18th Recruit … Continue reading  I had never heard of Camp Marfa, but learned it was an Army outpost originally established to protect West Texas from Mexican banditos.  It later became Fort D.A. Russell, now closed.  It is unknown what Jack’s role or assignment was at Camp Marfa.  I don’t see any references to aircraft there but possibly haven’t searched well enough.  Because of his civilian employment as an automobile mechanic, maybe there was an urgent call for such skills there.

It is unclear how Uncle Jack could have been assigned to 3rd Aero Squadron on 14 March 1917, but be stationed at Marfa, Texas with the 6th Cavalry on 30 March 1917.  One possibility is that he belonged to the 3rd Aero Squadron but was detailed to the 6th Cavalry – although the word detailed is absent from the rolls.  Keep in mind that unit affiliation and physical location are not always the same.  Jack may have been assigned to 3rd Aero Squadron on paper, for example, but did not join them right away.  Jack’s arrival and departure dates from Camp Marfa are not shown.  Regardless, his muster roll one month later – 30 April 1917 – shows him present at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas with the 3rd Aero Squadron, so his stint on the border was short as expected.^[4]“U. S., Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls …” FamilySearch, entry for Bonn, 3rd A. S., 30 April 1917 roll.

3.  On 11 May 1917, Jack was transferred from the 3rd to the 4th Aero Squadron.^[5]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 19 October 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 3rd Aero … Continue reading  Hundreds of 3rd Aero Squadron personnel were transferred to other units on this date as the Air Service began to expand exponentially.  The 4th Aero Squadron was posted to brand new Kelly Field in south San Antonio and the men assisted in the construction of the barracks and other facilities.

4.  On 31 August 1917, Orville P. Bonn was still stationed with the 4th Aero Squadron, Kelly Field, Texas.^[6]((“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 6 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 4th Aero … Continue reading  This roll call underscores that Jack was not assigned to the 34th Aero Squadron prior to his departure to Europe, as the previous post pointed out.  The 34th was established at Kelly Field in July 1917, but Jack was not associated with it until 1918.

5.  On 4 September 1917, Jack transferred to AV School, Mineola, Long Island, New York in preparation for overseas deployment.^[7]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 6 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 4th Aero … Continue reading  This was Hazelhurst Field.  The Air Service Foreign Detachment bound for Italy was also stationed there, so Jack would have joined it then as they prepared for embarkation on the RMS Carmania two weeks later.

Hazelhurst Field was renamed Roosevelt Field in 1919 to honor Quentin Roosevelt who died in air combat.  This is the same field that Charles Lindbergh took off from on his famous cross-Atlantic flight to Paris in 1927.

6.  On 24 October 1917, Corporal Orville P. Bonn joined the 2nd Aviation Instructional Center (AIC), Tours Aerodrome, Tours, France.^[8]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 2nd AIC muster … Continue reading  As discussed previously, Uncle Jack probably arrived in Foggia, Italy with Capt. La Guardia and the Foreign Detachment on 17 October 1917.  If so, it would seem he returned to France only one week later, unless the term joined in this muster roll meant transferred and his physical return was actually somewhat later.  Another possibility is that Jack was separated from the Foreign Detachment in Paris and did not accompany it to Italy, but later bragged that he had.

7.  On 8 January 1918, corporal Orville P. Bonn was transferred to Headquarters Detachment, 2nd AIC, Tours, France.^[9]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, HQ Detachment, … Continue reading  Many men were transferred to 2nd AIC’s Headquarters Detachment on this date.  Histories of the 34th Aero Squadron report that a major turnover in personnel occurred in February 1918, so the movement of all these personnel on 8 January may reflect preparations for that.^[10]“U.S., Gorrell’s History of the American Expeditionary Air Service, 1917-1919,” Series E, Volume 7, Page 293, 34th Aero Squadron History; digital image, Fold3 (https://fold3.com : 2 December … Continue reading

8.  Jack was transferred to the 34th Aero Squadron on 25 February 1918 and officially joined 1 March 2018.^[11]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 34th Aero … Continue reading  About one half of the personnel were replaced in the reorganization of February 1918.  Jack was one of the new men.

9.  Fast forward a year.  On 31 May 1919, Jack was listed on the 34th Aero Squadron muster roll, Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York, as absent sick since 29 May.^[12]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 34th Aero … Continue reading  This was 5 days after the USS Tiger arrived in New York City from France carrying hundreds of troops home, including the 34th.  The photograph below may actually have been shot on 26 May 1919.  If so, Uncle Jack is in the picture!

This is what the ship looked like when it left St. Nazaire, France.  Now that’s a troop ship!

Here’s the ship manifest showing Sgr. 1/c Orville P. Bonn aboard the USS Tiger on 13 May 1919.^[13]Orville P. Bonn, Manifest, USS Tiger, 13 May 1919, “U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939,” p. 25; digital image, Ancestry.com : accessed 5 November 2023).  As a Sergeant First Class, Jack was permitted second class berthing.

10.  The 34th Aero Squadron squadron was disbanded on 10 June 1919 at Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York, two weeks after returning from Europe.  Sergeant First Class Orville P. Bonn was discharged from the unit a few days earlier – 2 June 1919.^[14]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 34th Aero … Continue reading  Most U.S. servicemen were demobilized quickly and the 34th Aero Squadron was no exception.  However, Orville P. Bonn reenlisted in the Air Service; he was one of the few who remained in the Army.

11.  Jack was still stationed at Mitchel Field on 31 August 1919 as a Sergeant 1/c attached to the 628th Aero Squadron.^[15]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, 628th Aero … Continue reading

12.  On 22 September 1919, Orville Bonn was transferred from Mitchel Field to Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida.^[16]“United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 1 December 2023), entry for Orville P. Bonn, Headquarters … Continue reading  He remained there until his discharge from active duty on 11 March 1920.  Carlstrom Field continued to train Air Service pilots during Jack’s tenure.  It became inactive in 1922 when military flight instruction was consolidated at San Antonio, Texas.

Based on the new muster roll information, we can summarize the units Jack belonged to in his three years of military service:

1. Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri (1-2 week)
2. 6th Cavalry, Camp Marfa, Texas (short stint of 2-3 weeks)
3. 3rd Aero Squadron, Fort Sam Houston, Texas (4-6 weeks)
4. 4th Aero Squadron, Kelly Field, Texas (4 months)
5. Air Service Foreign Detachment to Italy (1 month)
6. 2nd AIC, Tours Aerodrome, France (2-4 months)
7. Oxford, England, a training facility (1 month or more)
8. 34th Aero Squadron, Tours Aerodrome, France (15 months)
9. 628th Aero Squadron, Mitchel Field (3 months)
10. Headquarters Flight, Carlstrom Field (6 months)

The only major gap in this timeline is the 4-month period from October 1917 to February 1918.  Some mystery remains, in other words, about Jack’s whereabouts from the time he joined 2nd AIC on 24 October 1917 to 25 February 1918 when he was transferred to the 34th Aero Squadron.  Both, of course, are located at Tours Aerodrome.  The additional mention of transferring to Headquarters Detachment, 2nd AIC on 8 January 1918 is confusing.  Wasn’t Jack already at 2nd AIC?  Remember, though, that the Montevideo News reported Jack spent a month training in Oxford, England.  So, one interpretation  could be that Jack trained in England in November or December 1917, then was sent back to 2nd AIC on 8 January 1918.  Or visa versa, he may have been at 2nd AIC through December, but was sent to Oxford in January.  Unfortunately, I cannot find a muster roll for 31 December 1917.

The training at Oxford possibly involved aerial gunnery because Jack is documented in late 1918 as a sergeant in the Aerial Gunnery School at 2nd AIC.^[17]“U.S., Gorrell’s History of the American Expeditionary Air Service, 1917-1919,” Series M, Volume 12, Page 34, O.P. Bonn cited in “Wing Slips at the 2nd AIC,” Plane News, 21 … Continue reading

Orville P. Bonn Military Timeline – Revised

• 26 Feb 1917         =   Initial sign-up, Montevideo, Minnesota
• 5 Mar 1917          =   Enlistment, Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri
• 14 Mar 1917        =   Assigned to 3rd Aero Squadron, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
• 30 Mar 1917        =   6th Cavalry, Camp Marfa, Texas
• 30 Apr 1917         =   3rd Aero Squadron, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
• 11 May 1917        =   Transferred to 4th Aero Squadron, Kelly Field, Texas
• 16 May 1917        =   Promoted to Private First Class, 4th A.S.
• 16 Jun 1917          =   Promoted to Corporal, 4th A.S.
• 4 July 1917            =   Attended July 4th Dinner, 4th Aero Squadron, Kelly Field
• 31 Aug 1917         =   4th Aero Squadron, Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas
• 4 Sep 1917            =   Transferred to Aviation School, Mineola, New York
• 18 Sep 1917         =   Departed NYC on troop ship RMS Carmania
• 2 Oct 1917            =   Disembarked Liverpool, England
• 5 Oct 1917            =   Arrived Le Havre, France
• 8 Oct 1917            =   Foreign Detachment, Paris, France
• 17-24 Oct 1917    =   8th AIC, Foggia, Italy (probably)
• 24 Oct 1917          =   Joined 2nd AIC, Tours, France
• Nov-Dec 1917      =   Ostensibly 2nd AIC (likely in training, Oxford, England)
• 8 Jan 1918             =   Transferred to HQ Detachment, 2nd AIC, Tours, France
• 1 Mar 1918           =   Joined 34th Aero Squadron, 2nd AIC, Tours, France
• 1 Dec 1918           =   Promoted to Sgt., Aerial Gunnery School, Tours, France
• 8 Apr 1919           =   Promoted to Sgt. First Class, 34th A.S., Tours, France
• 15-23 Apr 1919   =   Furlough to Rheims, France
• 9 May 1919          =   Brussels, Belgium
• 13 May 1919        =   Departed France on troop ship USS Tiger
• 26 May 1919        =   Disembarked Hoboken, New Jersey
• 31 May 1919        =   34th Aero Squadron, Mitchel Field, New York
• 2 Jun 1919            =   Discharged from 34th Aero Squadron, Mitchel Field, New York
• 31 Aug 1919        =   628th Aero Squadron, Mitchel Field, New York
• 24 Sep 1919        =   Transferred to Headquarters Flight, Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida
• 13 Jan 1920         =   Enumerated as Gunnery Clerk, Carlstrom Field, Florida
• 11 Mar 1920       =   Discharge, Carlstrom Field, Florida

Next: A Secret Military Project