World War I was known as “The War To End All Wars.” It didn’t. As its veterans have died off, so has the memory of how costly a war it was. All in all, more than 70,000,000 people served in uniform, of which a staggering one-half were either killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Fatalities were so high that the number of deaths averaged 230 for each hour of the four years the fighting lasted.
American troops had little idea what to expect when the US entered the War in 1917. Fred Fruehan did not hesitate to enlist, although he would rather have stayed in Pennsylvania and married his sweetheart, Caroline. But as Fred told us in this interview shortly before his death in 1996, all involved felt that duty to his country had to come first. Fred and Caroline married when he returned from the service in 1919. It must have been worth the wait. They were man and wife for over 70 years! (see the Related Media tab for their story.)
Fred was one of the last living veterans of WWI. In fact, there is only one US WWI vet still alive. Frank Buckles is 108. That’s why video interviews with people like Fred Fruehan become our only links back to one of the most important conflicts in modern history.