The Immigrant's Son

Location: Meuse-Argonne, France

Date: 1918

Scenario: American soldiers slugging it out with the Germans

Christopher George Reichert, born in 1892, was the 3rd of 6 sons born to his German immigrant father who came to the United States to work on the railroad, and his mother who was the first generation of the "Tipperary" Shanahans born in the United States. The brothers were typical boys of that era: tough, scrappy, yet “perfect little angels” in the eyes of their mother, Johanna. Sadly, their father Christian was killed in a rail yard accident when Christopher was only 9, leaving Johanna to corral the boys, ages 2 through 14. 

With only their mother to lay down the law for 6 boys, what might have become uncontrollable merely fanned the flames of duty and pride in their home and country. They grew up in an immigrant neighborhood, full of hard working, blue collar folks committed to building a better life for their families. These first-generation American children were eager to prove they belonged and show how “American” they were. Just one decade later, this passion and patriotism would prove to be a most critical element to our nation’s security.

In 1914, their mother Johanna passed away, as war was waging around the world. The United States had remained neutral to that point, but that stance was about to change. When it did, these tough “German/Irish” boys from the neighborhood were among the first to enlist in the military.   5 of the 6 Reichert boys served during WWI, but Christopher was the only one to participate in the hell known as the Meuse-Argonne offensive. 

By 1918, the Allies were pushing the Germans back across most fronts, and with the United States now deeply entrenched in the war, the odds of victory were increasing. The Germans, to be certain, would not go quietly. 

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I. It was one of the attacks that brought an end to the War and was fought from September 26 – November 11, 1918, when the Armistice was signed.

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the largest operation of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I, with over a million American soldiers participating. It was also the deadliest campaign in American history, resulting in over 26,000 soldiers being killed in action (KIA) and over 120,000 total casualties. Indeed, the number of graves in the American military cemetery at Romagne is far larger than those in the more commonly known site at Omaha Beach in Normandy. (archives.gov)

“Baltimore’s Own”, the 313th Infantry Regiment, arrived in France just in time to be heavily involved in the offensive. In Company K, a young American, a son of German and Irish immigrants, was ready to fight for the freedom of his country as well as the freedom of other allied nations. I would love to have asked him what he thought as he stared across no man’s land at the German trenches, wondering if any of his relatives were manning the deadly machine guns trying to cut him and his buddies to pieces. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was a wee lad, and I never had that opportunity.

This offensive ended the war, and Christopher survived the Meuse-Argonne with only some lung aggravation from inhaling German “gas”. Christopher and the other American soldiers returned to the United States and resumed building the lives and families they envisioned before the war’s intrusion.

These young men, and millions of other young men and women throughout our history, knew deep down it was their duty to serve and they performed valiantly, many paying with their lives. As Engineers, we may not risk our lives in the name of patriotic freedom or performing our duties, but we are bound by our principles and codes of conduct to do what is right and “hold paramount the safety and well being of the public”.  Protecting our infrastructure and the citizens it serves is our duty as civil engineers. We all know this is the right thing to do.

When we are asked to consider products, materials or processes that “work just as well as”, “installs faster than”, “lasts as long as”, et. al, we must stand firm on those principles and verify product claims by performing the required due diligence.

Trust but verify. After all, we are called “Civil Engineers” for a reason. 

To learn more about the Meuse Argonne Offensive - /https://meuse-argonne.com/

Please consider our veterans and first responders when deciding which charities to support. Here are some ideas:

https://ptsdusa.org/camp-hope/

wheelchairsforwarriors.org

www.tunnelstotowers.org

www.heroesonthewater.org

www.veteranoutdoors.com

https://www.facebook.com/AHerospromiseofficial/

Ron Reichert attended Drexel University where he earned a BS in Civil Engineering. He has been heavily involved with ASCE committees and events at the local, state and national level, and is the VP Technical Elect of the Texas Section. Ron has over 20 years of experience in specification and selection of infrastructure materials.