Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman served as Captain of Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 35th Division. He was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884 and later moved to Independence, Missouri. Truman first served in the Missouri National Guard from 1905 to 1911. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, he helped organize the 2nd Regiment of Missouri Field Artillery. The 2nd Regiment was quickly called into Federal service as the 129th Field Artillery and sent to France. Battery D saw action in the Vosges, Saint Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne campaigns during the war. Under Truman’s command, the battery did not experience a single casualty. Truman’s WWI service stimulated his leadership qualities and provided him with the leadership experience which contributed to his postwar political career. He climbed the political ladder eventually serving as the 33rd President of the United States.
