Doughboys & Flags

One of the favorite rites of passage in the U.S. military of the late 20th and early 21st centuries has always been the “just before graduation from bootcamp” photograph in dress uniform with a flag backdrop. The photos celebrate a special event for the soldiers. Graduation means you will soon be heading out; away from Parris Island, Fort Dix, Lackland AFB, Great Lakes Naval Station, or one of the other basic training sites.

Interestingly, the tradition stretches back at least as far as World War I. During the great mobilization in 1917 and 1918 to build an Army of 4 million soldiers, more than 30 very large training camps were built and began the slow process of turning civilians into soldiers. While there were similar facilities for “making” sailors and Marines, none of them could rival the gigantic Army training camps in size and scope. Predictably, wherever these training camps were established, they were followed closely by businesses which would cater to the soldier’s needs.

Among the less objectionable businesses springing up outside the camps were photography studios. Following is a short photographic essay on First World War “soldier and flag” portraits. It is interesting to note that constant exhortations we always hear about not letting the flag touch the ground — that does not appear to have been enforced during the WWI time period, at least for portrait taking.

Having come full circle, these veteran 28th Division infantrymen have returned to the States and pose together one last time. The serious look so prevalent in the other portraits is gone and replaced by a bottle of booze and the joking confidence of veterans who have seen the war and survived. Ironically, their ability to celebrate with alcoholic beverages will soon be curtailed as “Prohibition” becomes the law of the land.

Because of the difficulty of getting American flags during the war, most French-made portraits of the period do not display the U.S. colors. This soldier, however, found a studio in France that has one and so he posed with both the U.S. and the French flags.

Striking a serious pose beside an unusually displayed flag, this soldier is holding what appears to be a Civil War era pistol; most likely a studio prop.

This soldier has wisely chosen to share his flag portrait with an attractive young lady. From the heavy wear on his boots, he appears to have been in camp quite a while. Under magnification it is possible to see that his collar disks are for an infantry unit in the United States National Army (USNA), but the branch of the circular PFC patch on his right sleeve is undiscernible.

An unidentified and very young-looking doughboy poses for a portrait in front of a large American flag. He is wearing the typical early war training camp uniform of a woolen shirt with tie and cotton trousers with canvas leggings. (Library of Congress photo)

From Camp Johnston, near Jacksonville, Fla., comes this unusual image where the soldiers are sharing time with the American flag, a sign the says “To Hell with the Kaiser,” and two jugs of “Don’t Ask” and “Knock Out Drops.”

Not willing to just have a flag background, this studio has two flags arranged in an unusual pattern. Posing in his shirt and tie, the doughboy in this portrait has somehow managed to obtain officer-style leather leggings and has polished his shoes very nicely.

The two doughboys here are using the same chair and flag for their portraits. Note the vast difference in pose and attitude of the two soldiers obviously from the same camp. The soldier on the left appears to have a more mature look, perhaps indicating that he has been in camp a while. His boots, however, have sharp looking heels and hob-nail soles which may indicate that they are newly issued, meaning he is either new to training or has been there long enough to wear out his previous pair. The more pensive soldier on the right is wearing what appears to be a completely new uniform.

Perhaps evidence of a supply system struggling with outfitting so many soldiers at the same time, these two soldiers are wearing 1903 model wool uniforms with the turned-down collars. The soldier on the left has no collar disks, but has been issued a 1907 Model Cold Weather cap.

The soldier in this photograph, most likely taken in August or September 1917, appears to be wearing very large wool pants and a lighter-weight tunic.

The photographer in this example hasn’t even taken the time to build a studio; instead he poses these three soldiers and their Springfiel .03 rifles outside a barracks with the U.S. flag in the background. A sign of the times, only two of the rifles have slings.

{Alexander F. Barnes is a former Marine NCO and retired Army Warrant Officer. His book “To Hell with the Kaiser: America Prepares for War” tells the story of how the U.S. Army and Marine Corps prepared for the First World War.

He currently serves as the Virginia National Guard Historian.}

Send your photos to MT

Doughboys WWI

Alexander F. BarnesAuthor

Alexander F. Barnes was born in Niagara Falls, New York, and grew up in an Air Force family. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1974 and then joined the Army National Guard in 1977, retiring as a Virginia Army National Guard chief warrant officer in 2004. He retired as a US Army Civilian at Fort Lee in July 2015. Barnes has a master’s degree in Anthropology and has authored 7 military history books His most recent World War One books have told the story of immigrants in the US Army and the close linkage of the Doughboys and baseball. He currently serves as the Command Historian for the Virginia National Guard.

Doughboys & Flags

Say cheese! Doughboys took the time for pics in WWI.

Alexander F. Barnes