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Robert L. Wiley as college football captain, Camp Douglas, WI [1917]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: 32nd Military Police Company
  • Location of Service: France; Germany
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/1962

View full service history

"If only I had the time to write of this hell, but I can't. I will not be able to for some time yet, but the sights, the experiences will never die from memory." (Letter to his parents and Gertrude, August 6, 1918, page 89)

At his father's memorial service in 1961, Robert Wiley, Jr. was handed a large envelope containing letters his father wrote between the summer of 1917 and February 1919, covering 20 of the 24 months Wiley Sr. served during World War I. After a 1995 visit to Europe, Wiley Jr. reconstructed his father's experiences, drawing on his own readings of history and illustrating the memoir with then-and-now photographs of war sites. Wiley Sr. left the University of Wisconsin in his freshman year and obtained an officer's commission. He served in several capacities, including running a supply outfit and as commanding officer of a military police company. Though not on the front lines, he wrote eloquently about many scenes of devastation in letters to his mother, brother, and Gertrude, his sweetheart.

[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

[ Revisiting the Great War: Through Letters, Travel, and History, [1917-1919] ]

About this Item

Title

  • Robert L. Wiley Collection

Names

  • Wiley, Robert L.

Home State

  • Minnesota

Headings

  • -  Wiley, Robert L.
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Form

  • Printed matter

Extent

  • 1 item

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: 32nd Military Police Company
    • Location of Service: France; Germany
    • Highest Rank: Captain
    • Dates of Service: 1917-1919
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- (collected 1999)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/1962

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Wars & Conflicts

Service Branch

Location of Service

Service Unit/Ship

Highest Rank

Discharge Status

Gender

Home State

Interviewee

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Wiley, Robert L. Robert L. Wiley Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01962/.

APA citation style:

Wiley, R. L. (1917) Robert L. Wiley Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01962/.

MLA citation style:

Wiley, Robert L. Robert L. Wiley Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01962/>.