Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Audio Recording Arnold Stephen Hoke Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 42nd Infantry Division
- Location of Service: Creston, Iowa; Mexican border; France; Germany; Texas
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
After serving in the Iowa National Guard, Arnold Hoke joined the US Army in 1917. In 1971, he and his wife, Clara Hoke, who is also in our World War I feature, sat down to record their memories of the Great War. Like so many others, Arnold Hoke was thrust into trench warfare in France with little knowledge of what to expect, and initially without a weapon. He saw every major battle that the Army participated in during WWI, and his straightforward descriptions of the trenches, and the men lost, and the randomness of who lived and who died, are a timely reminder of the true cost of war.
Arnold Stephen Hoke Collection
Interview / Recording
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PlayChildren urge him and his wife Clara to record their memories in 1971; hopes future generations might get a kick out of it. 00:00:21.0 - 00:01:14.6
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PlayPart of the 42nd Rainbow Division; General MacArthur brigade commander; every bit the soldier. 00:11:24.8 - 00:11:51.3
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PlayHardships along the way; three days on a train, little food, and no bathrooms. 00:19:24.3 - 00:20:24.0
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PlayBilleting in French village; cold weather; war had completely defeated French resources; difficult to get supplies. 00:20:32.0 - 00:22:50.5
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PlayFirst time in the trenches; objective to capture Germans for information; losing several boys he had recruited; long tour in the trenches. 00:24:21.9 - 00:25:37.3
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PlayEfforts to find his younger brother Howard, who had many narrow escapes; difficulty of having one's brother in the same company. 00:30:32.5 - 00:37:02.2
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PlayIs wounded; Chateau Thierry; heavy losses; St. Mihiel front; Argonne; staying in a farmhouse that was mined; many of the men in his company killed while he slept; one of his recruits dying after losing a leg; talk of what they'd do when they got home. 00:37:03.0 - 00:53:33.2
More Resources
Arnold Stephen Hoke Collection
Interview / Recording
About this Item
Title
- Arnold Stephen Hoke Collection
Names
- Hoke, Arnold Stephen
- Munson-Siter, Patricia
State of Birth
- IA
Home State
- CA
Headings
- - Hoke, Arnold Stephen
- - World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- White
Status
- Veteran
Service History
-
World War, 1914-1918
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 42nd Infantry Division
- Location of Service: Creston, Iowa; Mexican border; France; Germany; Texas
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Dates of Service: 1916-1922
- Military Status: Veteran
Materials
- Photograph: Copy photographic print [6 items] -- Photograph (collected 1918 - 1950)
- Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2002 - 2003)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 04/1971)
- Audio: CD [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 04/1971)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 04/1971)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 04/1971)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 04/1971)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/31638
Cite as
- Arnold Stephen Hoke Collection (AFC/2001/001/31638), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- image