Corporal Willie Wesley Shankle

Early Life

Willie Wesley Shankle was born on September 26, 1896, in Norwood, North Carolina, to parents William and Sara Shankle. His father passed away eight months before Willie was born, leaving his mother a widow with five children under the age of ten. After his passing, it is believed that the family moved back to the family home in Richmond County, North Carolina.  

His family and farm life shaped his early years; the common crop in this region at the time was cotton, and it was likely what the family grew. Willie Shankle attended Rockingham schools through sixth grade and was described by his peers and teachers as a fun, humorous child. 

By 1917, Shankle was living in Badin, North Carolina, and may have been employed by the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), which contributed to the U.S. war effort through aluminum production and the organization of War Bond sales to employees. 

While traveling home to see his mother, he joined a group of friends who were on their way to Greensboro. The group of friends enlisted in the Army, supporting the United States’ entry into World War I. He left for the war, a healthy, six-foot-tall, 180-pound lad. 

Homefront

Willie Shankle lived in a small rural farming community in central North Carolina, located between Raleigh and Charlotte near the South Carolina border. Established in the late 1880s, the town was primarily composed of families engaged in agriculture, especially tobacco and cotton farming, as well as lumber work and some textile-related labor. 

During World War I, this region lacked major manufacturing plants or well-documented wartime industries, but it contributed through lumber mills and cotton production. There is little evidence that the town played a direct role in organized wartime food production or conservation efforts such as Victory Gardens, since most residents already maintained personal gardens as part of daily farm life.

From a financial perspective, North Carolina women worked with the Red Cross to raise funds for the war, and through letters sent home, Willie Shankle also supported the war by sending part of his earnings to his mother and purchasing Liberty Bonds. 

Overall, this part of North Carolina supported the war primarily through military enlistments rather than industrial output, reflecting its rural character, small population, and limited historical documentation.

Military Experience

Willie Shankle came from a long line of soldiers. Both of his grandfathers, Eli Shankle and Eben Ingram, served in the Civil War. He enlisted in Greensboro, North Carolina, was transferred to Fort Thomas, Kentucky, on April 16, 1917, and finally to San Antonio, Texas. He began his service as a private in the 1^st Division, 16^th Infantry Regiment, Company L.

After being processed and receiving basic training, he departed the United States from Hoboken, New Jersey. His unit landed in St. Nazaire, France, in late June 1917 along with General John Pershing. Before heading off for training, he enjoyed Paris for 72 hours with another soldier.

His unit trained in the Gondrecourt area alongside the French 47^th Division, Chasseurs d’Alpines, before moving to the front lines. As a frontline infantry soldier, Shankle spent much of his time in trenches and active combat, participating in some of the earliest and most dangerous engagements involving American forces. 

He was promoted to corporal on December 27, 1917, and fought in major battles including Bathlemont, Ansauville, Cantigny, and Coullemelle. At the Battle of Cantigny on May 28, 1918, the 16^th Infantry Regiment led the first major American offensive of the war. Shankle was wounded during the Battle of Soissons on July 18, 1918, where his unit suffered some of the heaviest U.S. casualties.

Throughout his time on the battlefield, Willie Shankle was known for writing letters home to his mother. In one such letter, he described hearing a sermon by a member of the Salvation Army.  He wrote this as his mother, “He told us all about it and explained everything. You will be glad to know that I am a changed boy. I realize now that I have my gun in one hand and my life in the other. I feel that I can hold my own against anybody with my gun but I must trust the outcome to God, and I am not afraid. Don’t worry about me, I will be alright.” 

Commemoration

Willie Shankle was serving in the trenches at the Battle of Soisson on July 18, 1918. He was struck in his heart by a piece of high explosive shell and succumbed to his injuries two days later on July 20, 1918.  It was one of the deadliest battles in the war.  He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his bravery at Soissons.

He is buried at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery in Seringes-et-Nesles, France. His family placed a memorial marker at Norwood Cemetery in Norwood, North Carolina, the same cemetery in which his father was buried. 

His mother, Sallie Shankle, later traveled to France as part of a Gold Star Mothers pilgrimage to honor his sacrifice in 1930.

Corporal Willie Franklin Shankle is one of thousands of North Carolinians who never returned home from World War I. He left behind his family, his community, and a quiet rural life to serve his country on foreign soil, sacrificing everything in the name of duty and freedom.

Although his name may appear only in military records and distant memorials, Willie Shankle’s story reaches far beyond a single line of text. From the small farming towns of central North Carolina to the deadly trenches of France, he represents the courage of ordinary Americans placed in extraordinary circumstances. His service with the 16^th Infantry Regiment placed him on the front lines of some of the war’s earliest and most dangerous battles, where he ultimately gave his life at Soissons in 1918.

Willie Shankle’s life ended far from home, but his legacy lives on through his family, his service, and the freedoms preserved by his sacrifice. His story is a reminder that history is shaped not only by generals and leaders, but by young soldiers whose bravery changed the world.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“A Brave Crusader.” Rockingham Post-Dispatch, [Rockingham, NC], November 27, 1918. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn91068736/1918-11-27/ed-1/. 

[Arrival at St. Nazaire]. Photograph. June 26, 1917. 16th Infantry Regiment Association. https://16thinfassn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Arrival-at-St-Nazaire.jpg. 

“Gold Star Mother Died June 13th.” Rockingham Post-Dispatch, [Rockingham, NC], June 19, 1946. Newspapers.com (67563516). 

“Grave of Son To Be Visited.” The Charlotte Observer [Charlotte, NC], July 21, 1930. Newspapers.com (616842690). 

North Carolina. Richmond County. 1910 U.S. Federal Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

North Carolina. Stanly County. 1900 U.S. Federal Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Sallie Shankle. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1957. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Sallie Shankle. U.S., World War I Mothers’ Pilgrimage. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

“Supreme Sacrifice.” Hickory Daily Record, August 22, 1918. https://ruralnchistory.blogspot.com/2018/08/corp-willie-shankle-killed-in-fighting.html.

William Wall House. Photograph. c.1870. Stanley County Museum, Digital NC. https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/5089. 

Willie W. Shankle. North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Willie W. Shankle. U.S., Headstone and Internment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949. https://ancestry.com. 

Willie W. Shankle from Stanly County, N.C., wearing his U.S. Army uniform. . . . Photograph. C.1917-1918. World War I Papers, State Archives of North Carolina.  https://www.vintag.es/2017/08/amazing-studio-portrait-photos-of-north.html. 

Secondary Sources

“The 16th Infantry Regiment, United States Army.” American Battlefield Trust. Updated July 7, 2017. Accessed February 9, 2026.  https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/16th-infantry-regiment-united-states-army.

“Center – Explore Norwood’s History.” Norwood.Accessed February 9, 2026.  https://norwoodgov.com/center-explore-norwoods-history/. 

“Corp. Willie Wesley Shankle.” Find a Grave. Updated August 8, 2010. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56640282/willie-wesley-shankle. 

Glass, Brent D. “Cotton Mills.” NCpedia, State Library of NC. Updated 2006. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://www.ncpedia.org/cotton-mills. 

“History.” City of Alcoa. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://www.cityofalcoa-tn.gov/580/History.   

“History of the 16th Infantry Regiment.” 16th Infantry Regiment Association. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://16thinfassn.org/history/regimental-history/. 

Peek, Matthew M. “North Carolina’s WWI Collector of War Records.” Blog. March 13, 2017. North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2017/03/13/north-carolinas-wwi-collector-war-records. 

“Shankle Willie Wesley.” American War Memorials Overseas, Inc. Accessed February 1, 2026. https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=9528. 

Stroup, Jane Shaw. “The Textile Industry in North Carolina.” North Carolina History Project. Updated 2026. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/the-textile-industry-in-north-carolina/. 

“Willie W. Shankle.” American Battle Monuments Commission. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://weremember.abmc.gov/s?q=*&type=16&criteria=title%3Dshankle&b=0&a=c&v=G. 

“Willie W. Shankle.” Hall of Valor. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-83372/. 

“Willie W. Shankle.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, National Cemetery Administration. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/WillieWShankle/172A5.

“William Franklin Shankle.” Find a Grave. Updated February 26, 2010. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48832967/william_franklin-shankle. 

“Willie Wesley Shankle.” Find a Grave. Updated April 23, 2022. Accessed February 9, 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/239143596/willie-wesley-shankle.

This profile was researched and created through the Researching Silent Heroes program, sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission.