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Hospital Apprentice First Class Louis Baptiste Schuler

A black and white photograph of a young man in uniform looking directly into the camera.
  • Unit: 47th Company, 3rd Replacement Battalion Hospital Detachment, 5th Regiment
  • Service Number: 1910731
  • Date of Birth: July 7, 1897
  • Entered the Military: April 23, 1917
  • Date of Death: June 26, 1918
  • Hometown: Sacramento, California
  • Place of Death: Belleau Woods, France
  • Award(s): Victory Medal Button, Aisne Clasp; 2nd Division U.S.M.C. Citation
  • Cemetery: plot A, row 9, grave 45. Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, France
Contributed by Ms. Melissa Lawson
Cordova High School (Rancho Cordova, California)
2024/2025

Early Life

Family Background

Louis Baptiste Schuler was the grandson of German and French immigrants who came to California during the Gold Rush. The Schulers were a large, extended family who settled in the greater Sacramento area in the late 1850s. Born on July 7, 1897, young Louis grew up to become an energetic, enterprising, and patriotic young man who excelled academically, enjoyed athletics, and socialized with friends. He had an older sister, Marguerite, who lived an unconventional life until she married in the 1920s. The family moved back and forth between Oakland and Sacramento throughout Schuler’s childhood, possibly due to his father’s work as a pressman for area newspapers. Like most women of that time, his mother stayed at home, caring for the household and family. 

Growing Up in Sacramento

In the early 1900s, telephones were primarily used by businesses and were a luxury enjoyed mainly by the wealthy. Radio did not become a common form of information and entertainment until well after World War I. In the mid-1910s, the center of Schuler’s social life was the local chapter of the Young Men’s Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.), where he connected with friends. 

In California during the 1910s, children were only required to attend school until age 14. Many jumped right into the workforce and skipped high school altogether. Schuler attended Mary J. Watson Grammar School, where he competed in the 440- and 880-yard dash races in 1914. He attended Sacramento High School for two years while working at a large sporting goods store, Kimball-Upson, where he was a gunsmith. He was also a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and his father was active in local and union politics. 

An Aptitude for Leadership

Schuler was involved in fundraising for his local Y.M.C.A.’s chapter. A 1915 report in the Sacramento Daily Union described the first annual “Jitney Fair,” organized by the Association’s members, including Louis. His job was to run the lunch counter at the event. Their goal was to fund a summer camp. A subsequent report in the Sacramento Daily Union stated that they raised $50 (equivalent to approximately $1,200 in 2025).

In 1916, at age 18, he was selected to participate in the Sacramento delegation’s trip to the statewide Y.M.C.A. Older Boys’ Conference in Oroville, California. 

A black and white photograph looking down a city street with businesses along each side. There are several people dressed up and walking in the foreground. There is a street car in the middle of the road and someone is shoveling something in the middle of the road.
Photograph of downtown Sacramento, J Street, near Schuler’s school, church, and the Y.M.C.A, c.1907. University of Southern California Library.
The sporting goods store where Louis Schuler worked as a gunsmith before the war, c.1908. Center for Sacramento History.
A three-story gothic-style building sits back away from the road, surrounded by tall trees. There are several people walking around the school grounds.
Mary J. Watson Grammar School, c.1913. Sacramento Public Library.

Homefront

Sacramento, California

Sacramento, the capital of California, evolved into a political hub and a center for manufacturing, farming, and food production after the end of the Gold Rush. It was home to the Libby Fruit and Vegetable Cannery, the largest cannery in the world at that time. Schuler’s family members were skilled laborers and business owners, so they fared reasonably well as the area’s economy shifted to farming and industry. 

From Gold Fields to Air Fields

When the United States entered the Great War, there was a high demand for airplanes and the pilots to fly them. Mather Army Airfield was swiftly constructed just outside the city of Sacramento and served as a proving ground for pilots.

Sacramento fostered industrial growth and development, encouraging investment in manufacturing companies like Liberty Ironworks. It became an important industrial hub supporting the war effort and remained so through the end of the Cold War in the mid-twentieth century. 

To Fight or Not to Fight?  

In 1916, the U.S. was home to many European immigrants and their descendants, some of whom had close family ties to Germany and France. Because many European homelands were at odds against one another, Americans’ feelings about the Great War were complicated. However, the German attacks on civilian vessels, resulting in the deaths of innocent people, including American citizens, inspired an explosion of anti-German propaganda. The German tactics against ordinary people generated fear and anger. On April 6, 1917, President Wilson asked the U.S. Congress to declare war on Germany, and the United States entered the Great War.

Support for the War and for Local Friends Who Went to Fight

In Sacramento, much of the focus was on instilling a sense of patriotism to show support for America’s involvement in the war. The California State Board of Education distributed “All for America” pamphlets to every school in the state, outlining actions schools and children could take to support the war. The California State Fair in Sacramento promoted itself with colorful posters that depicted vivid images of Sacramento’s resources and its support for the war, which inspired local and national pride. Meanwhile, once he left Sacramento and enlisted in the U.S. Navy, a few of Louis Schuler’s former classmates raised money to send Christmas presents to their friends fighting the Germans in France. They raised $5 (equivalent to about $135 in 2025). 

A written statement titled, “A Message to the High School Pupils of California.”
A copy of the introduction of the “All for America” pamphlet distributed to all California schools, 1917. Sacramento Public Library.
A drawn poster depicting a woman resembling the Roman goddess of the grain harvest – Ceres, Mather Airfield, transport of materials to support the war effort, California poppies, and a WWI soldier and sailor standing ready.
A poster for the 1918 California State Fair in Sacramento, 1918. California State Library.
Newspaper article entitled, “Many High School Boys Are in France - Class in Journalism Raises Fund to Provide Christmas Cheer for Soldiers.”
An article in the Sacramento Daily Union describing the effort to raise $5 for Christmas presents, 1917. University of California, Riverside.

Military Experience

Enlistment and Training 

Louis Schuler, age 19, and a few of his Y.M.C.A. pals decided to travel to San Francisco on April 21, 1917, with the intent of enlisting to fight in the Great War. 

On April 23, 1917, Schuler enlisted in the U.S. Navy, well before Congress passed the Selective Service Act. He chose to serve in the Medical Corps, so he was sent to Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island) in San Francisco to train as a hospital apprentice. The Goat Island operation was moved to nearby Mare Island Base Hospital in the San Francisco Bay. By July, Schuler’s excellent exam scores at Mare Island earned him a promotion to Hospital Apprentice First Class. 

Schuler wanted to reach the front lines more quickly, so he requested and was granted a transfer to Quantico, Virginia, in January 1918, to advance his medical training with the U.S. Marines. Four months later, on April 23, 1918, exactly one year after he first enlisted, Schuler shipped out of the Philadelphia Naval Yard. There he joined the 3rd Replacement Battalion, 5th Marines, and deployed to northern France. The Marine Corps does not have a medical branch, so the U.S. Navy supplies the medical personnel who accompany Marines into battle.

Putting Training into Practice: The Battle of Belleau Wood

On June 23, 1918, just two months after leaving Philadelphia, Schuler and the 5th Marines were ensnared in the infamous Battle of Belleau Wood near Aisne, France. Schuler was part of the offensive to reclaim the northern portion of the area, which the Germans still held. After a slight advance, the Marines encountered relentless machine gun fire with little protection. They suffered heavy casualties. 

Schuler and every other hospital corpsman on the battlefield that day faced a formidable challenge. While under assault by bullets and shrapnel and surrounded by clouds of toxic gas, they valiantly attended to the thousands of wounded Marines. Schuler and three other hospital men working with him that day were “engaged in dressing [bandaging] wounded men under shell fire in the open working untiringly during the entire bombardment of June 23, 1918.” Schuler was shot during this action.  

Captain Joel T. Boone, another hospital corpsman at the battle, later wrote to his wife, “waves of our men attack in formation across open fields [while] German machine gun, rifle, and gunfire rain over them. Men fell, got up, pushed on and fell again, only to be replaced by their fellow soldiers, passing on undaunted to take the coveted territory,” and in a later correspondence, Boone wrote “My [corpsmen] mean more to me now than ever before, and they have proved themselves wonderful lads. All deserve commendation and I hope that each receives it.”

The Supreme Sacrifice

A few days later, the Allies regrouped and succeeded in pushing the enemy back, which marked a critical turning point in the war. On June 26, 1918, the Marines transmitted this message to the American Expeditionary Forces: “[Belleau] Woods now U.S. Marine Corps’ entirely.” But on that same day, Schuler succumbed to injuries from bullet wounds suffered days earlier. He was just 11 days from his 22nd birthday. It was Schuler’s commitment on the battlefield, and that of nearly 2,000 others who likewise sacrificed their lives, that proved to be crucial to the United States Marine Corps’ ultimate victory at the Battle of Belleau Wood. 

A letter containing the quote from the section above.
A copy of the Second Division Citation honoring Schuler’s valor on the battlefield, July 12, 1918. National Archives and Records Administration.
Several soldiers are standing around in a road that has been destroyed by fighting. There are lots of overturned boxes on the left of the image, off the road. There is a car in the distance and a horse in the middle of the image. There are a few soldiers laying on the ground.
French and American troops guard German prisoners of war following the Battle of Belleau Wood, June 1–26, 1918. Library of Congress (1S50806).
The card is titled, “California’s Honor Roll” and includes information about Schuler’s life and service.
Schuler’s Soldier Service Card, completed by his mother, describes who he was and his service in World War I, Dec. 23, 1918. Ancestry.

Commemoration

Louis Schuler’s parents, Louis, Sr. and Jennie Schuler, were not notified of their son Louis’s death until months after the Battle of Belleau Wood ended. They sent inquiries to the War Department because they had not heard from their son and were worried about him. Some time later, a letter arrived from their son’s friend notifying the family of his death. The Sacramento Bee reported that his father wired Washington, D.C., to confirm this unsettling news on November 14, 1918. The U.S. Navy confirmed the report by telegram sent to the family home on November 19, 1918. 

Final Resting Place

Schuler was buried in a temporary American cemetery near where he was killed outside of Lucy-Le-Bocage, France. The military was not permitted to ship human remains out of France until the war ended, so Schuler and thousands of others were buried in France with their fallen brothers-in-arms. Eventually, with his family’s permission, he was permanently re-interred at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial near Belleau Wood.

Posthumously, Private First Class Schuler was awarded the Medal of Honor Button, the Aisne Clasp, and the 2nd Division U.S.M.C. Citation honoring his bravery in battle. As his next-of-kin, Schuler’s mother was the named beneficiary of a War Risk Insurance policy for $10,000 (approximately $200,000 in 2025), which was paid to her in monthly installments of $57.50 (approximately $1,100 in 2025) for 20 years. 

Gold Star Mothers’ Pilgrimage

In 1929, Congress passed the Gold Star Mothers’ Pilgrimage Act, which provided for the widows or mothers of fallen World War I soldiers to embark on an all-expenses-paid trip to France to visit their sons’ final resting places. Jennie Schuler accepted the invitation and set sail the following year. 

Jennie, the daughter of a French immigrant, prepared to set sail for France in May 1930 at the age of 63. She had been widowed for eight years, and twelve years had passed since her son was killed in action. She traveled by train from Oakland, California, to New York City, where she boarded the SS George Washington and sailed to France. Mrs. Schuler requested to be quartered with another Pilgrimage passenger, Mrs. Waterhouse, for the duration of the journey. The two women knew each other and wished to travel together. 

The military ensured that all necessary expenses were covered on this trip, including $52.50 (approximately $950 in 2025) for meals and incidental expenses. 

The Voyage

From New York on May 21, they sailed for nine days to Cherbourg, France. Once in France, they were taken by bus to the Hotel Carlton, located on the fashionable Champs-Élysées in Paris. The women were given the best possible treatment throughout their journey. High-ranking military officials welcomed the mothers, meeting them along the way. The itinerary included extensive sightseeing in Paris and the surrounding areas. Some itinerary highlights included the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, where one of the mothers laid a commemorative wreath, and the Palace of Versailles. 

On June 1, 1930, they journeyed northeast toward the area of Belleau Wood. They remained in the area for five days, during which time they visited the American Aisne-Marne Cemetery, the historic city of Reims, the Reims Cathedral, and the surrounding villages. Upon returning to Paris, they engaged in more sightseeing for several days before returning to Cherbourg to embark on the SS President Roosevelt for their return voyage. Upon her return, Jennie Schuler sent the Office-in-Charge of the pilgrimage written confirmation that she arrived safely home. 

Never Forget

Visiting the Aisne-Marne Cemetery may have provided Louis’ mother with a sense of closure and reassurance through seeing where he had been laid to rest. The American Battle Monuments Commission ensures that all American military cemeteries, including Aisne-Marne in France, remain reverent and serene places to honor and remember the fallen. Jennie Schuler saw firsthand that her son’s sacrifice would be revered and respected for generations. 

Bittersweet Homecoming—Full Circle 

In 1927, the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium opened. It was constructed on the very same spot where, as a boy, young Schuler played with friends and learned to read and write at the Mary J. Watson Grammar School. The auditorium was built in honor of the war-dead from the Spanish-American War and the Great War. Inside the main lobby, the names of Sacramentans who died in battle are inscribed. The building has the following dedication: “This building is dedicated to those who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the United States.” The auditorium is still in use today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

A black and white photograph with dozens of makeshift crosses along a dirt road. There is a large tree in the background to the left. At the bottom of the photo is the caption “American Cemetery at Lucy le Bogage.”
American Cemetery at Lucy La Bocage, c. 1918. Oklahoma State University Library.
Louis Baptiste Schuler’s grave at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France. American Battle Monuments Commission.
An older woman with short, curly, gray hair looks directly into the camera without expression. She is wearing round glasses, a necklace, and a dress top. Her name is signed above the image.
Louis B. Schuler’s mother, Jennie, at age 63 when she went on the Gold Star Mothers’ Pilgrimage to France, 1930. National Archives and Records Administration.
Louis Baptiste Schuler’s name on the wall of the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, 2025. Courtesy of Melissa Lawson.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“311 Pupils Graduate: Joint Exercises for Grammar Schools.” The Sacramento Daily Union [Sacramento, CA], June 13, 1914. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU19140613.1.3.

All for America: What California Schools Can Do During the Current Crisis. California State Board of Education, 1917. https://sacroom.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15248coll3/id/3085/rec/3.

California. Sacramento County. 1880 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://www.ancestry.com.

American cemetery at Lucy le Bocage. Photograph. c.1918. Oklahoma State University Archives (2011-072b1f1_30). https://dc.library.okstate.edu/digital/collection/JHW/id/166. 

California. Sacramento County. 1900 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://www.ancestry.com.

California. Sacramento County. 1910 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://www.ancestry.com.

California State Fair, Sacramento, Aug. 31-Sept. 8, 1918. Visit Your State Fair and Mather Aviation Field. Poster. 1918. Sacramento Public Library. https://delivery.library.ca.gov:8443/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE227365.

Charles C. Pierce. View of J Street in Sacramento, ca.1907. Photograph. 1907. California Historical Society, USC Libraries Special Collections (UC138398). https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/asset-management/2A3BF1VY30N?FR_=1&W=1280&H=593.

“Coast wide distribution from Sacramento.” The Sacramento Bee [Sacramento, CA], May 6, 1919. Newspapers.com (86163022).

“Do You Realize What the $18,000,000 Airplane Contract Means to You?” The Sacramento Bee [Sacramento, CA], 1918. https://s3.amazonaws.com/pastperfectonline/images/museum_231/016/054_1983001sbpm00204.jpg.

“Grammar School Athletic Meet To-Morrow.” The Sacramento Bee [Sacramento, CA], June 12, 1914. Newspapers.com (616491925).

Interior of Liberty Ironworks. Photograph. c.1917-1918. Sacramento Bee Collection, Center for Sacramento History (1983/001/SBPM00206). https://sacramento.pastperfectonline.com/photo/1A10F9D1-0C37-4F0A-BDA1-241115326052.

Jennie Schuler. U.S. World War I Mothers’ Pilgrimage, 1929. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

Kimball-Upson Company. Photograph. c.1908. Lynne Riley Courtney Collection, Center for Sacramento History (1995/044/035). https://sacramento.pastperfectonline.com/Photo/110142D5-0915-4F46-8D90-969471872057#gallery-1.

[Louis B. Schuler.] Photograph. 1918. Photograph. California State Library. https://csl.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma990015494350205115&context=L&vid=01CSL_INST:CSL.

Louis Baptiste Schuler. Burial Case File. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Louis Baptiste Schuler. Official Military Personnel File, Department of the Navy. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Louis Baptiste Schuler. U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1958. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

Louis B. Schuler. World War I Burial Cards, 1917-1918. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Louis B. Schuler. World War I Soldier Service Cards and Photos, 1917-1918. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

“Louis Schuler Was Killed in France.” The Sacramento Bee [Sacramento, CA], November 14, 1918. Newspapers.com (162125746).

“Many High School Boys Are in France” The Sacramento Daily Union [Sacramento, CA], November 15, 1917. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU19171115.2.141&srpos=1&e=——191-en–20-SDU-1–txt-txIN-%22Louis+Schuler%22——-.

Map of the City of Sacramento Showing Old and New Streets. Map. 1916. Sacramento Room Map Collection (mapv063). https://sacroom.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16362coll3/id/21/.

Mary J. Watson Grammar School. Photograph. 1913. Sacramento Public Library (1240). https://sacroom.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15248coll1/id/2253/.

“Roll of Honor.” The Sacramento Star [Sacramento, CA], May 3, 1917. Newspapers.com (606757957).

“Sacramento to Seek Y.M.C.A. Conference.” The Sacramento Daily Union [Sacramento, CA], October 27, 1916. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU19161027.2.125&srpos=2&e=——191-en–20-SDU-1–txt-txIN-%22Louis+Schuler%22——-.

U.S City Directories, 1822-1995. Sacramento, California City Directory. 1917. Digital images. https://www.ancestry.com.

View of the YMCA building and other businesses along J St. Photograph, c. 1910. Ralph Shaw Collection, Center for Sacramento History (1972/212/1252). https://sacramento.pastperfectonline.com/photo/95AC0C44-EEDB-42F9-BAF7-141918184970.

“Y.M.C.A. Jitney Fair Today: Boys Attempt to Raise Money for Summer Camp By Novel Entertainment.” The Sacramento Daily Union [Sacramento, CA], March 20, 1915. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU19150320.2.30&srpos=4&e=——191-en–20-SDU-1–txt-txIN-%22Louis+Schuler%22——-.

“Y.M.C.A. Leaders Off To Join The Regulars.” The Sacramento Bee [Sacramento, CA], April 19, 1917. Newspapers.com (616736208).

“YMCA News.” The Sacramento Star [Sacramento, CA], April 23, 1917. Newspapers.com (606757596). 

“Y.M.C.A. to Raise Money Through Fair.” The Sacramento Daily Union [Sacramento, CA], March 5, 1916. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU19160305&e=——-en–20–1–txt-txIN——–.

Secondary Sources

“A History of California’s Public School System.” California School News Report. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://caschoolnews.net/issues_guide/a-history-of-californias-public-school-system/.

DeWilde, Amanda G. and Scott, James C. World War I and the Sacramento Valley. Special Collections of the Sacramento Public Library. The History Press, 2016.

Gilbert, A. “Battle of Belleau Wood.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Updated June 25, 2024. Accessed April 18, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Belleau-Wood.

“HA 1 Cl Louis B Schuler.” Find a Grave. Updated August 5, 2010. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55947618/louis-b-schuler.  

“Louis B. Schuler.” American Battle Monuments Commission. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/schuler%3Dlouis.

Maloney, Wendi. “World War I: Battle of Belleau Wood.” TIMELESS: Stories from the Library of Congress Blog. June 6, 2018. https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2018/06/world-war-i-the-battle-of-belleau-wood/.

Yingling, Major James M. Marine Corps Reference Pamphlet: A Brief History of the 5th Marines. U.S. Marine Corps, 1968. https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/A%20Brief%20History%20of%20The%205th%20Marines.pdf. 

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