How Has Propaganda Affected You?
Exclusive: A Hero's Story: How the Posters Affected Him
Biogrpahy: Charles Patton
August 23, 1893 - November, 10 1917
"I joined because I believe in a better future for our children."
April 17, 1917
In this letter, Charles is a senior and is attending Princeton University. He writes home, explaining how his professors and friends are all interested in joining the war in France. He talks of becoming an ambulance driver in France for a company headed by J.P Morgan, which would practically pay him to be over there.21 He seems rather excited to join, but a few letters later, it is known he was unable to go.
May 21, 1917
In this letter, Charles talks of his thoughts of the war. He talks almost as if he knows more than everyone else about who is winning and who is losing, but his mother informed us that is just the way he is. This letter included his opinion of the posters which began popping up, encouraging everyone to aid in the war effort.
He talks about how the ones that affect him the most are the ones which talk of the future. He explains how seeing the pictures of the little kids, doing everything they can to help their fathers and other family members who joined, is "truly heartbreaking and one of the most hopeful depiction of America I have seen throughout my life". Towards the end he talks of the possibility of he himself enlisting and asks his mother "What would you say to that?".
June 3, 1917
Not too long after the last letter, Charles sends him mom notice that he is returning to Chicago. He says, "It only seems fit to come home to see you and register in my hometown." His mother told us she was overjoyed to hear her son was going to enlist, but she was naturally worried for his safety. "He was always a bit careless, so I can only hope he pays attention when it is needed."
Enlisting
Charles Patton enlisted at a Recruitment Meeting held after a Liberty Bond Parade. His mother accompanied him and was amazed by the sheer number of men who were enlisting at the same time as her son. "As fate would have it, we ran into an old classmate of Charles' and it looks as if they might be in the same unit!"
Charles was sent to train at Fort Sheridan where he excelled in his training.2 He often wrote his mom short letters just to tell her how he scored. He was sent overseas in August.
August 30, 1917
In his first letter describing life outside of the States, Charles is taking in the new surroundings and enjoying his new life. "France is such a lovely country. It is a shame it is wartime over here and I cannot enjoy the beauty of the land. Alas I wish to return to the places I have only passed through and marvel at their beauty." He mentions only a little about what life is like in France, perhaps because he has yet to experience the battlefield.
September 7, 1917
This is the first letter in which Charles tells his mom of battle. He tells of how he has been given the job of the sniper. He was one of the best shots in his platoon and was not surprised by this order. He explains that "snipers are considered one of the worst enemies. They shoot just about anyone they can and don't care who it is or what they are doing. That's me."22 His tone in the letter isn't as happy or pleased as it was before. This is only natural based on the context of his life.
This letter is one of the most detailed ones he has written. He explains what life is like up on the front lines. "There are bullets flying everywhere. They never stop. You can't learn to watch out for them because there is no way to know where they are coming from or where they are going. You can only hope your protection is good enough to withstand the bullets. I'm in a snipers nest and all, and it is usually protected pretty well, but you have to understand something, snipers are the targets. Nobody wants a sniper to get to comfortable and nobody wants a sniper to get too good at his job."
October 13, 1917
This is the first letter after the one written on September 7 that Mrs. Patton has received (although Charles could have sent more, mail between troops and home is often slow and unreliable). In this letter Charles doesn't mention his experiences at all. Instead, he focuses on why he signed up in the first place, feeling as if he will never be able to tell his mother in person.
He begins the letter with "Before all of this happened, I never would have thought I would be doing what I have been doing for the past couple of months." He continues on to relate how his whole life changed when he joined, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Then he recounts the moment he knew he was going to enlist. "You know I was walking down the street one day, to get some groceries or something I cannot recall, and there are these posters all over the place. They all are saying something different but that all have the same meaning: Support Your Country. I remember thinking 'What have I done?'. I hadn't grown a garden, I hadn't bought a bond, I hadn't helped out in the production of any war related product, I hadn't done anything at all to support my country. So what was I supposed to do?"
Charles's letter is full of questions like that, prompting his mom to tell us he never had been one to ask a lot of questions or to think too hard on something. She is convinced something happened over there that changed him.
He continues, "I saw a poster which read "Enlist On Which Side of the Glass Are You?" and I knew I had to enlist. But I didn't do it for personal reasons or pride. I joined for the future. Mom, I joined for those little girls and boys who should be able to grow up like I did in a country that is free and doesn't have to worry about the stresses of war. I did it for not only the American children, but every child in the allied countries, especially France, who are growing up right now with families split apart because of this war. I did it for them, not me. So please, if anyone ever asks, I joined because I believe in a better future for our children."
Charles Patton will be deeply missed by his friends and family. Mrs. Patton hoped to show that he was a hero, and he saw what was going on first hand and yet even after everything he had been through and witness, he still managed to make friends with a lonely little girl.
That is how the posters on the streets affected Charles, so how have they affected you? Have you done your share in aiding in the war effort? Have you gone above and beyond and done everything you can to aid the sons of America as they fight for their lives? Answer these questions and think about what it truly means to be American.
Obituary: Charles Patton (Extra)
Charles was always fun to be around and he could always make you laugh. He enlisted to serve his country and to make the future better for the children of today. He will be greatly missed, especially by his two younger sisters.
For funeral information, see the event below.