very interesting

[winterbadger]

ROBERT CAMPBELL PARADISE, while serving with the American Ambulance Field Service early in 1917, was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery. In October of the same year he enlisted in the Air Service, and was commissioned, May 15, 1918, as First Lieutenant, Aviation Section, Signal Corps. On October 1, 1918, he was promoted to be a Captain in the United States Air Service. He was assigned to the 1st Observation Group, 12th Aero Squadron, on duty with the Army of Occupation.

from "Phillips Academy, Andover, in the Great War" by Claude M. Fuess, pub. 1919

Capt. Paradise was my mother's uncle.

A second source, "History of the American Field Service in France" mentions that Great-Uncle Bob became chef (head) of Section 15 in August 1917, when the section was attached to the French 32me Division. The 32me was put in reserve near the front, so the section volunteered to help out an English section during a attack near Rampont that was very successful. Their division then went into action and they supported it, being strafed and their cantonment and hospital bombed. Shortly thereafter, US Army recruiters showed up and most of the section transferred to the US military.

Googlebooks turned out to have the Fuess book in its inventory, and I was able to abstract these further short summaries

ROBERT CAMPBELL PARADISE served six months with Am Am Field Service enl Oct 10 1917 as cadet Aviation com May 15 1918 as 1st Lt AS SC pro to be Capt AS Oct 1 with 1st Observ Group 12th Aero Squad Army of Occupation made Chevalier of the Order of Leopold (Belgian). [a photo of him bears the caption "CAPTAIN ROBERT C PARADISE '14 Awarded Order of Leopold (Belgian)"]

NATHANIEL BURTON PARADISE enl May 19 1917 as cand 1st OTC Plattsburg com Aug 15 as 2d Lt Inf as to 802d Inf trans to Hd qtrs 151st Inf Brig and Hd qtrs 56th Inf Brig dis Feb 14 1919

Nathaniel was my grandfather.

there's also a

"SCOTT HURTT PARADISE com Dec 18 1917 as 2d Lt FA as to 44th Coast Art dis Mar I 1919"

I wonder if that's a brother; Scott, like Robert, is a common name in my mother's family.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

That's some fine ancestry you have there!

I only had one (that I know of) in the War To End War. Born in Ireland, he moved to Australia where he was doing pretty well as a bank clerk. When war came he joined the ANZACs and was KIA. He was my mother's father's brother.

[rockethokie.livejournal.com]

My grandfather volunteered in that one. He could have been exempt like my other grandfather -- coal miner was an exempt occupation. He went to France with the 80th Div. No medals. Surviving that one was good enough.

Now we're down to a handful. I saw a slew of notices of oldest living veterans dying back in the Spring.