William Alfred Seegers (October 24, 1900 – July 10, 2007) was, at age 106, one of the last two known remaining veterans of

the First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

to have served in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

forces (the other one is

Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including '' Emil and the Detectives''. He received ...

) and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

's last known World War I veteran. He had a son named Forrest Stewart (adopted name) of

Clay Center, Kansas Clay Center is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,199. History Clay Center was first settled in 1862. It was named from its position near the geographica ...

World War I

Born Wilhelm Alfred Seegers near

Brinkum Brinkum is a municipality in the district of Leer, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and th ...

, he was originally passed over for service in October 1917 as being too short, only five foot three inches. But by the middle of 1918, the Germans were desperate for recruits, and he was drafted on June 10, 1918. Seegers served in the 71st Infantry Regiment. Since he didn't want to shoot anyone, and in part due to his short stature, he volunteered for office work and was accepted as such, though soon he was made to perform guard duty as well. In the closing months, with food in short supply and desertions rampant, Seegers deserted (in part because he didn't like his commander) and joined a second division in the confusion and collapse of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

in November 1918. William did not serve in combat but guarded

POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

. While serving in this capacity, he, like many of his comrades and prisoners, contracted the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

, killing many, but Seegers managed to survive. As his tasks included administrative duties, he stayed on after the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

. He was discharged from service in April 1919.

Post war

In 1922, Seegers emigrated to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

by way of

New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

. He settled in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and became a

United States citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

. In October 2006, when he turned 106, William moved to

to live with his daughter, having lived independently until that point. Perhaps because he served for Germany, no one noticed his status as a World War I veteran until his family contacted the

Gerontology Research Group The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) based in Los Angeles, California, USA, is a global social science organization of researchers in various fields of gerontology, primarily concerned with verifying and recording supercentenarians status (peop ...

in May 2007. He told of problems such as food shortages and low morale among the German soldiers. He was one of the last four World War I veterans to be discovered so far, the others being

Yakup Satar Yakup Satar (11 March 1898 – 2 April 2008) is believed to have been the last Ottoman veteran of the First World War. He died at age 110. Born in Crimea, Satar joined the army of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. On 23 February, 1917, he was t ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, Raymond Cambefort of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Enrico Garbuglia Enrico di Giuseppe GarbugliaBollettino ufficiale delle nomine, promozioni e destinazioni negli ufficiali e sottufficiali del R. esercito italiano e nel personale dell'amministrazione militare. (1926). (n.p.): (n.p.). (30 March 1900 – 2 June ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

(who died not long after having been discovered). Interviewed in May 2007 by GRG correspondent Robert Young, William was photographed in June 2007 by former presidential photographer David DeJonge as part of a "surviving World War I veterans" project. He died the following month, three months before what would have been his 107th birthday.

References

* http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/12/BAG61QV5G31.DTL * http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_6356814 * http://www.dejongestudio.com/ * http://www.genarians.com/WWI%20Veterans.html * http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_6366047 * http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/20070729_WWI_vet_whose_freethinking_took_him_far.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Seegers, William 1900 births 2007 deaths American centenarians Men centenarians German emigrants to the United States German Army personnel of World War I People from the Province of Hanover People from Leer (district) People from Richmond, California