Pvt. Gerald Horner - Killed in Action - WWI

On this day - 98 years ago - a Bosnian Serb, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sofia in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, setting off a chain of events that would culminate in a world war by August. Some sources list the total number of military and civilian casualties in The Great War at over 35 million - either wounded or killed. Pvt. Gerald Horner of Johnstown is but one of the many soldiers that died - In the War to End All Wars.

The war and it's effects are never very far from my thoughts. I think about it all the time. Some of you will understand completely what I am getting at and others of you will think I'm nuts - but that's ok. The war to me - is both in the present and the past tense. It's almost like there is an invisible line - that every once in a while - you can cross and not realize you are over there - that is until you think about what year it really is - and zap - you get sucked back into the present and the moment is gone and you can't get it back and you can't remember how you got there in the first place.

This post honors a Johnstown boy Gerald Horner who died in France at 23 years old - while serving his country and is buried at Grandview Cemetery. CLICK HERE to see where he is buried. It isn't too often that I doctor pictures up. I think a picture should stand on its own merit. But I think this one just works better in black and white to help you get a better feel of the era.
The following article is courtesy of Cambria County Rootsweb -  http://www.camgenpa.com/news/1922UNK.html:

"A marble statue of Private Gerald Horner, killed overseas on August 9, 1918, which has been placed over his grave in Grandview Cemetery, has attracted great numbers of people to the spot. The statue was erected about the first week in May, and cemetery attendants estimated that since that time over a thousand people have inquired their way to the grave.

Mrs. Elda Sann, of 924 Lemon street, Dale Borough, sister of the deceased soldier, ordered the statue, which was made in Italy, the sculptor using a photograph as a model for his work. The likeness of the statue to Private Horner has been commented upon by many of the people who knew him.
The statue is made of Corio marble, and is spotless white. It is located in the recently added part of the cemetery and it is visible from a great distance. It is the work of a skilled sculptor, and a wonderful piece of art.

Gerald Horner was the son of Nathaniel and Mary Horner, both deceased. He was born December 27, 1895 and he was 23 years old when he was killed. He was drafted into the army February 26, 1918, was sent to Camp Lee, and later transferred to Camp Hancock and Camp Upton before he sailed overseas on May 5, 1918, with Company I, 111th Infantry, which was known as the "Keystone Division." He was in seven battles before he was struck by a six-inch shell at Fismes. Several others were killed by the same shell, and a number wounded. Private Horner was rushed to the hospital, but he died about 20 minutes after he was struck. He was the first Dale boy reported killed in action."