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Over 50 years of research into the Stratton, Schneider, King, and allied families—from colonial Massachusetts to Indiana and beyond. Built by Bill & Karen Stratton.
Strattons of Massachusetts Bay
Running Through the Sands of Time
Signal Corps, U.S. Army (1914–1919)
"The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war." —Douglas MacArthur
Fred Stratton began his military service on March 10, 1914, when he enlisted in the Indiana National Guard at age 18. Even then, he had a strong interest in radio—building, operating, and repairing equipment, a skillset that would define his military role.
He was assigned as a radio operator in Headquarters Company, 1st Indiana Field Artillery. In 1916, this unit, under Major Robert H. Tyndall, was mobilized during the Mexican Border Conflict. Although not engaged in combat, the unit underwent extensive training and preparation while stationed at the border. At the time, the unit was equipped with horse-drawn 155mm howitzers and played an important role in securing the U.S.–Mexico border during a period of heightened tension.
Fred's active U.S. Army service began on August 14, 1917, when the 150th Field Artillery was activated and assigned to the 42nd “Rainbow” Division's Artillery Brigade. A month later, in September, he arrived at Camp Mills on Long Island, New York, for basic training.
In March 1918, Stratton deployed to France along with approximately 400,000 other American troops. Between July and November 1918, he participated in the major Allied counteroffensive that led to Germany’s defeat and the November 11 Armistice.
From late 1918 through spring 1919, Stratton took part in the American occupation of Germany. He returned home in April 1919, having served through both wartime and peacetime deployments. He initially held the rank of Private First Class, was promoted to Corporal upon arriving in France, and achieved the rank of Sergeant in July 1918. His promotion coincided with a transfer to Artillery Brigade Headquarters during the pivotal Battle of Château-Thierry—one of the first major engagements involving American forces and a key turning point in the war.
The 42nd “Rainbow” Division—named for its inclusion of National Guard units from across 26 states and D.C.—was considered one of the best-performing divisions in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). Formed in the summer of 1917 with the support of Secretary of War Newton Baker and Major Douglas MacArthur, the division was envisioned to “stretch over the whole country like a rainbow.” The 150th Field Artillery, Fred’s unit, went into action in February 1918 and took part in nearly every American offensive through to the end of hostilities.
"History is not what happened. History is what is recorded." —Harry S. Truman
Much of what is known about Fred’s overseas experience comes from the diary of Sgt. Vernon Kniptash, a fellow Hoosier from Indianapolis and member of the same radio detachment. Although Kniptash had no prior knowledge of radio operation, he learned from Fred while under his supervision during their early months in France. Importantly, Kniptash kept a diary throughout his service, chronicling their shared journey from April 1917 to May 1919.
The diary offers an unfiltered, deeply human account of military life—its tedium, discomforts, sudden violence, dark humor, and emotional strain. Unlike diaries arranged by subject, Kniptash’s entries are strictly chronological and capture events as they happened or soon after.
"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams, wandering by lone sea-breakers, and sitting by desolate streams." —Arthur O’Shaughnessy
Because of his position in the Signal Corps and duty at headquarters, Stratton had access to broader operational updates, which gave the diary a wider strategic awareness than many front-line accounts.
"The only way to remember a man is to remember his deeds." —Dwight D. Eisenhower
Fred Stratton’s story, seen through the lens of Kniptash’s diary, offers a vivid narrative of an ordinary American soldier’s extraordinary journey through World War I—from enlistment, through combat, into occupation, and back to civilian life. Fred returned to Indiana in April 1919 and resumed his life much as it had been before the war, carrying the experience of having helped shape history.
Frederick Stratton (1895–1940) was the son of Frank Nelson Stratton and Otilie Schellschmidt (Shellsmith) of Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana. He served as a corporal and wireless operator with the 42nd (Rainbow) Division in France during World War I. After the war he became a dentist in Ligonier, Noble County, Indiana. He married Lucille Dee King and had two children, Marilu and William. He died of Banti’s Syndrome at the VA hospital in Indianapolis. He was the grandfather of the author.
—Wm. F. Stratton, April 2026
Over 50 years of research into the Stratton, Schneider, King, and allied families—from colonial Massachusetts to Indiana and beyond. Built by Bill & Karen Stratton.
If you are tracing a Stratton line, start here. Harriet Russell Stratton's two-volume Book of Strattons is the most comprehensive Stratton genealogy ever compiled—both volumes are free and fully searchable online.