Prior to the United States' entry into World War I, members of the Wisconsin National Guard had been called into service on the Mexican border, where they helped to stop the raids of Pancho Villa and his followers. When the United States declared war against Germany in April 1917, the entire state National Guard was mobilized at a strength of over 15,000 men. They received initial training at Camp Douglas during the summer months of 1917.
Three companies were selected for service with the 42nd “Rainbow” Division and traveled to New York to train with that unit. The rest of the Wisconsin National Guard traveled to Waco, Texas to train at Camp MacArthur, where they were later joined by an additional 3000 Wisconsin men. There, with the Michigan National Guard, they became the 32nd Division and came under the command of General William G. Haan. In early 1918 the Division began shipping across the Atlantic to France. The 32nd “Red Arrow” Division saw significant action in Europe during the war. They took part in three major offensives (Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, and Meuse-Argonne) and were the first American troops to reach German soil.
In addition to the 18,000 Wisconsin National Guardsmen in the 32nd Division, the Selective Service Act brought 90,000 more men from the Badger State into the service. These men served in all branches of service under hundreds of different units. An additional 10,000 enlisted voluntarily during the war, bringing the total number of soldiers from the state to an estimated 118,000. The state's men suffered a less than ten percent casualty rate, and the number of Wisconsin soldiers killed is estimated at under 2,000.
