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Remember...Frank J. Fisher Jr.
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The parents of Frank J. Fisher Jr. emigrated from Austria-Poland in 1895. Frank J. Fisher Sr. (Simon Wojtowicz before the anglicization of his name) and Helena Seymour Fisher (Helena Culajecuskov before anglicization) raised a large family at Coketon, Tucker County, West Virginia. Coketon is an unincorporated community located at the confluence of Snyder Run and the North Fork of the Blackwater River, one and one-half miles south of the town of Thomas. The coal and coke industry provided employment for some of the sons of the Fisher family.
Frank J. Fisher Jr. was born at Coketon on February 2, 1899. His siblings were John Simon, Anna Elizabeth (married names: Mrs. Jacob Swantek/Mrs. John Meleonski), Catherine Helen (married name: Mrs. Dewey Ralston Beard), Nellie, Helen, Luke John, and Lily (married name: Mrs. Andrew Stanley Urban).
World War I, the "War to End All Wars," began in 1914 when a Serbian nationalist assassinated the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne. On April 6, 1917, following the sinking of American merchant ships by German submarines and an attempt by Germany to engage in a military alliance with Mexico, President Woodrow Wilson reluctantly committed the United States to join the Allied countries in the war against Germany.
The U.S. Selective Service Commission called for one million volunteers to support the war effort. Frank J. Fisher Jr., who was living at Akron, Ohio, at that time, was among the first to answer the call on April 14, 1917, at Columbus, Ohio. He was assigned to Company K, 4th Infantry Regiment. On June 11, Private Fisher was reassigned to Company K of the 58th Infantry Regiment. The 58th Infantry had been recently organized as part of the regular army at Gettysburg National Park, Pennsylvania. In December 1917, the 58th became part of the 4th Infantry Division at Camp Greene in Charlotte, North Carolina. In less than seven months, Pvt. Fisher rose to the rank of sergeant.
| On April 18, 1918, troop departure from Camp Greene commenced. The 58th was transferred to the Aisne-Marne American Expeditionary Forces. The regiment experienced early losses when the troopship RMS Moldavia was torpedoed on May 23. In June, the men of the 58th Infantry Regiment began training with British forces at Samer, a small town in the north of France. By August 3, 1918, the unit was moved to the front line. |  Soldiers prepare for combat. Courtesy National Archives |
 Oise-Aisne American Cemetery is the final resting place to more than 6,000 Americans that gave their lives in World War I. Courtesy American Battle Monuments Commission |
On the August 8, 1918, at 4:20 A.M. in dense fog, the Battle of Amiens, also known as the Third Battle of Picardy, was begun. What followed was the Hundred Days Offensive and the Second Battle of the Somme that led to the end of World War I. Sgt. Frank J. Fisher was killed in action on August 8 and was buried in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery in Plot A, Row 13, Grave 36. |
| For his service in the Allied Expeditionary Forces and his supreme sacrifice in the Argonne, Sgt. Frank J. Fisher was entitled to receive posthumously the Purple Heart and the World War I Victory Medal. |  The Purple Heart |
 World War I Victory Medal |
Article prepared by Leon Armentrout
March 2019
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
