Cobbers During World War I

World War I was considered by many to be the first great global conflict to arise. When the United States entered the war on April 6, 1917, many at Concordia immediately sprang into action. Students and professors enlisted to fight overseas, then-president of Concordia J.A. Aasgaard worked to establish a unit of the Student Army Training Corps (S.A.T.C.) on campus and many Concordia women worked to supply the Red Cross with supplies for the war effort. 

On the day that the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, Concordia hosted the first public ceremony in Clay County recognizing the United States’ involvement in the war. It was a flag raising ceremony that involved former Gov. L.B. Hanna, O. Mortinson, M.T. Weum, Mr. Ashelman, and President Aasgaard. At that time, Concordia had a student body population of 470. Over the course of the war, more than 100 students and faculty would enlist. Many would be deployed overseas to fight on the ground. During this time of enlistment, a flag was created. Each time a person associated with Concordia College enlisted to serve in the war, a star was added to the flag. Stateside, however, the college was still working to be active in recruiting and training men for the war. President Aasgaard worked diligently in trying to establish a branch of the S.A.T.C at Concordia. Requirements for establishing a branch of the were to have 50 men inducted by the deadline of Oct. 30, 1918, and only men who had achieved at least 13 credits in a postsecondary education could be inducted. Due to delays in receiving approval to establish a unit from the War Department, Concordia was not able to meet the quota required to establish a unit. Despite this, the War Department’s confidence in an S.A.T.C unit at Concordia was high enough that they sent Lt. A.A. Kramer to oversee the unit’s inductees[i]. The Concordia S.A.T.C was officially disbanded on Dec. 18, 1918, after extended efforts to reach the required quota were exhausted. 

Members of the Concordia community were also heavily involved in supplying the Red Cross with supplies. When the Clay County chapter of the Red Cross met they elected President Aasgaard as chairman. He would go on to be reelected as chairman during the second chapter election held in the late summer of 1917[ii]. Many women on campus, which included female students, staff and faculty, worked to sew, weave and knit bandages and clothing. By the end of 1917, Concordia women had rolled and packed more than 200 bandages for the Red Cross that were sent to soldiers overseas[iii]. In February of 1918, the Moorhead Daily News reported that the Red Cross had received 75 abdominal bandages from Concordia. Less than a few weeks later, the paper reported again that they had received 14 knitted sweaters[iv]. The participation in the Red Cross would not be able to last throughout the war, however. During the influenza epidemic, Concordia was quarantined to prevent the spread of disease. When the quarantine was lifted, the war was almost over and Concordia could no longer participate in donating to the Red Cross. The women at Concordia did not let this stop their efforts to help. They raised significant amounts of money during thrift stamp drives that would help to fund the war effort, and, when they became payable, helped to grow the library fund. 

After the war ended, the Concordia Historical Society was founded in an effort to write a record of all the students who served in the war. The results of their efforts can now be seen in the Concordia College Archives.
 

Contributed by Allison Bundy, archives associate, Concordia College Archives