Francis Benjamin"Ben" Fasbender

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​(The following was posted by John Fasbender on September 19, 2023)

Francis Benjamin "Ben" Fasbender was born in Lake Hendricks Township, Brookings County, South Dakota on November 19, 1895. He was the oldest son and second child born to Peter and Lena Fasbender and one of 81 grandchildren of Peter and Lazetta Fasbender. He attended South Dakota elementary schools and after the 12th grade, South Dakota State College, or "Aggie School", during the winter month in nearby Brookings, where he learned farm management.

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He was drafted during WWI and received basic training at Camp Lee (now Fort Lee), Virginia. He was a Private in the Veterinary Corps in France during 1918, taking care of the horses and mules which pulled the artillery wagons and cannons. One payday he was overpaid and he reported the surplus to the pay officer. The next day he was promoted to Private First Class. His dog tag identified him as 'Benjamin (sic) F. Fasbender' and he would be known by his middle name, Benjamin (spelled corrected), shortened simply to 'Ben' for the rest of his life. Even his gravestone is engraved simply "Benjamin Fasbender".

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On June 16, 1926, Ben married Florence Bernice Davis in St. William's Catholic Church in Aurora, Brookings County, S. Dak. They lived on the family farm northeast of White, S. Dak. (which was known as The Valley). They raised their five children there and in 1958, they sold the farm to their son James and moved to White, SD. Ben died on September 22, 1978 and his wife Florence died October 14, 1980.

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U.S. Army Veterinary Corps

The Veterinary Corps was a minor organization in the U.S. Army during World War I. It was moved between the Quartermaster Corps and the Medical Department several times during the war. 

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At the start of World War I, the Veterinary Corps had 72 veterinary officers

• Within 18 months, the Veterinary Corps had grown to 2,312 officers and 16,391 enlisted personnel

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The Veterinary Corps cared for animals used for transport, communication, and companionship. This included horses, donkeys, mules, camels, dogs, and pigeons.

 

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