Leslie Ezra McGowan

Born July 20, 1892 to parents William and Esther (Duxbury) McGowan in Eden Township, Pipestone, Minnesota. He had an older brother, Edwin Raymond (February 3, 1883)  and a younger brother, Clarence William (October 10, 1896).

His military draft registration is noted on June 5, 1917 where he joined the forces in WWI with Co. D, 338th Machine Gun BN (see notes below).

After the war, he married Cecile Clara Alguire on September 19, 1921 in Brookings, South Dakota.To this union, two children were born, William Everette on January 22, 1922 (White, South Dakota) and a daughter, Inez Margaret on July 3, 1924 (also in White, South Dakota).

Leslie died December 31, 1961 in Lincoln Co., Minnesota and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, White, South Dakota.

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338th Infantry Regiment

World War I

The regiment was constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 338th Infantry and assigned to the 169th Infantry Brigade of the 85th Division. It was organized at Camp Custer, Michigan, on 30 August 1917. In August 1917, the regiment was organized with 3,755 officers and enlisted men:

• Headquarters & Headquarters Company- 303

  • Supply Company- 140

  • Machine Gun Company- 178

  • Medical & Chaplain Detachment- 56

• Infantry Battalion (x3)- 1,026

  • Headquarters- 2

  • Rifle Company (x4)- 256

The Doughboys of the regiment deployed to France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces and were billeted in the cities of Nevers and Cosne. The regiment didn't participate in any named campaigns during the war; its Infantrymen were used as individual replacements to the fighting Divisions. After completing its war service in France it was demobilized at Camp Custer on 14 April 1919.

(Summarized information from Wikipedia)

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