The United States entered World War I 100 years ago, on April 3, 2017. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum preserves the stories of Wisconsin’s role in World War I. The bulk of Wisconsin soldiers to see combat on the battlefields of northern France were members of the famed “Red Arrow” 32nd Division, composed mainly of National Guardsmen from Wisconsin and Michigan, which took part in three major offensives against the Germans.
Rougly 120,000 Wisconsin residents ended up serving in the war, and over 2,000 died while in service. The war, which began in 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918, claimed the lives of over nine million military personell and seven million civlians.