Private Clayton Slack,of Chetek served with the Wisconsin "Red Arrow Division" during World War I. At war's end, 3,000 from the Red Arrow Division were dead and over 11,000 were wounded; some of these had been exposed to poisonous gases such as mustard gas. Men from this division sustained the greatest casualties for the length of time on the firing line of the entire American Expeditionary Forces.
The Red Arrow Division was still in action when the Armistice was signed in November, 1918. It marched with the Third Army to the Rhine, guarding the bridgehead at Coblenz, and remained in Germany as part of our postwar occupation.
Perhaps the most outstanding soldier among all those who served in the American forces in World War I was a man from the Chippewa Valley. Private Clayton Slack of Chetek (32nd Red Arrow Division) was the most decorated American soldier of the war; he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in action and thirteen other medals for his courageous deeds. Private Slack's acts of heroism came near Verdun, France about one month before the war ended. In awarding the Medal of Honor to Slack, General "Blackjack" Pershing told him, "you have done more to win this war than I have." After the war Private Slack toured the country giving speeches and captivating his usually large audiences with stories from the Great War.
Private Slack's citation reads: Observing German soldiers under cover 50 yards away on the left flank, Pvt. Slack, upon his own initiative attacked them with his rifle and, single-handed, captured 10 prisoners and 2 heavy-type machine guns, thus saving his platoon and neighboring organizations from heavy casualties. Private Slack appeared in the film "Gold Chevrons" produced in 1927. Private Slack, to whom was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous courage under fire, gives an introductory talk before the screening of this Government film. Mr. Slack has nine medals, including Britain's Distinguished Service Medal. He was a lad of 20 when he tore into an enemy machine gun nest and captured ten Germans.
Excerpted from: Honor and Remembrance: The Military Heritage of the Chippewa Valley, Harold (Diz) Kronenberg, Royal Credit Union-Eau Claire, WI.
Doughboy Center-The Story of the American Expeditionary Forces, Presented by The Great War Society.
DistantCousin.com, Archive of Genealogical Data and Documents, WW I Medal of Honor Recipients.
Gold Chevrons-Review-Movies-New York Times, Published: November 15, 1927