The P.E.O. Society ladies were in a dither. Here it was September 1918, and they hadn’t done anything for the Appanoose County boys of Company D. The ladies had sent books to soldiers, saved rags for the base hospital at Camp Dodge, and bought War Saving Stamps, but they needed to reach out to those boys who had been fighting in France since August 1917 and who had seen their ranks decimated. The women decided something must be done before Christmas.

In October a Lawn Fete, featuring a carnival and plenty of food, was held on the Bradleys’ lawn and raised $844.65. The women quickly decided to send $600 to Company D and to use the rest for the Appreciation Fund and the Victory War Fund Drive.

By the time the money arrived in France, Armistice had been declared. Company D was on the march back to Coblenz, Germany. Captain Glenn Haynes, the former leader of Company D who had recently been promoted to major, received the letter and the draft for $600. He borrowed a horse and rode out to where the men were, finding only 20 of the original 90 left. Seventy were dead, wounded or ill in hospitals. He informed the Company that the money was theirs for Christmas festivities and that he would give it to them when they decided what they wanted to do.

Company D sent a sergeant, a corporal and a private to make a formal presentation to Major Haynes. Cleaned up as well as possible and standing at attention, they delivered a letter signed by the 20 men that said: “The undersigned, being the only men left in Company D, 168th Infantry from Appanoose County, feel that instead of using any part of the $600 so generously donated by the P.E.O. Society for Christmas festivities, that they would rather this money be used to form the nucleus of a fund for the erection of a suitable monument to the memory of those men from Appanoose County that have been killed or died of wounds received on the battle fields of France.”

Knowing what these men had been through, Major Haynes was overcome with emotion at this unselfish decision. He writes about his feelings in his 1921 letter which appears below.

The ladies discussed many options and finally in 1923 decided to forge ahead and build a brick structure with three arches at the entrance to Oakland Cemetery. The arches would feature bronze plaques with the names of those who died in WWI. Raising the money was arduous, but the newspaper helped by announcing the task and publishing the contributions. The newspaper also listed those who had died and continued to add to the list as families notified of deaths. The money was raised and the Arch of Remembrance was built.

To refurbish the Arch, contributions can be made to Save the Arch, Appanoose County Foundation and sent to Dana Moritz, (641) 856-6782, 511 West Grand St., Centerville, IA 52544, or Debbie Robinson, 19999 215th Ave., Centerville, IA 52544. The Arch of Remembrance is the result of a compassionate community, the nobility of the sacrifice of soldiers, and unselfish patriotism. It is a significant monument in Centerville’s history.

The complete letter Glenn Haynes sent in 1921

Glenn Haynes returned from World War I and became the auditor of the state of Iowa. In 1921, he wrote this letter to the president of the P.E.O. Society as an encouragement to build the memorial requested by Company D. The original is in the Chapter D, P.E.O., archives.

Dear Jeanette:

Replying to your letter of the 8th inst. relative to the money sent to the members of Company D by the P.E.O. Society, through Mr. D. C. Bradley in the late fall of 1918, I have thought about this matter a great many times since returning from the War and confess at times I have felt that there must be something lacking somewhere. Of course, I realize that I feel so strongly in the matter that I may be somewhat impatient. I think we older men think and talk more about the War than the younger men who were in it. I know I have fought it over with others many times since returning, but I have thought it over with myself many, many more times.