Company L ‘The Men of L’ Seeking Descendants
The Men of L were members of Company L of the Chicago, Illinois National Guard who were mobilized in 1917 during World War I. The unit was augmented by draftees primarily from the Chicago area. Company L was part of the 3rd Battalion of the 132nd Infantry Regiment of the 33rd Division, “The Prairie Division”. The Men of L fought on the Western Front participating in many of the famous battles including during the Meuse Argonne and Somme operations.
A hundred years after WWI, Navy Commander Ronald Miller (Retired), creator of the Company-L.com website and grandson of Private First Class Harry Shankman, in conjunction with Edward Hudson great uncle of Sergeant Wesley Foster, and Barbara Metzger daughter of Corporal Lee William Reuter, have combined forces and have dedicated themselves to honoring the Men of L and their sacrifices. The three met when the website Ron created honoring the service of his grandfather was discovered by Barbara (2011), and Ed (2015). Over the intervening years the idea for honoring all the Men of L, telling their story, and finding their descendants became their mission.
