Around 1919, the Kansas State Historical Society and the American Legion solicited biographical information from returning veterans (primarily members of the 35th and 89th infantry divisions) and the families of those who died in service, notably from the Gold Star Mothers. Each veteran or family member was asked to provide letters, photographs, a biography, and military records. This file contains information on Chester Merle Tooley, Company L, 139th Infantry, 35th Division. He was born in Decatur, Illinois, on February 5, 1899, but his family moved to Wellington, Kansas, when he was three years old. He attended schools in Wellington.
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