Veterans' Memorial Project

Orlando Merrill Gochnaur

Freeport, IL

World War I

College: Liberal Arts & Sciences, Medicine

Graduation Year: 1908-09-Urbana/LAS; 1915/M.D./Chicago

Service Branch: Army

Rank: First Lieutenant

Date of Death: 11/06/1917

Mr. Gochnaur was the first soldier from the state of Illinois to die in World War I. He served with the British Army, Medical Corps. He was killed in France where his remains were buried until after the war. His remains were then returned to the United States, and he is buried at Freeport, Illinois.

Lieutenant Gochnaur, who left for France July 26, had been married only two days before to Miss Katherine Holmes of Decatur, IL. He entered the University of Illinois at Urbana in 1908, but remained in Urbana only a year. He graduated from the College of Medicine at Chicago in 1915. His mother, Mrs. F. A. Gochnaur, lived in Freeport, IL.

-submitted by Cris Gochnaur Greene, niece; additional information taken from University sources

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