Sergeant Eddie Tanner, A Soldier's Story
Sergeant Eddie Tanner, A Soldier's Story
Sergeant Eddie Tanner was born on July 25, 1895, in Chatham, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Like many young men of his generation, he had an early life shaped by work and responsibility. By the time the United States entered the First World War, Tanner was living in Roanoke, Virginia, where he worked as a chauffeur for Jos. A. Woods.
On July 19, 1918, as the war in Europe demanded more men and more labor, Tanner enlisted in the United States Army. He was assigned to the 811th Pioneer Infantry, a unit tasked with essential but often overlooked duties: building roads, repairing trenches, moving supplies, and ensuring that front-line forces could continue the fight.
In October 1918, Tanner deployed to France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces during the war's final and most intense phase. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, one of the largest operations in American military history, depended not only on those who fought at the front but also on the men who labored behind the lines under dangerous and exhausting conditions. As a member of a pioneer infantry regiment, Sergeant Tanner’s service placed him squarely in that vital effort.
He remained overseas through July 1919, contributing to both the final push toward victory and the long process of stabilizing and rebuilding in the war’s aftermath.
After returning home, Tanner moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a laborer for the city and in automotive facilities. His life after the war reflects a quiet transition shared by many veterans, returning to work, to routine, and to a nation moving forward.
Sergeant Eddie Tanner passed away on November 10, 1975. At this time, no confirmed record of his final resting place has been located.
His story is one of steady service, without headline or decoration, but no less essential. In the mud, labor, and strain of the Meuse-Argonne, men like Tanner helped make victory possible. Their work, often unseen, carried the weight of the war just the same.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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