William O'Hara (1892-1959)

In a letter written to his sister nine days after the end of World War I, Private William O'Hara described in uncanny detail his exploits in the Black Hawk Division during the years of 1917-18. He stood only 5 feet 2 inches tall and had gray eyes and light brown hair according to his World War I Draft Registration Card. Before the war O'Hara worked as a concrete worker for the Sanitary District of Chicago. After his service in the U. S. Army he worked as a theater electrician and by 1940 he was residing in a U. S. Veteran's Hospital in Lake County, Illinois. This then is the narrative of the life and times of William O'Hara.