Dressed in his United States Marine uniform, Luther Wade Pilcher (1898-1918) poses on a chair in front of a backdrop of the United States Capitol. On his left breast is a rifle expert marksmanship badge. His rank at the time of the photo, corporal, is denoted by the three faint lines on his right arm. He would later be promoted to sergeant.
Pilcher was born in Dothan, Alabama, on January 1, 1898, to Richard and Della Pilcher. The second of five children, the family moved to Noma, Florida, in 1910. Luther's last known residence was in Chipley, Florida. Pilcher enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on May 4, 1915, and served in Haiti and Cuba from 1915-1917. After the United States entered World War I, the 5th Marine Regiment was activated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pilcher and his regiment left for France in August of 1917, arriving on the 22nd. The 5th was among the first of the American Expeditionary Forces to arrive in Europe. Pilcher and his regiment took part in the Battle of Belleau Wood in June of 1918. On June 6th, the bloodiest day of the battle, Pilcher was killed in action. He posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, and the French Fourragere for his service and sacrifice. He is buried in the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at Plot B Row 10 Grave 68 in Belleau, France.
In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s
Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program continues, engaging a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in national cemeteries available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 headstones at four national cemeteries, two in Florida (Florida National Cemetery and St. Augustine National Cemetery) and two in France (American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries at Aisne-Marne and the Meuse-Argonne), where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.