The abstract of World War I military service for Luther Wade Pilcher (1898-1918). The document includes Pilcher’s surname, Christian name, Army serial number, whether White or Colored, home address, place of enlistment, place of birth, date of birth, organizations served in, with dates of assignments and transfers, grades, with date of appointment, engagement, wounds or injuries received in action, dates served overseas, date of discharge, and remarks.
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 engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery 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 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.