The abstract of World War I military service for Fireman Second Class William Otto Grupp (1901-1988). The document includes Grupp’s name, service number, where and when he enlisted, his age at entrance, rate, home address, a list of where and when he served, his rank at each place he served, the date and place of his discharge, and his rating at the time of his discharge.
Born on April 1, 1901, in Brooklyn, New York, Grupp was a first-generation German-American. He enlisted in the United States Navy on July 5, 1918, at the age of eighteen. He served at several locations, including the USS Indiana. After his service, Grupp married Katherine Riebling, with whom he had two daughters. Grupp died on November 17, 1988, and is buried in the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.
In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s
Veterans Legacy Program. 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.