Emil Remmen National Guard Service History

 

 

 

Emil Remmen in the National Guard

~ Sept 17, 1918 to May 16, 1936 ~

Pictures and details of Emil Remmen's service in the National Guard.

~ Emil National Guard Album ~
~
Remmen Family Album Page ~
~
Emil and Alice Remmen Album Page ~

Service Record

At age 18, Emil enlisted as a Private in Company F, 3rd Infantry, of the Washington National Guard at Tacoma, Washington on Sept 7, 1918. At the time he had been working as an Apprentice Machinist since April 12, 1916 for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. in Tacoma. It appears that he worked there until moving to Bremerton, Washington in about 1924, at which time he started his civil service career at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, from which he retired in about 1955.

Emil had graduated from Fern Hill Grammar School, Tacoma, WA, in Feb 1913, and attended Lincoln High School, Tacoma, WA, for three years. His addresses listed in his service record are as follows: 1312 South 25th Street, Tacoma, WA (in 1922), 609 Washington Ave, Apt D, Bremerton, WA (7/24/1924), 1479 Park Ave., Bremerton, WA (12/31/1924).

He was promoted from Private to Private First Class, 2/10/1919; to Corporal, 2/25/1919; to Sergeant, 1/13/1920; reduced to Private, 12/2/1920; transferred to Battery F of the 146th Field Artillery 3/7/1921; promoted to Sergeant, 4/11/1921; then to 1st Sergeant, 5/9/1921.

Emil was honorably discharged 7/12/1921 in order to accept a commission as 2nd Lieutenant, 146th Field Artillery, effective 6/28/21. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, Field Artillery, 2/6/1922, which was made permanent on 7/8/1922.

On 5/23/1924 Emil was transferred to the Washington National Guard Reserve, and he was formally discharged on May 16, 1936.

For pictures of Emil in the National
Guard, go to the
Emil National Guard Album.

 


See our Centralia Tragedy page for details and pictures related to Emil's National Guard unit involvement following the Armistice Day riot and killings in Centralia Washington, November 11, 1919.

 


Shooting Medals
Click on picture for larger image.

In the 1920's Emil Remmen was one of the top amateur marksmen in the United States. He was a member of the 1919 and 1920 Washington National Guard rifle teams that won first place, and second place, respectively in the national rifle matches. Following are newspaper accounts of these and related events from that time (the articles do not show the publication date or publisher):

From 1919:

Co. F Marksmen Take First Honors

The six men of the rifle team of Co. F, 3d Washington infantry, are the best shots in the regiment. They won first place Sunday in the annual shoot at the range at Fort Lawton, bringing home the cup award for first place, as well as the governor's trophy. Individual first place honors went to Sergt. Short of Co. C, Seattle. Corp. E. Remmen, acting team captain for the Tacoma team, tied for second.

From 1919:

TACOMA GUARDS FIRST IN SHOOT

Company F High in Annual contest of Regiment

Company F, 3d Washington Infantry, of Tacoma, captured first place in the annual shoot of the regiment, concluded Sunday at the range of Fort Lawton. The local team of six men out-shot all the lettered companies' and the machine gun company's teams, winning by a clean margin of 15 points. A handsome first place cup was brought home Sunday night as well as the governor's trophy, which will be kept one year.

First place for the individual in the shoot went to Sgt. Short of Company C of Seattle, a national shot, but Corporal E. Remmen, acting team captain of the Tacoma team, tied for second place in the individual ratings. It was the general high scores of the Tacoma men, which put the team over with flying colors. Three qualified as experts and a fourth came within one point of the mark, which is 210 points.

Second place in the team competition went to Company K, Spokane, leaving Company B, Seattle, third place.

Lieut. Howard Wright took the team of Company F to the range and acted as range officer during the shoot, which began Saturday.

The members of the Tacoma team and their scores were as follows:

Corporal E. Remmen, 221; Private 1st class Charles A. Barker, 216; Machinist Bernhard H. Stratton, 212; Private Carl J. Pardue, 209; First Sgt. George A. Conger, 195 and Corporal Clifford J. Long, 183.

The shoot was held with the standard conditions, 200 and 300 yards on rapid fire and 300, 500, and 600 yards on slow fire.

Company F is still lacking men and will start a recruiting campaign to fill its ranks with more of Tacoma's best shots.

From 1920 or 1921:

TACOMA RIFLEMEN ARE GOOD SHOTS

Boys of Third Washington Make Scores on Camp Lewis Rifle Range

Tacoma's citizen soldiers are making their friends sit up and take notice these bright Sundays when the boys of Company F and the Supply Company of the Third Washington Infantry cut figures on the targets on the Camp Lewis range with their 30 caliber Springfields. Last Sunday 60 members of the Tacoma companies made the trip and after spending the day on the range five of the men had managed to complete their instruction course and qualify for sharpshooter or better.

Eight of the men of Company F attained a score of 100 or better out of a possible 150, firing from the 200 and 300-yard mark with both slow and rapid fire. Sgt. Emil Remmen was high man of the day with a score of 129. The others in their order were Sgt. A. Hatfield, 125; Lieut. Col. H. G. Winsor, 123; Sgt. George Conger, and Sgt. Emil Marek, tying with a score of 121; Harold V. Davis, 116; Pvt. E. N. Ewing, 109; and Corp. O. A. Parkhurst, 109.

The entire personnel of both companies will leave the Armory at 8 o'clock this morning and go by truck to Camp Lewis. It is hoped that the entire instruction course will be completed by the first of next week.

Next Saturday night Company F and the Supply Company will stage a smoker and entertainment, which will be free to the public. The Tacoma organizations have hurled a challenge in the teeth of the First Battalion in Seattle and it is expected that the Seattle companies will have several entries in the contests. The smoker will be made up of about five boxing bouts and four wrestling matches. Entries are also expected from Company G of Yakima and a live and warmly contested program is expected.

From 1920 or 1921:

SNAPPY ACTION AT ARMORY SHOW

Company F Men Go Against Company G Boys - One Wrestling Go

The National Guard smoker staged at the Tacoma Armory Saturday night proved a huge success, being marred only by the failure of the First Battalion to enter sufficient men to oppose all entries arranged from the Second Battalion.

As a result, Company F of Tacoma opposed Company G of Yakima in all but the main event, the latter being a contest at 122 pounds between Private Al Whitman, Company F, and Private Abe Bridge, Company A, Seattle.

The main event went four snappy rounds to a draw, both men desiring to continue at the gong.

The first event of the evening was a wrestling contest between Sergt. Emil Remmen, who at 145 pounds took on Private Ellsworth for one fall in eight minutes with a body scissors and arm lock and immediately afterward threw Private Jack MacIlwraith in four and a half minutes with a flying mare into a crotch hold.

...The exhibition was one which speaks highly for the physical development which can be acquired through training such as is included in the training of the National Guard, and it would no doubt be to the interest of a great many young men of the city to take on for a hitch. It costs nothing and nets good returns.

From 1921:

SERGT. REMMEN GETS PROMOTION

Former First Sergeant of Company E Is Second Lieutenant

Emil Remmen, formerly first sergeant of Battery E of the 146th field artillery, and one of the best known amateur rifle shots in the United States, has been appointed a second lieutenant of field artillery of the Washington National Guard, according to an announcement made Thursday by Col. Harry G. Winsor, commanding the regiment.

Lieut. Remmen has been in different Tacoma units of the national guard for the past three years, and in 1919 and 1920 he was a member of the Washington National Guard rifle team, which went to the national rifle matches in New Jersey and Ohio. He is considered one of the most consistent and steady rifle shots, and it was his work to a large measure that helped the Washington National Guard rifle teams to win first place in 1919 and second place in 1920 from the crack national guard teams of the United States.

Lieut. Remmen will be one of the members of the 1921 team that will represent the Washington National Guard at Camp Perry (Ohio) this fall. Tryouts for this team already have started among the different guard regiments in the state, and Capt. John Surbridge, in charge of the preliminaries in connection with the state team, is confident that Lieut. Remmen will again be one of the team's strongest shots.

Through the courtesy of Col. Winsor, Lieut. Remmen was assigned to Battery E, the same organization of which he had been first sergeant.

From 1921:

Crack Rifle Shot Of State Will Be On Team Again

Lieut. Emil Remmen
National guardsman, who was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 146th Field Artillery Friday, is one of the best rifle shots in the United States. In 1919 and 1920 he was a member of the Washington National Guard rifle teams that won first place and second place, respectively, in the national rifle matches at Camp Caldwell, N.J., and Camp Perry, Ohio. Lieut. Remmen also will be a member of the 1921 team, which will go to Camp Perry early in September.

Postcards from National
Matches, 1919. Click on
pictures to see full size.

National Matches Postcards, 1919

National Matches Postcards, 1919

 

 

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