I think it's just a matter of timing, Cam. When the war ended in 1918, it took awhile to figure out when and how to ship the bodies of the American soldiers home. First, all of the relatives had to be contacted by the government and asked if they wanted their loved one's remains to be buried in lovely cemeteries in France, or be sent home for burial. Also, when the soldiers were killed in action, they were placed in temporary graves and it took some time for the bodies to be dug up and identified. I think it took about a full year before they could really get the ball rolling on returning the bodies home. Once the bodies were properly prepared for shipment, they were placed in caskets and put on board ships that would return them to the USA. Hoboken was the primary port for receiving the bodies. The bodies were then sent to the relatives so that a proper memorial service could be held. I think that most of the dead were returned during 1921. My Great Uncle Lloyd's body was returned to Iowa in 1921. It was a tremendous undertaking and things weren't very mechanized back then. I think it just took a long time to get the soldier's bodies home.
Great question
@Camazotz Automat . Rest in Peace, Lloyd. Rikki how old was your great uncle when he passed over?
Thank you for providing all this information on how bodies were returned to the States. I am a family tree nerd. I found some family members who were veterans from WW1. As far as I know. all my WW1 veterans returned home. However, all returned home with disabilities suffered from 'over there.' One of my granduncle was a 'Horse Shoer.' Another, granduncle had the ‘shakes.’ My mom told me that he was GASSED in the war.
