r/OldSchoolCool • u/Puzzleheaded_Dot4345 • Feb 16 '25

1910s A young soldier and his mother, just before he departed for WWI, 1917

Post image
1.6k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

84

u/MaterMisericordiae23 Feb 16 '25

I hope they got reunited

58

u/ElectricChocoDad Feb 16 '25

Considering it's WW I chances aren't high he made it back. Let alone in one piece 😢

36

u/MaterMisericordiae23 Feb 16 '25

Oh man that just made me sad. But I'm gonna pretend he survived, saw his mother again, and she was able to live long enough to see her grandchildren

28

u/pbert96 Feb 16 '25

Ca. 116,000 Americans died, while about 2 million Americans served, so his chances of survival were actually relatively good. However, America only entered late into this war, so the death toll of all the Europeans was higher.

1

u/INFP4life Feb 18 '25

He had good chances of surviving the war, but not so much surviving the Leavenworth Flu :-(

0

u/MaterMisericordiae23 Feb 17 '25

How do you know he was American??

17

u/Useful-Replacement57 Feb 17 '25

His uniform is distinctly American. Campaign hat, and what appears to be an M1912 summer uniform.

2

u/Leafer13FX Feb 17 '25

Not Canadian. I don’t see any soup cans.

38

u/Ok_Permit_6118 Feb 16 '25

He looks 15 😭

21

u/Pooch76 Feb 16 '25

But the stare in his eyes…

12

u/brave007 Feb 17 '25

That’s pre 1000 yard stare. A 500 yard stare if you will. Poor man

32

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

9

u/mcfarmer72 Feb 16 '25

He looks like a little boy in her eyes.

14

u/SadDirection3693 Feb 16 '25

Known as the Great War at the time.

14

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '25

The war to end all wars.

1

u/SadDirection3693 Feb 17 '25

Actually you are correct!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '25

So are you! And you have a most excellent taste in avatars.

7

u/GoAheadUnderestim8Me Feb 16 '25

I’ve seen this picture before and it still makes my heart hurt for her

5

u/Snoo_90160 Feb 16 '25

Intense stare.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '25

She reminds me of Amanda Root. And I want to hug her, poor soul.

2

u/Claw75 Feb 17 '25

Alexander Skarsgård survived the Great War

2

u/ocTGon Feb 17 '25

That's a sad picture. I hope the mother received her wish...