Students in Service

There were 1,109 men and women from OAMC who fought in the War. There were an additional 332 men who were enrolled in OAMC's Student Army Training Corps (a precursor to the modern Reserve Officer Training Corps program that exists today) during the War, bringing the total number of students and alumni involved in the War to 1,441. Of those 1,441 men and women, 28 died in service.

Below are lists of those 1,441 men and women. Included are their rank, name, branch of service, home address, if they died in service, and if they were training camp when the armistice was signed. Not every service member has all of this information included. The lists were compiled from the A&M Men in War Service booklet, the 1919 yearbook, and the surveys. After searching all of these resources, some information on some of these men cannot, unfortunately, be found. If you have any further information on the missing pieces of information from these men and women, please contact the Archives at 405-744-6311 libscua@okstate.edu.

Most notably, OAMC had one student who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in in the War. His name was George Price Hays; his materials can be viewed in the collection by searching for his name. George Price Hays attended OAMC from 1914-1917. After enlisting in the Army on May 25, 1917, he was sent to France and later fought in the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918.

During the Second Battle of the Marne, Hays was the liaison between two of the U.S. 3rd division’s units. After the French 125th division panicked and retreated, exposing the U.S. 3rd division’s flank, the US 38th infantry helped the 3rd division hold its ground. As the communications liaison, Hays rode seven horses through dangerous cross-fire for two days without rest to take messages from command posts, artillery batteries, and trench forces.

All seven of Hays’ horses were shot out from under him, and he was severely wounded on July 16, 1918. Hailed as the hero of the 3rd division, Hays was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Monte Negran Medal of Honor, and the French Croix de Guerre. He was also presented the Congressional Medal of Honor by General Pershing, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army, on March 17, 1919.

Hays went on to serve in World War II, leading a division in the Normandy Invasion. He retired as a lieutenant general in 1953.

Peters, David C. “Seven Horses: From OAMC Student to World War I Hero.” OSU Magazine. Fall 2004: 30.

Lists of Students in Service

• Complete list of all students in service
  Every student who served, regardless of whether they were in service, in training camps, died in service, or were in the student army training corps.
• Students in Students' Army Training Corps
  A list of only those students who were in OAMC's Students' Army Training Corps when the war ended.
• Students who died in service
  A list of only those students who died while in service.
• Students in training camp when the Armistice was signed
  A list of the men who were still in training camps when the war was over. These men never saw active duty overseas.

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