Earl James Atkisson (August 12, 1886 – September 18, 1941) was

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

1st Gas Regiment The 2nd Chemical Battalion is a United States Army chemical unit stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, United States, and is part of the 48th Chemical Brigade. The battalion can trace its lineage from the 30th Engineer Regiment (Gas and Flame) and has s ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Early career

Earl James Atkisson was born in

Broken Bow, Nebraska Broken Bow is a city in Custer County, Nebraska, Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,559 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Custer County. History Broken Bow was platted in 1882. Its ...

, but his family moved to

Fresno County, California Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most popu ...

and he graduated from high school in Fowler. He was appointed to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1904. He graduated seventh in his class in 1908, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. Atkisson served two years at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, followed by six at the Army's Engineering school at

Washington Barracks Fort Lesley J. McNair, also historically known as the Washington Arsenal, is a United States Army post located on the tip of Buzzard Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C ...

, less one year he spent earning his M.E. degree at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, which he received in 1911. While there, he was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. He was next assigned as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

to be superintendent of the

Gatun Locks The Panama Canal locks () are a lock system that lifts ships up to the main elevation of the Panama Canal and lowers them down again. The original canal had a total of six steps (three up, three down) for a ship's passage. The total length of ...

of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

, where he was serving when

broke out.

World War I

In July 1917, Atkisson was made a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the National Army, and placed in command of the 30th Engineers, which became the

. This regiment arrived in France on March 10, 1918, and eventually participated in the

Aisne-Marne The Third Battle of the Aisne () was part of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in France. It was one of a series o ...

, St. Mihel, and Meuse-Argonne operations. In May 1918 he was made commandant of the Gas Service Experimental Field and Gas Defense School at Hanlon Field near Chaumont, France. Beginning in January 1919, having risen to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, he served in various capacities with the Army of Occupation. For his service in the war, Atkisson was awarded the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...

, the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

, and the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. The citation for his Army DSM reads:

Later career

Returning to the United States in September 1919, Atkisson returned to his

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

rank of

, and transferred to the fledgling

Chemical Warfare Service The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against and using chemical weapon, chemical, biological agent, biological, radiological weapon, radiological, and nuclear weapon, nuclear (Chemical, biological, r ...

. In 1920, he became commander of

Edgewood Arsenal Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, ...

, the Chemical Warfare Service's large manufacturing establishment near

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, for three years. While there, he assisted in rescuing two officers from drowning, for which he was awarded the

Lifesaving Medal The Gold Lifesaving Medal and Silver Lifesaving Medal are U.S. decorations issued by the United States Coast Guard. The awards were established by Act of Congress, 20 June 1874; later authorized by . These decorations are two of the oldest me ...

. He then served as Assistant

Military Attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

at the American embassy in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

from 1923 to 1925. He then served as the Chemical Officer for the Ninth Corps Area at the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

, until his retirement for disability in March 1926. He was given his World War I rank of colonel by Act of Congress in June 1930. Upon retirement, Atkisson returned to Sanger, where he managed his father's department store company until his death in September 1941. He is buried in the Sanger Cemetery.

Portrayals

Christopher Alexander McCowan aka Alexander Christof Grimaldi played Earl J. Atkisson in "A Man Comes To Fowler" by the Cornerstone Theater Company which is based in Los Angeles. The play took place in Fowler, California from August 11–13, 2011

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkisson, Earl James 1886 births 1941 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Cornell University College of Engineering alumni People from Sanger, California Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Military Academy alumni United States Army colonels People from Broken Bow, Nebraska People from Fowler, California Military personnel from Nebraska