Prepared Floor Statement by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Honoring Iowan Merle Hay
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Merle David Hay from Glidden was the first Iowa serviceman to die in World War I.
Hay enlisted on May 9th, 1917 with his father’s blessing as he was too young to be drafted.
He was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division Company F.
In the early morning hours of November 3rd, 1917 while posted in the trenches near the French Village of Artois, the Imperial German Army attacked and Hay was killed.
Hay's father said, "I am proud of my boy if he has given up his life for his country."
