Biographical Note
Frank Van Pelt was born in Arkansas City, Kansas, on July 14, 1890. He was the fifth child, out of nine, born to John Henry and Amanda Van Pelt. He was raised on a farm near Newkirk, Oklahoma, and received a limited formal education at a local county school. Van Pelt worked as a telegraph operator for the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway.
Van Pelt enlisted in the United States Army on June 1, 1917, in Arkansas City, Kansas, before receiving a draft notice. He wrote to his family regarding his reasons for enlisting, telling them that he preferred to choose the branch of the military in which he served. He left the next day for Fort Logan in Denver, Colorado. Within a few days, he departed for Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, where he remained for a short period of time. By July 7, 1917, he was on the move again to the East Coast. He arrived in New Jersey on July 13, 1917, and remained near the Little Silver area until his overseas deployment. During this period of time, Van Pelt’s activities included drilling, wireless telegraph training, and construction. Van Pelt embarked to Europe in February 1918 from Camp Devens on the SS Great Northern and arrived in Brest, France, six days later. From there, he traveled extensively throughout France working with Company A, 101st Field Signal Battalion. Working with radios, Van Pelt would listen to German messages and provide transcription before sending them for code breaking. He was involved in several battles and offensives including the Aisne-Maine Offensive and Château-Thierry. Van Pelt also received several promotions, eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant First Class. Following the armistice, he remained in France until April 1919. He returned home via Boston and was discharged at Camp Funston, Kansas, on April 29, 1919.
Following his service, Van Pelt returned to the Kansas-Oklahoma border. He received several job offers before returning to the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway as a telegraph operator. He moved to Pierce City, Missouri, in 1933. He married Fannie Lee Hughes and raised four children. Frank Van Pelt died on August 13, 1949.