Clemson Class of 1917
World War I bears great significance to Clemson’s military heritage. Clemson was still a military college with an all-male cadet corps when the United States entered World War I on April 6th, 1917. When the nation entered the great war, the entire Clemson senior class of 1917, consisting of 110 men, sent telegrams to then-president Woodrow Wilson and volunteered to fight in the war. By May 1917, 48 Clemson seniors and 21 juniors postponed their education to attend Reserve Officer Training Camp at Fort Oglethorpe, GA. By the end of that year, hundreds of Clemson students entered military service.
In addition to Clemson students, many Clemson faculty members, extension workers, and other employees left Clemson to serve in the military or war efforts.
Of the 110 men in the class of 1917, at least 22 of them saw combat in France; at least 3 had confirmed air-to-air victories. Their accolades include 3 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1 Navy Cross, 4 Silver Star Citations, 1 French Legion d’Honneur, and at least 4 French Croix de Guerre.
In total 1,549 Clemson men who attended Clemson, but may not have necessarily graduated, fought in WWI. Of these 1,549 brave men, 32 paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. They are forever remembered on the Clemson Scroll of Honor.
Clemson World War I Memorials
To commemorate and honor these brave men and their sacrifices, Clemson has 2 memorials dedicated to the Clemson men who fought in World War I. The World War I plaque bears the inscription:
“In Proud Remembrance of
Those Sons of
CLEMSON COLLEGE
Who Gave Their Lives in the Great Cause
1917 – Of Liberty and Justice – 1918″
It also bears the names of 24 Clemson men who died in WWI; the remaining 8 were not identified at the time the plaque was dedicated. All 32 Clemson men who died in WWI are commemorated and honored on the Scroll of Honor.
The President’s Rotunda is nearby this plaque and serves as another memorial to remember and reflect on the sacrifices of Clemson’s brave men who fought in WWI.
