Over our nation's history, there have been many a crying mother that has had to send their children off to war! But in 1918, in the small section of town called East Pensacola Heights, there was the home of the Pyle family that was about to send four sons to war at one time! Robert Marion Pyle Sr. (1870-1960) and his wife Emma Viola Conner (1874-1963) had relocated before 1912 from Anderson, Indiana to Pensacola where Robert Sr. had found employment in his chosen field of carpentry. Then came WWI, and it was time for young men and women to do their duty. Pensacolians flocked to the enlistment offices with enthusiastic patriotism and the Pyle brothers were no different.
The first was their oldest son James Albert (1893-1964), who enlisted in the Navy on 2-27-1917 and was assigned to the USS Ozark in the Atlantic Fleet. During the entire war, he spent his time in the Caribbean protecting American and Allied shipping interests. Finally, he was discharged on July 24, 1919 as a Chief Electrician Mate. Next came William McKinley Pyle (1899-1947) who enlisted in the Navy Reserves at NAS Pensacola on August 4, 1916 but was not called up until April 6, 1917. After attending the Harvard Radio School, he was assigned to the armored cruiser USS Seattle on November 23, 1917. He was then transferred to Cardiff, Wales on 2-13-1918 as a 1st Class Radio Operator operating against enemy submarines. William would receive his discharge from the battleship USS Michigan in Philadelphia on March 2, 1920.
Next came their youngest son Gilbert (1902-1942) who enlisted in Pensacola with the National Guard on May 16, 1917. He was assigned to the 1st Florida Infantry, then the 116th Field Artillery in Battery "A" and was finally discharged from Camp Wheeler on January 4, 1919 due to demobilization. Last came Raymond Pyle (1898-1977), who followed his younger brother into the 1st Florida Infantry on 6-27-1917 before moving to the 118th Machine Gun Battalion. He became a machine gun instructor at Camp Hancock near Augusta, GA before being discharged as a sergeant on January 23, 1919.
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