Roy Duval Trahern

Roy Duval Trahern’s Personal Narrative was derived from information found in public records, military personnel files, and local/state historical association materials. Please note that the Robb Centre never fully closes the book on our servicemembers; as new information becomes available, narratives will be updated to appropriately represent the life story of each veteran.

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Military Honor(s):

Distinguished Service Cross

Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Roy D. Trahern (ASN: 2217661), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company D, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, A.E.F., near Chatel-Chehery, France, 7 October 1918. After his platoon had been forced to retire from the crest of the hill beyond Chatel-Chehery, Sergeant Trahern exposed himself to heavy machine-gun fire and went back 200 yards toward the enemy to the aid of a severely wounded comrade. Being unable to move the man alone, he called for assistance and later, with the help of another, he carried the wounded man to a place of safety.

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Life & Service

  • Birth: 2 May 1896, Spiro, OK, United States
  • Place of Residence:
  • Race/Ethnicity: Native American
  • Death: 4 December 1979 Ada, OK, United States
  • Branch: Army
  • Military Rank: Sergeant
  • Company: [D]
  • Infantry Regiment: 112th
  • Division: 28th
Personal Narrative
Early Life (Pre-War): Includes general parent information, sibling information, education Toggle Accordion

Roy Duval Trahern was born on 2 May 1896 to Wirt Breckenridge Trahern (1860-1897) and Clara Cowden (1869-1950) in Skullyville, Le Flore, Oklahoma. Trahern was an only child. After his father’s death in 1897, Trahern and his mother lived in Choctaw Territory, Mrs. Trahern working as a housekeeper. By 1910, the duo had moved to Spiro, Oklahoma.

Service: Includes a summary of transfers, rank change(s), training, enlistment, and discharge locations Toggle Accordion

Trahern enlisted in the U.S. Army on an unknown date in Carter County, Oklahoma. Private Trahern and Co. Company D, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28 Division left New York, New York aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Aquitania on 7 May 1918. Private Trahern received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions near Chatel-Chehery, France on 7 October 1918;

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Roy D. Trahern (ASN: 2217661), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company D, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, A.E.F., near Chatel-Chehery, France, 7 October 1918. After his platoon had been forced to retire from the crest of the hill beyond Chatel-Chehery, Sergeant Trahern exposed himself to heavy machine-gun fire and went back 200 yards toward the enemy to the aid of a severely wounded comrade. Being unable to move the man alone, he called for assistance and later, with the help of another, he carried the wounded man to a place of safety.”

Then-Sergeant Trahern and his company left St. Nazaire, France aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Mercury on 19 April 1919, arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 30 April. He was Honorably Discharged on 14 May 1919.

Later Life (Post-War): Includes post-war education, occupation, marriage(s) and/or children, location and date of death Toggle Accordion

By this time, Mrs. Trahern had married and become widowed for a second time; Trahern lived with her in Wilson, Oklahoma, until his marriage to Juanita Cassie McCalip (1906-1999) on 15 November 1924 in Sebastian, Arkansas. The couple had two children, Conrad Leroy (1925-2009) and James Ray (1932-2011).

The family lived in Ada, Oklahoma, into the 1930s, where Trahern worked at an oil refinery; in the 1940s, the Traherns lived at 1010 E 9th Street in Ada. Little else is known of Trahern’s later life; he died on 4 December 1979 in Ada, and is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Ada, Oklahoma.