William Penn Ross Adair

William Penn Ross Adair’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 William R. Adair (ASN: 2239467), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company C, 315th Field Signal Battalion, 90th Division, A.E.F. near Montfaucon, France, 24 October 1918. After being severely gassed, Sergeant Adair stayed at his post and ran his telephone lines. Through a terrific artillery barrage he remained on duty, though he was blinded and could hardly talk, until his organization was relieved.

Purple Heart

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Life & Service

  • Birth: 26 October 1890, Tahlequah, OK, United States
  • Place of Residence:
  • Race/Ethnicity: Native American
  • Death: 11 October 1978 , United States
  • Branch: Army
  • Military Rank: Sergeant
  • Company: [C]
  • Infantry Regiment: 315th Field Signal Battalion
  • Division: 90th
Personal Narrative
Early Life (Pre-War): Includes general parent information, sibling information, education Toggle Accordion

William Penn Ross Adair was born on 26 October 1890 to Benjamin Franklin Adair (1852-1890/1902) and Elinora Spurlock (1857-1935) in Tahlequah, Cherokee County, Oklahoma. Adair was the fourth of six children; Alice (1881-1923), Henrietta (1883-1965), Olney Morgan (1887-1961), Thomas (1900-1900) and Nora (1900-1900). Benjamin Franklin and his children were listed as members of the Cherokee Nation.

The family lived in Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma and late 1890s to 1910, later moving to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.

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

Adair enlisted in the U.S. Army on 7 September 1917; Sergeant Adair and Co. C, 315th Field Signal Battalion, 90th Division, left New York, New York aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Virginian on 28 June 1918. Then-Sergeant First Class Adair received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions near Montfaucon, France on 24 October;

“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 William R. Adair (ASN: 2239467), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company C, 315th Field Signal Battalion, 90th Division, A.E.F., near Montfaucon, France, 24 October 1918. After being severely gassed, Sergeant Adair stayed at his post and ran his telephone lines. Through a terrific artillery barrage he remained on duty, though he was blinded and could hardly talk, until his organization was relieved.”

Adair’s mother wrote to the Muskogee Times-Democrat about the DSC citation,

“Recently she received a letter from him in which he stated that he thought he had been cited to receive the highest honors that can be bestowed upon an enlisted man.”

SFC Adair and his Company departed St. Nazaire, France on 17 May 1919 aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Antigone; he was Honorably Discharged on 3 June.

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

Adair and his mother moved south in the late 1919 to pursue farming,

“Mrs. Lora Adair and her son, Sergeant William Ross Adair, left Fort Gibson Wednesday morning for Calhoun, near Eagle Lake, Texas. Sergeant Adair, who was twice gassed by the Huns finds health impaired by office work and has been advised by his physician to farm for a season or two.”

Adair and his mother moved back to Fort Gibson in the 1930s, where Mrs. Adair died in 1935. Adair and his sister, Henrietta, lived together in Muskogee County in the 1940s, where he worked as a station agent for the Midland Valley Railroad (Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf RY Co., Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka RY Co.; 1903-1964) which ran from Wichita, Kansas, through NE Oklahoma to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Little else is known of Adair’s life. He died on 11 October 1978, and is buried at Ft. Gibson National Cemetery, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.