Recently I was given a box of items that have long since been passed down from my family members. Contained inside this box was an assortment of papers and books all with the name Archie Feller, who is my great-great grandfather. Archie was born December 6th, 1899, and served in the U.S. Army as 2nd Lt. in 1918 during World War 1. He was stationed at Camp Funston in Kansas, now known as Ft. Riley, and worked as a bookkeeper. In 1918, Camp Funston was identified as the location for the first outbreak of epidemic influenza. In the Individual pay record book shown in the photos, you can see the payments made to soldiers during WW1, which was an average of $36.00 a month, this is quite a difference compared to the average costs of living and minimum wage today. Also included in the photos is a paper slip that gives information about war risk insurance, this is an insurance policy that was issued to soldiers at the time that provides financial protection against events such as invasions, insurrections, riots, strikes, military coups, and terrorism. Archie’s policy was a mere $6.40 a month, his premium was $10,000. Much has changed in ways of life and society compared to that during WW1. It is interesting to see how far we have come and where we might go moving forward. 

– Madison Davis

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