Celina man's death in WWI inspired whole community

Submitted Photo

Charles W. Hitchens, Celina, served in World War I. On Oct. 11, 1918, just one month before the Armistice, he lost his life in France at the age of 23.

By RUSSELL MOORMAN

Special Contributor

Every Veterans Day, we remember the fallen. When Veterans Day was founded as Armistice Day, it was to remember the end of World War I and to honor all those who served in it. Below is the life biography of a local Celina man who was called by his country to serve and gave the ultimate sacrifice during that war.

Born on Sept. 14, 1895, in Celina, Charles W. Hitchens was the son of Frank and Mary Elizabeth (Loy) Hitchens. Raised in Celina alongside his siblings, Henrietta, Martha Lova, and Bert, Charles grew up in a close-knit, rural community that would later send many of its young men overseas to fight in World War I. Like others of his generation, his life was marked by duty and sacrifice.

When the United States entered the war in 1917, Hitchens was among roughly three dozen men from Mercer County, who reported for draft registration on Sept. 7 of that year. Soon after, he entered military service and trained with the American Expeditionary Forces before being sent to the Western Front. There, he was promoted on May 22, 1918, and served as a corporal in the 38th Inf, 3rd Division, the most decorated infantry division in the army, the Rock of the Marne.

Cpl. Hitchens fought during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, one of the largest and deadliest battles of the war. On Oct. 11, 1918, just one month before the Armistice, his family received word that he was missing in action. Later reports confirmed that he had been killed that same day in France at the age of 23.

News of his death deeply affected the Celina community, which had followed local soldiers closely through wartime correspondence and casualty lists in the newspaper. Though his remains were returned to American soil, Hitchens' sacrifice stands as a somber reminder of the war's reach into small towns across the nation.

Today, Hitchens rests in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 18, Site 2774, an enduring symbol of the courage and devotion of a generation that gave its all for freedom then and lasting freedom for our country.

Russell Moorman is a 2025 graduate of Coldwater High School and a student at Ohio Northern University.