HELP: Lt. Col. Olan C. Aleshire... AGAIN!

stephen · 8 July 2005, 09:22 AM

Okay, this time I'm after yet another Aleshire. Hopefully this will turn out to be the one who was in charge of the 1st Air Depot at Colombey les Belle in 1918.

From "America's First Eagles," page 145:

"In the meantime, new developments had taken place in the Zone of Advance. In July, Col. Van Horn returned from Colombey-les-Belles and his duties were temporarily assumed by Lt. Col. Olan C. Aleshire. They were subsequently taken over by General Foulois who, on August 27, was formally announced in General Orders as Assistant Chief of Air Service, Zone of Advance."

This is the second strong candidate I've found for the CO of the 1st AD. Here is the piddly amount of information I've got on him so far:

San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
Aleshire, Olan C, b. 06/25/1878, d. 05/08/1953, COL US ARMY RETD, Bur In Grave Pre, Plot: PLOT 9, bur. 05/11/1953

He was apparently also attached to the 17th Cavalry and the Signal Corps at various times during WWI.

Any and all available information on this Col. Aleshire would be greatly appreciated.

I am convinced that he his a better candidate for the CO of the 1st AD than was the J P Aleshire that I was researching a few months ago. Which, of course, is tremendously frustrating as I had already made contact with his family, gotten a copy of his West Point files and records and done a great deal of research on him. The least he could do was be the right Aleshire, but noooooo.

Please help if you can... I think I've got a hot one here!

8 July 2005, 06:24 PM

Olan Cecil Aleshire, USMA Class of 1903 (graduate # 4139)
Born Illinois 25 June 1878,

Cavalry and Quartermaster Corps

AIR SERVICE AEF

War Department, General Staff 1923-27

QM Depot San Francisco 1933-36

Retired disability 1938, Colonel

Died Letterman Army Hospital May 8, 1953

West Point obituary April 1954

That is ALL that is shown in the 1969 Register of Graduates, but obviously his obituary in the Alumni News would give more details.

8 July 2005, 08:17 PM

The Mormons (whose information must always be VERIFIED--it never was when submitted) have his family

http://www.familysearch.org/

showing born in Hancock County, IL, died in that hospital in San Francisco, parents back into Kentucky and Virginia.

Surprising what is "out" there.

No help on his 1917-19 duties, but pieces of the jigsaw puzzle....