The Spirit of the American Doughboy - Wheeling, West Virginia
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 40° 03.479 W 080° 40.308
17T E 527991 N 4434244
The Spirit of the American Doughboy monument in Wheeling Park in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Waymark Code: WMKCB7
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 03/18/2014
Views: 7
A World War I infantryman advancing through the stumps and barbed wire of No Man's Land. The soldier is in a running position. His proper left leg is forward and carries the full weight of the figure. He holds a grenade in his upraised proper right hand. In his proper left hand, he holds the remnants of what was once a rifle. He wears a military uniform, including a hard helmet with a rim and chin strap; a high collared jacket; a belt with pouches attached; a backpack; a gas mask bag; loose, baggy pants which are wrapped from the knee to the ankle; and high-topped boots. His mouth is open as if he is yelling.
On the plinth are two broken fence posts and barbed wire. The granite base is composed of five sections of stone, with the face dressed and the sides and back rusticated. Two of these stones are laid to form a T-shaped base. The body of the "T" serves as the base for the Doughboy, while the crossbar serves as the base for three additional stones placed vertically. The central stone (approx. 98 x 47 x 14 in) has a curved top and is engraved with a flag with 48 stars and 13 stripes.
- Smithsonian Art Inventory
The base is inscribed:
ERECTED BY
WHEELING CHAPTER
NO. 1
SERVICE STAR LEGION
1931
IN HONOR
OF ALL
WHO SERVED
IN WORLD WAR
1917 1918