William J. Lake, 108; Combat Veteran of World War I
William J. Lake, 108, one of Washington state’s few remaining veterans of World War I, died Saturday of complications from pneumonia at a retirement home in Yakima.
Lake was born in Missouri and grew up in Montana. In September 1917, he was drafted into the U.S. Army’s 91st Infantry Division. After basic training at what is now Ft. Lewis in Tacoma, he served in England, France and Belgium.
In France, he was a member of the American forces involved in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, a key battle near the end of World War I.
After the war, he settled in Yakima and worked as a farmer for 32 years.
He also drove a truck, retiring at the age of 75 after an on-the-job accident.
In 2000, Lake received the National Order of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest military honor.
Lake was asked a few years ago by a reporter for the Yakima Herald-Republic to name a defining moment of the 20th century. Lake said it was the invention of the Model T Ford.
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