By Sgt. Alex Soliday, 112th MPAD.

Two brothers from St. Paul, Minnesota joined the U.S. Army in 1917 as the United States was drawn into the First World War.

One sacrificed his life serving in the Great War. The other survived a gas attack, returned to Minnesota, and started a family.

Several generations hence, his great-grandson, inspired by his family’s legacy of service, is back in Europe with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division protecting freedom once again. It all started when U.S. Army Pfc. Frank Dingle from St. Paul, Minnesota, joined in 1917. His brother, U.S. Marine Pvt. Richard Wallace Dingle, joined the Marine Corps on April 20, 1917, just 14 days after the U.S. declared war.

Both brothers fought in World War I. Frank was attached to the U.S. Army Ambulance Corps from 1917 to 1919, while Richard was an infantryman attached to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Richard fought in the famed Battle of Belleau Wood where he was killed in action June 6, 1918, at the age of 20.

His brother Frank survived World War I, despite a gas attack, and received the French Croix De Guerre on March 17, 1919 followed by an award citation from a French-East Army field marshal.

A generation later, following in the service of his grandfather, John Dingle joined the U.S. Army in May 1982.

“I wanted to be an Airborne Ranger,” he said.

He started his military career in basic training, then completed advanced individual training (AIT), and the airborne and air assault schools.

“It’s about taking the challenge in front of you,” John said. “It’s what defines you.”

He was assigned to the 1/14 Infantry Battalion, 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. He later transferred to the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington. During this time, he completed Ranger School.

He served with the Ranger battalion until 1986 and decided to attend college at Saint Martins University in Washington state, where he joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

“My proudest moment is getting through it all, basic training, AIT, airborne, air assault, Ranger School, and getting to where I wanted to be,” John said. “The second proudest would be commissioning as an officer.”

John served as an officer until 1991 at the age of 32.

“My life would have been drastically different if it wasn’t for the military,” John said.

John has four children. Three of the four sons, including his son Jordan, decided to follow in the footsteps of their family’s veterans and joined the military.

“Service has always been on my mind since I was a little kid,” Jordan said. “I was always surrounded by it growing up and my dad would always talk about his time in the service.”

He attended West Point and was commissioned as an armor officer May 21, 2022.

Jordan graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in military history and landed in the top 30 percent of his class.

Like his father, Jordan began completing tough training and military courses, such as the U.S. Army’s Armor Basic Officer Leader Course, the Bradley Commander’s Course, and the Scout Leader Course.

He is assigned to the “Rock of the Marne,” the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, which earned its nickname for its heroics on the same French battlefields of the First World War where his great-grandfather and great-great uncle served. In fact, the 3rd Infantry Division fought alongside U.S. Marine Corps units during the Battle of Belleau Wood near the Marne River in 1918, where Jordan’s greatgreat uncle was killed in action.

“It’s probably my proudest moment in my military career to join the 3rd Infantry Division,” said Jordan. “The history of this unit is very inspiring: from the Thunder Runs in Baghdad, Vietnam, most campaigns in the European theater of war during the Second World War, and then back to my lineage, World War I.”

He hopes to attend law school and continue his service in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. At the same time, his brothers are serving elsewhere in the U.S. Army. Capt. Jack Dingle is the commander of Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 509 Infantry (Airborne) in Alaska, and 2nd Lt. Jared Dingle is attending the Infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Moore.