The State of Oklahoma, one of the United States’ newest states, entered the First World War, along with the rest of the nation in April 1917. This study elucidates the role of Oklahoma’s participation in the United States Army during the period of World War I. From the already established Oklahoma National Guard unit, the Oklahoma 1st Infantry Regiment, derived from the former Oklahoma Territorial Army, to the thousands of Oklahoman draftees blended into the 90th Infantry Division in the National Army, Oklahoma sent over 90,000 men to fight overseas. This thesis explicates the role of Oklahoma’s citizens’ participation to provide the materials and services needed for the U.S. Army to operate, thereby supporting the Oklahoma doughboys.

Drawing on several manuscript collections at the Western History Collections of the University of Oklahoma, the Fort Sill Archives located in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, local Oklahoma newspapers, and other state newspapers and materials from the Oklahoma Historical Society, this study argues that World War I was a foundational moment in Oklahoma’s early history. After the war, Oklahoma expanded its National Guard size by increasing its size to thousands instead of hundreds, and the military presence increased as the state allowed the construction of new installations. Almost five percent of Oklahoma’s population joined the armed services during the war, but the post-war integration experience of the military did not improve the racial-climate state.