Carlile Edward Choate was born on 5 September 1893 in Dedham, MA. His parents were Edward C. Choate (Cambridge, MA) and Gertrude M. (McNeil) of Maine. Carlile’s mother and two brothers (Francis and Nathaniel) moved to Framingham after his father's death in 1905. They lived on Pleasant Street.
Carlile was a descendant of John Choate (1624-1695) who settled in Ipswich (MA) circa 1643. The Choate family is well known for success in the legal profession (e.g.,Choate, Hall and Stewart, LLP of Boston), finance, diplomacy, education, art/culture, and the railroad industry. From 1899 to 1905, Joseph Hodges Choate (1832–1917) was the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Brother Nathaniel was a renowned sculptor. The family had deep roots in Southborough, to included local government, commerce and education (e.g., St. Mark’s School).
Charles F. Choate, Jr. House, St. Mark’s Campus **
Image: Public Domain
** Choate House is circa 1910. The Choate family left the house and estate to St. Mark's. **
Carlile enlisted in the National Guard on 26 June 1916. He was assigned to Troop B, of the 3rd Separate Cavalry Squadron. His unit was “federalized” on 25 July 1917. He was “mustered in” for US Army service (Army Service Number 210534) on 01 August 1917. Shortly thereafter, the 3rd Cavalry Squadron was re-designated as Company B, 344 Tank Battalion, US Army Tank Corps. The 344th joined the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) on 06 September 1917.
On 9 October 1917, Carlile arrived in France aboard the troop ship BALTIC.
Troop Ship BALTIC
Image: greatships.net
The 34th was a “light tank” unit equipped with French-made Renault FT-17 tanks. The FT-17 had a two-man crew -- a driver and a gunner/commander. Armament included a 37mm cannon or a Hotchkiss machine gun.
American FT-17
Image: Picryl
FT-17 Tank-Driver and Commander Positions
Image: National Archives
The 344th was one of only four American tank battalions to see combat during the war. The tank corps was still in its infancy. The 344th was assigned to the 304th Tank Brigade commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton Jr.
LTC George S. Patton
Image: National Archives
"No tank is to be surrendered or abandoned to the enemy. If you are left alone in the midst of the enemy keep shooting. If your gun is disabled use your pistols and squash the enemy with your tracks… If your motor is stalled and your gun broken still the infantry cannot hurt you. You hang on [and] help will come. In any case remember you are the first American tanks. You must establish the fact that AMERICAN TANKS DO NOT SURRENDER.”
Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton, US Army Tank Corps
The 344th participated in the first major American tank action at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel on September 12, 1918, and later in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive starting on September 26, 1918.
By early October, the battalion's tanks were significantly battle-worn due to mechanical problems and direct artillery hits from the previous month's operations. On 04 and 05 October, Company B supported the 1st Infantry Division (the “Big Red One”) in the fierce fighting for Montrebeau Woods and the town of Exermont,France.
US Tank Corps WWI Recruiting Poster
Image: Imperial War Museum
On 04 October, Carlile was Severely Wounded in Action (SWA). This included damage to his right leg and left arm. He was also the victim of a German gas attack. In addition to his Wound Chevron, he would be awarded the French Croix de Guerre.
US Army WWI Wound Chevron
Image: Public Domain
French Croix de Guerre
The Armistice took effect on 11 November 1918. Carlile departed St. Nazaire, France on 10 March 1919 aboard the troop ship SUSQUEHANNA as part of Convalescent Detachment #112. He would be discharged from the Army on 04 May 1919.
USS SUSQUEHANNA
Image: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command
On 15 May 1919, Carlile married Mary Atherton Willard in Framingham. In the 20’s, the couple lived in Maine (Harpswell, Brunswick) where Carlile managed and maintained heavy machinery used in paper and textile production. He was becoming a heavy equipment specialist.
By the mid-1930s, he had moved back to the Boston/Framingham area to work for a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company that specialized in hoisting (e.g. cranes and derricks) and construction machinery. He would work for that firm for 15 years. In 1940, the family lived on Union Ave in Framingham.In July of 1942 Carlile again enlisted in the Army, this time in the officer corps. His new Army Serial Number was O-482522. In 1942, the US was growing its officer ranks to meet quickly evolving needs. To do this, the military rapidly expanded its reserve force. Considering his civilian expertise and WWI experience, he was assigned to the Corps of Engineers. One of the major tasks of this branch was heavy construction and the building of structures needed for efficient transportation and supply/re-supply of American ground and air forces.
In August, Carlile was assigned to the Manhattan Engineer District (MED), which was shortly after its founding. The MED was the military component of the country’s secretive nuclear weapons program, the Manhattan Project. He would remain on the MED roster until 1946. For the majority of this time, he was a Major. (Source: Manhattan Project Officer Directory, via the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, a Smithsonian Affiliate)
Entrance to Oak Ridge Facility
Image: Oak Ridge National Laboratory/National WWII Museum
The Manhattan Project relied on engineers to manage construction, security, and logistics for its sites. As such, Carlile was part of the team responsible for the unprecedented management and intense oversight needed to build the program’s critical research and production facilities. Its major hubs were in Oak Ridge (TN), Los Alamos (NM) and Hanford (WA). While assigned to MED, his official residence was Choate, Hale & Stewart LLP, 30 State Street, Boston, MA.
Carlile E. Choate, Project Staff
Image: Atomic Science Foundation
By the time his assignment with the MED ended (June 1946), Carlile was a Lieutenant Colonel. He is listed as retired from the Regular Army in October 1947. He would remain a reservist through the early 1950’s.
All Back from the War (Carlile far right)
Image: Ancestry.com/R. Tomassini
Image: Image: Ancestry.com/R. Tomassini
As of 1950, Carlile lived at 32 Pleasant Street in Framingham. He was employed as a sales manager for a machinery company. He would soon return to Maine where he would remain until he retired to Columbia County, Florida. He passed away on 12 October 1965 in Florida. His final resting place is in Southborough, MA.
**Many thanks to Ms. Ruth Tomassini of the Framingham History Center for access to her excellent genealogical study of the Choate Family.**
Additional Information
“Making Public What Was Once Secret: Los Alamos and The Manhattan Project”
Watch
FT-17, The First Modern Tank
Sources
Ancestry.com
American Armies and Battlefields in Europe: A History, Guide, and Reference Book. Prepared under the direction of General John J. Pershing. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1938.
Ayres, Leonard P. The War with Germany: A Statistical Summary. 2nd Edition. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1919.
Carter, Donald A. St. Mihiel, 12–16 September 1918. CMH Pub 77-7. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army, 2018.
The Framingham History Center
General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces. General Orders, GHQ, AEF. Vol. 16 of United States Army in the World War, 1917-1919. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army, 1992.
Harbord, James G. The American Army in France, 1917–1919. Little, Brown, and Company, 1936.
Herring, Stephen W. Framingham: An American Town. Framingham: The Framingham Historical Society and The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
Massachusetts National Guard, Historical Services Directorate
The National Archives
The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History
The National Museum of the United States Army
The National WWI Museum and Memorial
Pershing, John J. My Experiences in the World War. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1931.
Putnam, Eben (Compiler and Editor). Report of the Commission on Massachusetts' Part in the World War: History. Vol. 1. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1931.
United States Army Center of Military History. The U.S. Army in the World War I Era. CMH Pub 77-2. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army, 2017.
US Naval Historical Center
