Both the and federal censuses show him living in Allentown with his parents Arthur and Metamora and his sister Harriet. Hiram was well-known and popular in the community. Numerous articles in the Batavia Daily News between and mention him participating in various church and school activities—baseball player, school orchestra conductor, wireless demonstrator, club officer, and more. Within two months Private Luhman had completed his training at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and had been assigned to 23rd Company, 5th Marines.
In June, , the 5th Marines, along with regular army troops of the 1st Division, constituted the first convoy of American Expeditionary Forces to leave the United States for the war in France. Nazaire, France, two weeks later, on June By July 3, the entire regiment had disembarked and was camped on French soil. Private Luhman was one of four Genesee County marines who died in the month-long fighting at Belleau Wood, northwest of Chateau-Thierry, in June, On June 18, when Private Luhman received the mortal wounds from which he died the following day, the 4th Marine Brigade had been engaged in near-constant combat at Belleau Wood for over two weeks.
Then they had gone on the attack, both taking and inflicting heavy casualties as they repeatedly assaulted entrenched German positions in and around the dense, brush-entangled, boulder-strewn woods. Day and night, the entire front was subject to heavy enemy shelling, sniper and machine-gun fire, gas attacks, and counterattacks.
Over the next three nights the 7th Infantry replaced the 5th and 6th Marine regiments in their positions at the front. The marines returned to the front on June 23 and in a final assault two days later cleared the woods of German troops. A chum of his named Slider was killed at the same time and his corporal was very severely wounded and is in the hospital now. I regret it very much, for I know you would prize the smallest thing.
Hiram G. Luhman, , was killed in action while serving against the enemy, in the Bois de Belleau, near the town of Lucy le Bocage, Chateau Thierry Sector. He was wounded in the back and head by fragment of shell at 11 P.
