William Alfred Seegers (October 24, 1900 – July 10, 2007) was, at age 106, one of the last two known remaining veterans of the First World War to have served in the German forces (the other one is Erich Kästner) and California's last known World War I veteran.
Born Wilhelm Alfred Seegers near Brinkum, he was originally passed over for service in October 1917 as being too short, only five foot three inches.
Since he didn't want to shoot anyone, and in part due to his short stature, he volunteered for office work and was accepted as such, though soon he was made to perform guard duty as well.
While serving in this capacity, he, like many of his comrades and prisoners, contracted the Spanish flu, killing many, but Seegers managed to survive.
Perhaps because he served for Germany, no one noticed his status as a World War I veteran until his family contacted the Gerontology Research Group in May 2007.