Albert E. Baesel was a Second Lieutenant, from Berea, Ohio, during the First World War. He was killed in action in Ivoiry, France on September 27, 1918 and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in 1922.

He was the first World War I soldier from Ohio killed in action. His company fashioned a grave using a mess kit as a digging tool, constructed a cross from tree branches tied together with boot laces, and attached one of Baesel's ID tags to it before departing. On September 5, 1919 the American Legion Post 91 Congressional Charter was issued, in honor of Albert E. Baesel. In early 1926, French farmers plowing for unexploded artillery projectiles, discovered Baesel's grave and notified authorities. Within a short time Baesel's remains were returned to Berea for proper burial. Today he is buried at Woodvale Cemetery located in Middleburg Hts, Ohio.

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