Saint-Mihiel

Not even a little.

The 1st Division was thrust right into the meat grinder at Cantigny, then the Soissons offensive in mid-July, and then Saint-Mihiel in mid-September.

They're just being battered over and over again, taking immense casualties, barely reforming their lines before they're pushed into the next offensive.

And all of this culminates on October 4, 1918.

He saw considerable action in the war.

He was wounded twice at Belleau Wood, and after recovering from his wounds and rejoining his regiment for the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives, he was wounded for a third time in the latter.

Shepherd served in the Army of Occupation in Germany and on his return home, became aide to the commandant and at the White House.

During the interwar period, he had a mix of school, staff, and command assignments.

Major General Andrew D. Bruce.

Andrew D. Bruce, a native of Missouri and a graduate of Texas A&M in 1916, was commissioned an Army second lieutenant in June 1917.

His association with the Marine Corps goes back to World War I, when as a member of the Second Infantry Division's Fifth Machine Gun Battalion, he participated in actions in France in the Troyon sector near Verdun, in the Aisne defensive operation near Château-Thierry, the Aisne-Marne offensive at Sézanne, the fighting at St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne offensive at Blanc Mont.

With the rest of the Second Division, he hiked into Germany to become part of the occupation force.

He saw considerable action in the war.

He was wounded twice at Belleau Wood, and after recovering from his wounds and rejoining his regiment for the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives, he was wounded for a third time in the latter.

Shepherd served in the Army of Occupation in Germany and on his return home, became aide to the commandant and at the White House.

During the interwar period, he had a mix of school, staff, and command assignments.

Major General Andrew D. Bruce.

Andrew D. Bruce, a native of Missouri and a graduate of Texas A&M in 1916, was commissioned an Army Second Lieutenant in June 1917.

His association with the Marine Corps goes back to World War I, when as a member of the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Machine Gun Battalion, he participated in actions in France in the Troyon sector near Verdun, in the Aisne Defensive Operation near Château-Thierry, the Aisne-Marne Offensive at Sézanne, the fighting at St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive at Blanc Mont.

With the rest of the 2nd Division, he hiked into Germany to become part of the occupation force.

Officers of the regiment have said that he could have received a promotion while in the training camp, but for the policy of not placing in command a man who might be a conscientious objector.

The All-America Division passed through England on its way to France, and the first real fighting they had was in the St. Mihiel Salient.

From there they went to the Argonne Forest, where the division was on the front line of the battle for 26 days and nights without relief.

It was in the St. Mihiel Salient that York was made a corporal, and when he came out of the Argonne Forest, he was a sergeant.

The armistice was signed a fortnight later.

The war made York more deeply religious.

no beds no tables no chairs no washing appliances in their muddy clothes as they come from the front they are bedded down on the stone floor like cattle till they are well enough to go back to their job it was a pitiful contrast to the little church at blaircourt with the altar lights twinkling above the clean beds and one wondered if even so near the front it had to be the african village we call it one of our companions said with a laugh but the african village has blue sky over it and a clear stream runs between its mud huts we had been told at st manoud that for military reasons we must follow a more southerly direction on our return to chalons and when we left verdun we took the road to bar-le-duc it runs south-west over beautiful broken country untouched by war except for the fact that its villages like all the others in this region are either deserted or occupied by troops as we left verdun behind us the sound of the cannon grew fainter and died out and we had the feeling that we were gradually passing beyond the flaming boundaries into a more normal world but suddenly at a cross-road a sign-post snatched us back to war Eighteen kilometers.

Saint-Mihiel, the danger spot of the region, the weak joint in the armor.

There it lay, up that harmless-looking by-road, not much more than ten miles away.

A ten minutes' dash would have brought us into the thick of the gray coats and spiked helmets.