As I Saw It in the Trenches

Book excerpt: "Now that the United States has declared war upon the German Empire, and that men will more than likely be conscripted into the service, I shall feel embarrassed should I fail to be among the first to go to the training camp," wrote Dae Hinson of Leesville, Louisiana, in April 1917. His World War I memoir gives a compelling account of a young man's induction into the army, basic training, friendships formed and frontline combat in France with the 156th Infantry. Hinson vividly records his daily struggles for survival in the trenches amid gas attacks, exploding shells and the constant "rattle and fuss" of machine-gun fire.