World War I
At the age of 18, he enlisted in the Ambulance Corps during World War I and served as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross on the Austro-Italian front. On his initial day in Milan, he received orders to go to the site of a munitions factory explosion, where he joined rescuers in recovering the torn remains of female workers. He recounted this incident in “Death in the Afternoon,” stating, “I remember that after we searched quite thoroughly for the complete dead, we collected fragments.” In June 1918, while distributing chocolate and cigarettes to soldiers, he suffered severe injuries from an Austrian mortar shell.
He was knocked unconscious and buried in the earth of a dugout. Shrapnel hit him in the right foot, knee, thighs, scalp, and hand. Despite these injuries, when he came to, he picked up one of the wounded Italian soldiers and carried him to the first aid station. In recognition of his bravery, he received the Italian Medal of Valor. Quite remarkable for someone who had recently endured shrapnel injuries, wouldn’t you agree?
