An American Soldier in the Great War The World War I Diary and Letters of Elmer O. Smith

In 1917, U.S. military forces deployed to France and contributed significantly to the Allied defeat of Imperial Germany along the Western Front in 1918. “The War to End All Wars”—World War I—was the largest, most destructive war in human history up to that point.

More than a century later, as the country looks back, it is important to develop a deeper connection to the hearts and minds of the two million American soldiers sent overseas to fight in this major conflict. Private First Class Elmer O. Smith of Michigan was one of those brave soldiers.

This book places Private Smith’s war diary and letters into historical context, describing how a typical American soldier underwent rigorous training and then fought bravely with his unit against a determined German army foe in the brutal conditions and carnage of the Western Front.

A retired U.S. Army Military Intelligence (MI) officer, John DellaGiustina has served the nation in operational and training positions in Germany, Korea, Kuwait, Colombia, Iraq, the Republic of Georgia, and throughout the U.S. southwest. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and holds a masters degree in History from West Virginia University. John is the editor of the MI Corps Association journal The Vanguard, and currently resides in Tucson, Arizona.