Calais, France, May 31, 1918 - The Doughboys of the 103rd Engineer Regiment, Philadelphia's "The Dandy First," finally arrived on the shores of France to join forces with their main unit, Pennsylvania's "Keystone Division," the 28th Infantry. They were a part of General John J. Pershing's American Expeditionary Force. America was now engaged in the Great War for Civilization, and soon the balance of power in Europe would change the course of modern world history. From May until November 11th, the AEF swept across France and engaged the German army in some of the bloodiest battle campaigns in military history. These Doughboys of the 103rd were the engineer train assigned to build and fortify the trenches, build and repair the bridges and roads, and construct the defensive and offensive positions against a most formidable enemy. Their baptism of fire became the stuff of legends. A young American soldier, one of those brave engineers, recorded his horrific experiences with pencil and paper. He not only survived the ordeal, but somehow managed to bring home his personal account, written down on the pages of a tattered notebook that somehow survived the ravages of WWI trench warfare. The story lay hidden for close to a hundred years until the journal was discovered in the family archives by the author, his great nephew.
