The Runner

The RunnerThe Runner, written in first person narrative, takes the reader on a personal journey of discovery of my Grandfathers role in The Great War. The book begins with a recap of why America got involved in The Great War and then traces my Grandfathers life from being raised in Chicago to his enlistment and subsequent service in the American Expeditionary Forces. As it turns out, Grandpa served in some of the more significant battles of the war and not in a

The Runner, written in first-person narrative, takes the reader on a personal journey of discovery of my GrandfatherÕs role in The Great War. The book begins with a recap of why America got involved in The Great War and then traces my GrandfatherÕs life from being raised in Chicago to his enlistment and subsequent service in the American Expeditionary Forces.

As it turns out, Grandpa served in some of the more significant battles of the war - and not in a passive role but upfront in the thick of the fighting as a Battalion Runner for the 2nd Division.

(My jaw dropped as I learned of his combat role in the trenches of Verdun, theÊtaking of the stronghold of Vaux to halt the German advance to Paris, the battles involved in taking the town of Vierzy, and finally being shot and lying near death in the fields of Thiaucourt.)

After tracing his role in the battlefields of France, the book concludes with an exhortation to the reader to discover the many WW1 monuments that might be in your own backyard.

Come join me in a journey of discovery as I piece together his service from small scraps of discarded information and piece together details that would have otherwise been lost forever.