Percy Winslow Eustis was born in Jay, Maine on March 17, 1889. He spent many years working in the lumbering trade. He signed up with the United... Show morePercy Winslow Eustis was born in Jay, Maine on March 17, 1889. He spent many years working in the lumbering trade. He signed up with the United States forces in 1917, during World War One, and wrote about his adventures to Methyl Wilkins, the daughter of his business partner. Traveling through the "big cities" of New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., he arrived at Camp Greene in Charlotte, North Carolina in November. There he received training in heavy artillery. In February of 1918. he arrived at Camp Wadsworth in Spartanburg, South Carolina. There he was assigned to the Pioneer Infantry, "the first troops on no man's land - they act as scouts and build passage ways for the following troops" (Percy Eustis to Methyl Wilkins, Feb. 24, 1918). Percy passed the time unloading and hauling supplies from freight trains to the camp, holding kitchen and sanitary jobs, drilling with Company B of the 56th Regiment, and waiting for the day he'd finally go overseas. He followed news from home, worrying about his fellow Mainers who had already shipped off and wondering if his brothers would follow him into war. Horses were still used in warfare at this time, and being the farm boy he was, Percy kept a close eye on their care and well-being. In October of 1918, he arrived in France, joining American Expeditionary Forces for the Battle of the Argonne Forest, a 47-day offensive in which French and United States forces fought their way across difficult terrain towards the German border. The battle was - at that time - the largest in United States military history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers. It was one of a series of Allied attacks known as the Hundred Days Offensive, which brought the war to an end. The Armistice between the Allies and Germany was signed on November 11, 1918. This agreement ended fighting in Western Europe. Percy was fortunate to survive Argonne, and he arrived in Prien, Germany in December of 1918, holding office as a sergeant in the Pioneer Infantry. With the fighting over, army life was much quieter. The infantry spent its time unloading provisions, exploring the countryside, and observing life in post-war Germany. Percy eventually returned to Maine. On October 22, 1933, Percy married Annie Tindal of Millertown, New York. The couple moved to West Hartford, where they raised two sons, and Percy worked as a cabinetmaker until his retirement in 1959. In 1965, they moved to California, where Percy died in 1980. -Tammy Eustis Show less