The Remains of Company D

Reviews

“Not since Flags of Our Fathers—no, make that, Not since Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory—no, make that, Not ever—has an American nonfiction writer reached into history and produced a testament of young men in terrible battle with the stateliness, the mastery of cadence, the truthfulness and the muted heartbreak of James Carl Nelson in The Remains of Company D. I wish I’d had the honor of working on this book with him. But then, he didn’t need me.”

“A beautifully crafted anthem to doomed American youth, James Carl Nelson’s The Remains of Company D is a must-read for World War I enthusiasts and those looking for a damn good war book.”

“James Carl Nelson’s book is a great contribution to AEF history. He has done an incredible amount of research in order to convey the experience of one group of doughboys…and to tell their story through their own words…He reminds us that these long-forgotten battles of ninety years ago were as hard fought as any before or since, and that our country was well served by the young men who fought them. Get this book. It puts a very human face on the experience of Americans on the Western Front.”

“War is always hell, but the unprecedented carnage on World War I’s Western Front was the stuff of nightmares. The American boys of Company D were on the front lines, and James Carl Nelson has combined previously unpublished first-person accounts, prodigious research, and vivid, you-are-there prose into one of the great books on the subject. This is a Band of Brothers for World War I.”

“Not since Henry Berry’s Make the Kaiser Dance has there been an intimate history like this one to illustrate the doughboys’ contributions in World War I. The story of Company D, 28th Infantry Regiment, First Division, is one not soon to be forgotten…The author’s meticulous and persistent research in tracking down the descendants of the combatants to uncover their letters and diaries makes his work the standard for research into the story of the American Expeditionary Force. Essential for all students of modern war.”

“Nelson’s choice of the word ‘remains’ in the title is indicative of his larger theme—a search for the mark of the Great War on the American consciousness…As he follows the men of Company D, the author maintains a quick pace and provides evocative imagery…[Nelson] does an excellent job honoring the specific American experience in WWI—from immigrant diasporas to the shattered illusions of a quick campaign—and the lives of an extraordinary group of men. A personal, moving journey that will be a welcome addition to any military-history shelf.”

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