"Hell, I didn't want to leave. I felt well enough to stay. But I didn't want to face a military court so I went to the hospital." (Article: "Gunner Nice of the Devil-Dogs.")

William Frederick Nice

William Frederick Nice War: World War, 1914-1918 Branch: Marine Corps Unit: 1st and 2nd Platoon, 49th Company, 5th Regiment Service Location: France Rank: Second Lieutenant Place of Birth: PA

By the time the United States entered World War I, William Frederick Nice was a 12-year Marine veteran of campaigns in Haiti, Santo Domingo, Mexico, and Cuba. Nice fought in some of the Great War's fiercest battles, serving in the 49th Company whose slogan was "We tame the tough ones and toughen the tame ones." The exploits of the 49th inspired a popular book, Fix Bayonets!, and Nice's own adventures earned him the colorful nickname "Gunner Nice of the Devil-Dogs."