Joseph F. Greene
82nd Infantry Division
325th Infantry Regiment
3rd Battalion
Company M
Joseph Greene’s daughter knew that her father was wounded in WWI. He served with the American Expeditionary Forces and fought in the Battle of the Argonne Forest. He was wounded during the battle in October of 1918. His daughter received his Purple Heart, WWI Victory Medal with France Service and Meuse-Argonne Battle clasps and the North Carolina WWI Service Medal at a ceremony at the North Carolina State Capitol.
Excerpt from the Official history of the 82nd Division
“On October 9, the Germans counter-attacked the 327th Infantry in Cornay, and captured the town with heavy casualties on both sides. We retained possession of Hill 180. The 328th Infantry attacked north along the railroad toward Pylône and gained ground, which later in the day was retaken by the enemy, and the Regiment stood at night on the same line from which it had jumped off in the morning. The 326th Infantry from the 163rd Infantry Brigade relieved the 28th Division west of Chatel-Chéhéry on the morning of October 9 and advanced northwest, forming a line that night in liaison with the 328th Infantry and extended southwest.
On October 10, the 325th Infantry, relieving 327th Infantry, and the 328th Infantry, attacked north in conjunction with the 326th Infantry, clearing the enemy entirely from the eastern half of the Argonne Forest, and seizing all territory south of the St. Juvin and Aire River.
On October 11, the story of the 325th Infantry left that unit at about 6 hours on the Fleville-St. Juvin Road, hastening to get into position on the St. Juvin-Sommerance Road. Colonel Whitman, Captain Wright, his adjutant, and Major Pierce were at the head of the column consisting of Companies M. I, L and the Regimental Machine Gun Company, in order named. About 300 meters south of the junction formed by the Fleville-St. Juvin Road with the Sommerance-St. Juvin Road, a burst of machine-gun fire from the right flank swept the column, Several men fell and our men moved into the ditch on the east side of the road for protection. This fore came from the crest and slopes of hill 200 or 300 meters east of the river road. This hill was south of the Sommerance-St. Juvin Road. Fire also came from slopes of Ridge 85.5 to the north and from the direction of St. Juvin. Colonel Whitman and Major Pierce worked forward to the Sommerance Road for a personal reconnaissance. A survey of the situation showed no friendly troops in sight, but many enemy snipers and machine gunners on the ground immediately ahead. Artillery now opened on the road on which the regiment lay. It was 6 hours 45 minutes. To get into position for the Corps attack, it was necessary to deploy to the right front and extend for a kilometer in the width from the road junction to the east. No deployment, however, could be made until the enemy was dislodged from the hill on the immediate right if our column. Orders were sent to the two rear infantry companies (I and L) to break off to their right and send a skirmish line with its flank on the highway to sweep the enemy north of the St. Juvin-Sommerance Road. This was successfully done…”
Apex, N Carolina (2013)
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