On Thursday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m., James Carl Nelson, the author of The Remains of Company D will be talking about his book at the Treaty Site History Center. The program,  sponsored by the Book Mark, and is a chance to meet Nelson and hear about history that was previously lost and forgotten.

Nelson was born in Chicago. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in journalism and mass communications. He later went on to uncover many significant historical events of North America. Some of his work revealed the massacres at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989. Nelson is a member of The Great War Society and the Military Writers Society of America. He now lives with his wife and two sons in Eden Prairie, Minn.

Nelson’s book, The Remains of Company D, focuses on the members of Company D of the 28th Infantry Regiment in the United States First Division who served in World War I.

The book begins with the enlistment to the combat that members endured and the effort to recover their remains. It covers three major battles at Cantigny, Soissons and in the Meuse-Argonne and the horrifying effects these battles had on the men. Nelson tells the tale of a young Janesville, Minn. soldier, Lehigh Wilson, whose remains were long searched for by his mother but never found.

As a young boy, Nelson first heard these stories from his grandfather, who was a member of Company D. His grandfather was severely wounded and left for dead near Soissons. Nelson was inspired to write and work on the history that many people may have forgotten or may not know.

Nelson’s book was discovered by Bob Han, an electrician on campus, through his regular browsing around history shelves in bookstores, especially in the military history section. Han was instantly intrigued by the book.

“To me, this book brought out the futility of war as well as the personal pain of the individuals involved or those left behind. The examples of personal heroism and bravery really awed me,” Han said. Han’s continuous urging for the author to come to St. Peter is what has made this visit possible.

“There will be a lot of opportunities for various groups and ages to hear Mr. Nelson speak about World War I,” Judy Schultz, the Book Mark manager, said.

Schultz will be contacting the history departments at Gustavus about the book and informing them about the applications it can have in the field. The Remains of Company D describes full realistic battles and operations in World War I. It also provides a powerful account of the personalities and determinations of the men. This book allows its readers to see and understand a firsthand historical portrayal of the many men in combat.

Han encourages students to read the book to discover military history that they may not have known. He believes that one can learn from books by simply picking one up and being open to its teachings.

“If you want to find out why soldiers do what they do, why they put themselves in harm’s way and how the arrogance and incompetence of leaders can cause the harm to them, then this is a book to read,”Han said.