In March 1918, Ernest Hemingway voluteered for the Red Cross in what would be the final months of World War I. Departing at the end of May for France he arrived and had a few nights in Paris before heading to Milan. It was the first time Hem would step foot into Europe, and as we know it wouldn’t be the last.
On June 10, he would be assigned to drive an ambulance but the future war correspondant wanted to be closer to the action. Asking to work the canteen closer to the front near the Piave River he would hatch a plan that could have ended his life. Feeling like he could better serve the men he asked for a bicycle, so he can take goods straight to them. They agreed and with his bag filled with cigarettes, chocolate and cigars he would ride straight into the trenches.
For the first 6 days it was fine, on the 7th day at midnight an Austrian mortar was fired into the trech. On July 8, 1918 Hemingway would be wounded by over 200 pieces of shrapnal into his lower legs. In front of him, Italian soldier Fedele Temperini of Montalcino, only 26 years old would die instantly and another next to Hem would be terribly wounded. With the shrapnal in his leg and covered with blood he picked up the soldier and ran 150 yards taking him to safety.
As soon as he arrived at the hospital they attempted to remove the shrapnal and later the worst in his knee and right foot were finally retrieved. Hemingway would carry the tiny pieces in a coin purse with him the rest of his life.
It was during his stay at the American Red Cross Hospital in Milan that he would meet and fall in love with nurse Agnes Von Kurowsky. A woman that would forver mark his life and how he viewed relationships.
Ernest was the first American soldier that would survive his injuries. The Italian’s later awarded him with the Silver Medal and the Croce al Merito di Guerra. It was only weeks before his 19th birthday, and would forever change him as a man.
From here on out he chased the action and the story, he left before his heart was broken again and became the larger than life figure in his own books.
