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An American Enlists in the French Army
Denis Patrick Dowd Jr. becomes the first American citizen to enter service in WW1. Dowd, a graduate of Columbia and an adventurer, decided to enlist in the French Foreign Legion to support the French war efforts.
Dowd would not be the only U.S. citizen to fight before the American entry into the war. By 1915 thousands of Americans were serving ovcerseas, either because they held dual citizenship, or because like Dowd, they decided to fight for reasons of personal morals or seeking adventure. The most famous Americans to serve in a foriegn military was Arthur Guy Empey, who served in the British Army and wrote the best seller "Over the Top", and Ernest Hemmingway, who served as an ambulance driver on the Italian front.
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