Seven years prior to the American entry into World War One, the U.S. Army was simply lousy with deserters and it was a problem they were ill equipped to handle:
"For example, take the Sixth Infantry. From that regiment 142 men deserted, or 12 percent of the whole number. Blackest of all records...was that of Company K of the 28th Infantry, located at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Of the men in this company, nearly one third became disgusted with the service and fared forth to other fields of usefulness."
Click here to read some statistical data about the American Doughboys of the First World War.
