Sergeant Stanley Leon Buck, of New Vineyard.
Killed in Action 16 JUNE 1918. Age 33.
Company K, 103rd Infantry, 26th “Yankee” Division, AEF.
Buried in St Mihiel American Cemetery (Plot B, Row 14, Grave 15) Thiaucourt, France. Memorial in Stillwater Riverside Cemetery, Old Town, Maine.
Survived by mother Mabel B Luce. ——— Sergeant Buck had spent three years active in the National Guard, even patrolling the Mexican border in 1916 after Pancho Villa’s attack. Before attaining his sergeant’s chevrons, he was affectionately called “Buck Private,” transposing his name and rank in jest.
His mother Mabel’s only son, Stanley wrote home on occasion, to allay her fears. From one letter, he said: "Do not worry and some day when I get home I will tell you all about my foreign trip."
But he never did.
Halfway between Paris and Stuttgart, on the western front, lay Xivray-et-Marvoisin, defended by 200 men from Buck’s 103rd Infantry. There, on June 16, 1918, some 600 Germans attacked the town: first with heavy artillery, then with infantry assaults on three sides. It was the most severe bombardment against US troops so far in the war. At great cost, including 28 lives, the 103rd held.
Sergeant Buck was among those who died on that field. Amid the chaos, shell fire found him. He’s buried near there, in the St Mihiel American Cemetery.
He was Company K’s third casualty. ——— After the war, his mother wrote this poem to his memory:
I loved you enough to give you up – Yet it followed after, this love of mine, Like a convoy ship across the sea, To keep you safe on the battle line, Like the trusty rifle in your hand To go with you through No-Man’s Land. For love never faileth lad, you know, And I loved you enough to let you go.
Stanley L. Buck entered the military service in Maine. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Private in the 103rd Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry "Yankee" Division. He died on June 16, 1918 and is now buried in St. Mihiel American Cemetery, Thiaucourt, France. He also has a cenotaph located in Riverside Cemetery, Orono, Penobscot County, Maine, USA. Source: No Higher Service Facebook post