3 young soldiers from Bound Brook who died during the final battles of World War I in France - Benjamin H Giles and brothers Thomas and Philip Biondi

100 years

A time for remembrance and recognition

On November 11, 1918, the sounds of combat of World War I were silenced. This final day of tragic worldwide hostilities ended the terrible destruction accompanied by the death of millions. This tragic result was empowered using new and technologically powerful weapons of war. This event changed the world and the status of all nations and the practices of colonization. On November 11, 2018 we formally recognize and remember this tragic event, that happened 100 years ago, so that it will not be forgotten. On this day we will also honor all those who have served in our military forces throughout the history of our great nation.

Three months ago, in August 2018, Giles-Biondi Post 63 American Legion Department of New Jersey, began its 100^th year of service to our nation and to our community of Bound Brook.

Next year in 2019, we have the honor of celebrating the 100^th birthday of the American Legion and the hundredth anniversary of the formation of Giles-Biondi Post 63 in Bound Brook. On March 15-17, 1919 under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, members of the US expeditionary force caucused in Paris France and the American Legion was born. A few months later in August, 2019 Post 63 was organized as an unincorporated nonprofit organization as part of the American Legion.

In compliance with the national bylaws that stated that no post was to be named after any living individuals, the post members selected 3 young soldiers from Bound Brook who died during the final battles of World War I in France - Benjamin H Giles and brothers Thomas and Philip Biondi.

Thomas Biondi was a corporal in the 310^th infantry, 78^th division. He received limited training at newly organized Fort Dix in New Jersey. Our Armed Forces had very little experience in war and did not have properly trained forces or adequate equipment. The Allies tried to fill the void by sending over experienced British and French instructors to Fort Dix and other stateside camps. But these camps lacked the equipment to train men for the kind of warfare that characterized the Western Front in 1917. Coordinated tank, infantry, artillery, poison gas, and airplane combat had developed. Infantry tactics had also changed, from mass frontal attacks with rifles and bayonets to fluid, infiltrating movements with grenades, flame throwers, and chauchats (light machine guns). Fort Dix was ill prepared for this type of training: it had one tank and no airplanes. Training at Fort Dix emphasized close order drill, rifle and bayonet work, gas mask familiarization, trench construction, barbed wire usage, and personal hygiene. The importance of the last had been brought home by horror stories from the European front lines about rats, lice, trench foot, and pneumonia.                                                                   

 The 78th Division was filled with draftees, many of whom were recent immigrants who spoke little English. Dix thus had to provide classrooms for language instruction. Loyalty was apparently no problem. Despite ethnic heterogeneity, everyone identified himself as an American.

The troops were well fed; many put on weight during their stay at Dix. The big complaints were about the delay in going overseas, the boring routine, and especially long hikes with full packs. One soldier sent his mother a post-card featuring a doughboy’s hob-nail boots. The note read, “I’ve been through three pairs of these already, so you can tell how much we march.” 

Benjamin Giles was born in 1892 and died in France 1918 at the age of 25 or 26. He was the only child of Nelson and Jenny Giles and his remains were returned and interred in a family plot in Bound Brook to be later joined by his parents in 1935 and 1951. Ben was a member of the 15^th Field Artillery Second Division.