Biographical Notes
Leo Joseph Bailey was born on November 28, 1894, in Leetonia, Pennsylvania. Working as a teacher in Pennsylvania when war was declared, Bailey enlisted in the United States Army on June 1st, 1917. He was assigned to Company M, 9th Infantry, 2nd Division. He trained at Ft. Slocum, New York and Syracuse, New York. Bailey was deployed with the 2nd Division to France in the fall of 1917. Training in France until spring of 1918, he used his days off to become acquainted with the French language, people, and their customs. Bailey saw combat at Belleau Woods, and was wounded on his right arm by a shell explosion on June 21, 1918 . He spent the summer recuperating in Base Hospital 27 at Angers, France. In early fall of 1918, Bailey was notified that he would be recommended to return to the United States due to his injury. He sustained another injury to his right arm soon after this notification, and thus Bailey remained in France to recuperate. Later in 1918, he was assigned to the Prisoner of War Escort Company #85, Army Service Corps. He served in this role until his discharge at the rank of Sergeant on October 25, 1919. Bailey was awarded a Purple Heart for his injury sustained during action.
After the war, Bailey returned to Pennsylvania to teach Agriculture, receiving his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Agriculture from Pennsylvania State College. He moved to upstate New York and resided in the area for the rest of his life. Following his service, Bailey wrote a memoir of his World War I experience titled, "The War as I Saw It." His memoir helped construct the basis of the chapter, "The Education of Private Bailey," in Laurence Stallings book The Doughboys. Bailey married Margaret Loughery and had three daughters, Margaret, Bernice, and Catherine. Bailey returned to France twice; once in 1927, and again in 1968 with his wife. Bailey was active in his local chapter of the American Legion, sharing the events of his visits back to France with fellow World War I veterans. Bailey died on June 12, 1988.