Question

Hemingway served as an ambulance driver for which organization during World War I?

• A. Red Cross
• B. Salvation Army
• C. American Legion
• D. none of the above

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Red Cross

Ernest Hemingway's World War I Service

• Ernest Hemingway, a prominent American novelist and short-story writer, served as an ambulance driver during World War I.
• He volunteered with the American Red Cross Ambulance Corps in Italy in 1918, specifically on the Italian Front.
• Hemingway, then only 18 years old, initially attempted to join the U.S. Army but was rejected due to poor eyesight.
• His service involved transporting wounded soldiers from the front lines.
• On July 8, 1918, he was severely wounded by Austrian mortar fire while delivering comforts to Italian soldiers in Fossalta di Piave, Italy. He sustained shrapnel wounds to his legs.
• This traumatic experience profoundly influenced his literary career, most notably serving as the basis for his critically acclaimed novel, 'A Farewell to Arms' (1929).
• 'A Farewell to Arms' is a semi-autobiographical novel depicting the love affair between an American ambulance driver, Frederic Henry, and a British nurse, Catherine Barkley, against the backdrop of the Italian Front during WWI.
• Hemingway was awarded the Italian Silver Medal of Bravery (Medaglia d'argento al Valore Militare) for his actions during the shelling, becoming one of the first Americans to be wounded in Italy during WWI.
• His war experiences, characterized by themes of heroism, disillusionment, and the brutality of combat, became central to his literary style and thematic concerns.