Joyce Kilmer, the author of Trees, was an American convert to Catholicism and a very idealistic man who volunteered for the Army at the relatively advanced age of 31 or so. He became a sergeant in the US Army during WWI and died in battle during the last week of July 1918. He is buried at the Oise-Aisne American Military Cemetery in Fere-en Tardenois four hundred yards from where he fell. The French awarded him a Croix-de-Guerre for his bravery in battle and a rosette commemorating that is renewed each year at the cross that marks his gravve. My grandfather died five weeks later and is buried @twenty graves away from the Kilmer grave. The French woman who welcomes visitors to the cemetery took my wife and me to see my grandfather's grave and then to see Joyce Kilmer's when we evinced a recognition of and an interest in him.
I have had other contacts with Kilmer. There is a park at 161st St. and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx named after him, and it was the site of the Bronx's "official" Christmas Tree. My choir used to sing for the lighting ceremony of the tree back in the late 1950s. I used to be thrilled that our lighting ceremony was broadcast live from the Joyce Kilmer Park by Radio Station WNYC (the New York City Official Station)!
Also, Kilmer was a native of New Brunswick, NJ where my youngest daughter attended Rutgers. There is a street named after him there.
Here is a weblink for the Wiki article on Kilmer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy...ki/
Joyce_Kilmer
Mr. Sarsfield,
I knew the general background of Kilmer's life and conversion, but it seems you have some interesting personal connections to the man!
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