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William Frederick Nice

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
  • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: 49th Company, 5th Marine Regiment
  • Location of Service: France
  • Highest Rank: Chief Warrant Officer
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/1339

View full service history

"Hell, I didn't want to leave. I felt well enough to stay. But I didn't want to face a military court so I went to the hospital." (Article: "Gunner Nice of the Devil-Dogs.")

By the time the United States entered World War I, William Frederick Nice was a 12-year Marine veteran of campaigns in Haiti, Santo Domingo, Mexico, and Cuba. Nice fought in some of the Great War's fiercest battles, serving in the 49th Company whose slogan was "We tame the tough ones and toughen the tame ones." The exploits of the 49th inspired a popular book, Fix Bayonets!, and Nice's own adventures earned him the colorful nickname "Gunner Nice of the Devil-Dogs."

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[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

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[ Citation ]
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[ Chemical Warfare Agents Reference and Training Chart ]
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[ War Service Certificate - United States Marine Corps ]
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[ Citation (in French) ]
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[ Service Acknowledgement ]
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[ Except from order No. 12.718 "D" ]

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[ Recommendation for Permanent Warrant 3/1/1919 ]
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[ Acknowledgement of Service Rendered ]
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[ Certificate awarded by a grateful nation ]
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[ Regimental Unit History of the 49th Company of the Marine Second Division ]
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[ Article: Gunner Nice of the "Devil-Dogs" ]

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About this Item

Title

  • William Frederick Nice Collection

Names

  • DeNicola, Rosemarie
  • Nice, William Frederick

Home State

  • New Jersey

Headings

  • -  Nice, William Frederick
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: 49th Company, 5th Marine Regiment
    • Location of Service: France
    • Highest Rank: Chief Warrant Officer
    • Dates of Service: 1917-1919
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Military Papers [3 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Military Papers [1 item] -- (collected 1919-06-25)
  • Manuscript: Other Manuscript Material [1 item] -- (collected 2002-08-08)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [ item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Other Manuscript Material [1 item] -- (collected 1890-01-04)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [6 items] -- (collected 1935)
  • Manuscript: Military Papers [8 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [2 items] -- (collected 1937)
  • Manuscript: Other Manuscript Material [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [3 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Other Manuscript Material [1 item] -- (collected 1925-04-15)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Mixed (Multiple types of manuscripts) [9 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Military Papers [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [3 items] -- (collected 1933-09-10)
  • Manuscript: Other Manuscript Material [1 item] -- (collected 1920-03-29)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [2 items] -- (collected 1961)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Unit histories [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Scrapbooks [1 item] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1930-1945)
  • Artifact: Artifact [14 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [1 item] -- (collected 1919)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [1 item] -- (collected 1919)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/1339

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Denicola, Rosemarie, and William Frederick Nice. William Frederick Nice Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01339/.

APA citation style:

Denicola, R. & Nice, W. F. (1917) William Frederick Nice Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01339/.

MLA citation style:

Denicola, Rosemarie, and William Frederick Nice. William Frederick Nice Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01339/>.