The spirit of the Sibley ranch was greatly quenched on November 19th, 1917 upon receiving news that David had been grievously wounded in battle. He had been part of the American Expeditionary Force under General Pershing, assigned to the 1st Division where he was stationed along the Luneville trenches near Nancy in France. His 16th Infantry platoon was overrun by a German regiment during a recon operation and he was nearly torn asunder by shrapnel from an artillery shell. He was listed as critical and could not be moved Stateside until his condition improved.
Jack Sibley, whose personality could best be normally described as cantankerous, fell into an even blacker mood after the word arrived from overseas. He had taken to strong drink daily and would initiate a brawl at the drop of a hat.
