Later, Abels was part of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I, according to his 1968 book, “The Last of the Fighting Four.” The title refers to the loss of his three brothers, two who died in the war, and another who passed away afterward.A German artillery shell wounded Abels during the Battle of Cantigny, which was the first American offensive of World War I. “If ever there was a hell on Earth, the 20 days the 18th Infantry spent at Cantigny was it,” he wrote.Abels returned to Arizona as a disabled veteran in 1921 and lived in a tent with his wife, Elenora, on the 80 acres north of Phoenix. The couple later upgraded to a two-room house with canvas flaps serving as windows. Abels died in 1986.
Today the property is used as the Pool Patch manufacturing facility and REDO POOLS office, the home was also built with the first bomb shelter in the area.
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