Military history author to speak at Cantigny

Military history author Peter L. Belmonte will visit Cantigny Park to discuss his new book, "Days of Perfect Hell: The U.S. 26th Infantry Regiment in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, October-November 1918."

The program begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, at the Cantigny Park Visitors Center, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Admission and parking are free.

Published in 2015, Belmonte's book offers an in-depth account of a single regiment of the Army's First Division during an intense 39-day battle in France near the close of World War I. His storytelling covers the challenges "doughboys" encountered during combat with the Germans, including near starvation, poison gas attacks, artillery barrages, constant machine-gun fire and horrendous weather conditions.

Belmonte retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2003 after serving 20 years, first as an enlisted man and then as an officer. A veteran of Operation Desert Storm, he holds a master's degree in history from California State University, Stanislaus, and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Purdue University. He currently works for the Department of Defense and lives with his wife and children in O'Fallon, Illinois.

Copies of "Days of Perfect Hell" may be purchased in the Cantigny Shop the evening of March 2. Belmonte will sign books following the program.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The program and parking are free. From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., a cash bar will be available along with a limited food menu. Coffee is free.

Belmonte's visit is part of the First Division Museum's Date with History, a monthly series featuring discussions with authors, panelists, historians and special guests. Information about upcoming programs is online at firstdivisionmuseum.org.