Alfred Joyce Kilmer, who wrote the much-acclaimed poem, Trees, died in battle during World War I on July 30, 1918. He was 31.

Kilmer was born December 9, 1886 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He graduated from Columbia University in 1904. Kilmer married a fellow poet in 1908. He and his wife Aline had five children.

To supplement his poetry writing, Kilmer worked on the staffs of New Standard Dictionary, Funk & Wagnalls, and The New York Times. He also taught school in Morristown.

Kilmer’s poetry reflected his love for the outdoors. His most famous poem, Trees, was written in 1913. In 1914, he published Trees and Other Poems, his most popular collection.

When the United States entered World War I, Kilmer enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the Fighting 69th Division. While on a solo mission to reconnoiter German machine gun positions, a sniper’s bullet ended Kilmer’s life. The French posthumously awarded him one of their highest wartime medals, the Croix de Guerre.

Kilmer was buried in the military cemetery at Fere en Tardenois in France.