Did William Faulkner serve in combat during World War I?

William Faulkner did not serve in combat during World War I. While he joined the British Royal Air Force as a cadet pilot in July 1918, the November 1918 armistice occurred before he could complete his training, fly, or reach Europe.1

Despite his lack of actual combat experience, Faulkner later adopted a self-dramatizing persona as a veteran who had seen wartime service. This theme of alienation among returning soldiers became a significant element in his first novel, Soldiers’ Pay (1926).1