 After the outbreak of World War I, Colbeck joined the U.S. Army in April 1918 and fought as an infantryman with the 89th Infantry Division in France.Upon his return home in 1919, Colbeck became Willie Egan's right-hand man in the gang.On October 31, 1921, Willie Egan was shot dead in front of his Franklin Avenue saloon by gunmen in a passing automobile.