June 04, 2019

National World War I Memorial moves ahead with Pershing Park plan

The Architect's Newspaper, an authoritative architectural publication that covers the United States in monthly printed issues and online, recently published an in-depth article on the progress and status of the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. The article features thoughtful comments from the Memorial's designer, architect Joseph Weishaar, and sculptor Sabin Howard. Click here to read the entire article on where the approval process for the Memorial stands now, and when construction is planned to begin.

Elsewhere, the Memorial project received broad television coverage throughout the nation last week via Nexstar Media, the second-largest television station owner in the United States (after Sinclair Broadcast Group) with 171 television stations across the U.S. The chain broadcast a Memorial Day article on progress of the National WWI Memorial. Click here to watch the video as it appeared on NewsChannel 34 in Binghamton, New York last week.

2019 Fleet Week New York is a Wrap!

2019 Fleet Week New York is one for the books. Now in its 31st year, FWNY is the city’s time-honored celebration of the sea services. It is an unparalleled opportunity for the citizens of New York and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as witness firsthand the latest capabilities of today’s maritime services. This year was unique in that Fleet Week New York was also a celebration of a tradition of service. Fleet Week 2019 had a special World War I theme, and as such, included a number of activities -- concerts, exhibits, events, ceremonies, etc. -- to tell the story of World War I, and remember its heroes. Click here to read the entire article about how World War I was the Fleet Week focus in 2019.

Blue Lake, CA man who died in World War I honored in New York’s Fleet Week

The story of how a Humboldt County native’s name, alongside those of five other U.S. Navy sailors, ended up on a memorial plaque in New York City on Tuesday begins in 1918 — the final year of World War I. In July of that year a mine laid by a German U-boat off the coast of Fire Island, New York, detonated against the hull of the USS San Diego. One of the sailors who perished that summer day in 1918 was 24-year-old Blue Lake native James F. Rochat, born in 1894 in Humboldt County. On May 28, the WWI Centennial Commission and the Navy hosted the memorial plaque unveiling in Times Square in honor of the six men who lost their lives - among them, Engineman 2nd Class James Rochet. Click here to read more about the cascade of events large and small that led to California-born Rochat's WWI death on the nation's East Coast, and the 21st Century honor for he and his fellow sailors who died in the only capital ship the Navy lost in WWI.

Who are the vets on the WWI Bremerton Memorial and why are some missing?

Twenty bronze plaques on a chunk of concrete. It seemed a simple enough assignment for researcher Elisabeth Demmon as she copied the names of 11 soldiers, five sailors and four Marines off a memorial for those who “fought and died” in World War I at Bremerton’s Evergreen-Rotary Park. Her mission: learn who these men were. “I thought it was going to be a straightforward project,” said Demmon, a library research associate at Kitsap Regional Library working on her master’s degree in genealogical studies. “I had no idea what I was in for.” Click here to read how an apparently simple assignment turned into a remarkable odyssey of surprises through 100-year-old history in Washington state.

'Polar Bear' memorial in Troy, MI marks largely forgotten mission in WWI Russia

The Polar Bears were some 5,000 soldiers of the American North Russian Expeditionary Forces, most of them from Michigan. They fought the Bolsheviks with guns and cannons in Russia's frozen northern reaches for seven deadly months after the November 1918 armistice that ended World War I. Their mission was unclear, their president reluctant, and their weaponry ill-suited for the conditions. Largely forgotten outside Metro Detroit, they were remembered on Monday, May 27 in the 90th annual WWI Polar Bear Memorial Service in Troy. Click here to read more about the remembrance a century later for the only American soldiers to ever battle Russians.

Construction set to begin on new World War I Memorial in West Duluth, MN

A $60,000 construction project is set to begin in June for a new World War I memorial at Memorial Park to honor more than 20 West Duluth soldiers. A new concrete surrounding and a flag pole will be installed in the park on the corner of Central and Grand Ave. The memorial will also pay tribute to over one hundred fifty World War One Gold Stars members. Click here to read more and watch video about this new Midwest memorial to replace an original lost to time and vandalism.

New USS Kansas City crew attends Memorial Day ceremonies at National World War I Museum & Memorial

Crew members from a brand new U.S. Navy ship, the USS Kansas City, paid their respects at last Monday's Memorial Day public ceremonies at Liberty Memorial. It`s always a sacred time when thankful Kansas Citians gather to thank their military heroes. However, this year's gathering was unique. This year's guests of honor included the crew of the forthcoming USS Kansas City, a U.S. Navy vessel that`s due to be commissioned next year. Click here to read more about the new ship, and the Memorial Day Services at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.

Once World War I enemies, Minneapolis musicians shared bond over French horn left on battlefield

With all its brass curves, a lost French horn wound up in what the 1927 Minneapolis Daily Star called “the center of one of the most amazing coincidents … " Wilhelm Muelbe and Fred Keller were born nearly seven years and 4,300 miles apart in the late-1800s. They wound up fighting — and playing in military bands — on opposite sides of World War I a century ago. In the chaos of the American Saint-Mihiel offensive in northeastern France in 1918, Muelbe had to abandon his treasured Cruspy French horn as the German Army retreated. Nine years later, the horn reappeared under the most amazing circumstances an ocean away. Click here to read the entire remarkable story of men, music, and the mysterious ways that Fate can move.

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast

Remembering Veterans: Luca Angeli on Italian-born Doughboys

In May 17th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 123, host Theo Mayer spoke with Luca Angeli about his project commemorating Italian-born Doughboys who died fighting for the United States. A native of Italy, Mr. Angeli has spent time working in the United States, following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather. His research about his great-grandfather led him into the stories of the many Italians who went "back Over There" as members of the U.S. Army in WWI, and died in their native land on behalf of their new nation. Click here to read the whole interview, and learn stories sparked an amazing research project that now spans two continents and two web sites a century after World War I.

100 Years Ago This Week: The League and Treaty as Viewed In America

May 17th's edition of the WWI Centennial News Podcast, Episode 123, World War I Centennial News researcher and writer Dave Kramer explores the story of the Paris Peace Conference not only as it played out in the halls of Versailles, in Germany's Weimar, in the United Kingdom's parliament, but also here in America's Washington, DC. Click here to read this rich report recalling the raucous political battles in America that ultimately sent the Versailles Treaty down to defeat in the United States Senate a century ago.

WWI Centennial NEWS Podcast

The WW1 Centennial News Podcast is about WW1 THEN: 100 years ago this week, and it's about WW1 NOW: News and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Available on our web site, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio on Demand. Spotify listen on Youtube. New - Comment and ask questions via twitter @TheWW1podcast

Episode #125
The Century of Suffrage:

Host - Theo Mayer

Making Peace: Who Will Save Armenia? -
Mike Shuster | @ 03:00

War Memoirs From WWI: “Ernst Jünger” -
Dr. Edward Lengel | @ 07:10

100 Years Ago: Women’s Suffrage, The Cliff Notes -
Host | @ 11:50

Raising Money for the Memorial -
Phil Mazzara | @ 19:40

Introducing the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission -
Rebecca Kleefish | @ 28:40

Articles & Posts: Highlights from Dispatch -
Host | @ 37:45

Literature in WWI This Week

"Zone Rouge" and "The Land Remembers"

By Amalie Flynn
Amalie Flynn, author of the memoir Wife and War: The Memoir, the story of she tells of surviving 9-11 and her husband's 15-month deployment to Afghanistan, shows in her poems "Zone rouge" (red zone) and "The Land Remembers" that her experience also belongs to a universal history of war, including WWI. "Zone rouge" is the French name for the almost 120,000 hectares of battlefields that incurred major physical damage to the environment during WWI. Read Flynn, who has also published in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and TIME, as she brings a contemporary poetic eye to France's battle-torn landscapes at WWrite this week!

Behind Their Lines

Winifred Letts enlisted as a Volunteer Aid Detachment nurse and worked in military hospitals through much of the First World War. Her poem "Spring the Cheat" contrasts the season of regeneration and rebirth with the devastating losses felt by those on the home front.

Doughboy MIA for week of June 3

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's MIA this week is Corporal Fred M. Allison, born in 1894 at Savannah, Georgia, the son of John H. and Maria S. Allison and one of four children. A carpenter’s helper by trade, he enlisted in the Regular Army on 15 May, 1917 at the Army Recruiting Station in Savannah. He was sent to Fort Logan, Colorado for training where he was assigned to Company A, 2^nd Engineers on 22 May, 1917. This unit would eventually be integral to the 2^nd ‘Indian Head’ Division. He departed for France aboard the SS Carpathia on 10 September, 1917 and once in France was quickly promoted to Private First Class (in December, 1917) and Corporal (in April, 1918). During the heavy fighting that summer, Corporal Allison fought through the battle of Belleau Wood and all the fighting that came after, where the 2^nd Division wrote its way into history. On 19 July, 1918 Corporal Allison was killed in action. Today, he is memorialized on the Tablets to the Missing at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at Belleau Wood. Few other details are known of his case at this time.

Want to help shed some light on Corporal Allison’s case? Consider making a donation' to Doughboy MIA and help us make a full accounting of the 4,423 American service personnel still listed as missing in action from WW1. Make your tax deductible donation now, with our thanks.

Official WWI Centennial Merchandise

Black Pique
Polo Shirt

Inspired by the iconic image of a U.S. Doughboy, you can wear your American pride with this Made in the USA polo shirt. An informal term for a member of the U.S. Army or Marine Corps, “doughboys” especially used to refer to the American Expeditionary Forces in World War One. Largely comprised of young men who had dropped out of school to join the army, this poignant lone silhouette of a soldier in trench warfare serves as a reminder of those who sacrificed so much one century ago.

Shirt features: Navy with white doughboy embroidery. 100% combed cotton pique, 6.2 oz. pre-shrunk fabric. Shirt has 3 wood-tone buttons, and side seam design for shape retention. Mens’ sizes available S – 2XL.

Proceeds from the sale of this item will help to fund the building of the national World War One Memorial in Washington, D.C.

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial .

100 years after the end of America's involvement in World War I, author Wendy Yessler (above) has published a remarkable document: a first-hand account, written and compiled by her great grandfather, Paul L. Compton, whose narrative brings WWI events to life from a perspective of one who was actually there. Beginning with training at Camp Hancock, Georgia, he carries you through the voyage to Europe, the war, and then the return home to the welcoming parades. Click here to read more about this amazing family time capsule from a century ago. Want to find out more about your own ancestors of family members who served in the U.S. armed forces in World War I? Click here to download the free World War I Genealogy Research Guide from the US World War I Centennial Commission.

Pershing Sponsors

Louis Arthur "Slip" Paquette

A Story of Service from the Stories of Service section of ww1cc.org

Submitted by: Thomas, "T.J." Cullinane {Town Historian}

Louis Arthur "Slip" Paquette was born in 1890. Louis Paquette served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

A Derry Shoemaker in the Coast Artillery

Few portraits in the Derry, New Hampshire Great War Soldier’s Album are more compelling than that of Louis Arthur Paquette, late of Battery A, 71st Coast Artillery Corps. Upright and earnest, the handsome young Paquette proudly displays his New Hampshire War Service Medal and First Army artillery patch. “Slip,” as he was popularly known, was born in Derry on December 30, 1890. The town records state that the industrious shoe maker enlisted at age 26 on March 8, 1918.

Like many New England soldiers, he would begin his Army career with recruit training at Fort Slocum, New York. This post was located on David’s Island at the southern end of Long Island Sound in the city environs of New Rochelle.

Soon after completing his training, he was given serial number 402214 and assigned to Battery A of the 71st Coast Artillery Corps. At this juncture, Slip was destined to spend the war manning a huge coastal artillery battery in Boston Harbor’s Fort Strong. This was not to be however, as there was an urgent need for heavy mobile artillery in the American Expeditionary Force deployed in France.

Read Louis Arthur "Slip" Paquette's entire Story of Service here.

Submit your family's Story of Service here.

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May 21, 2019

Commission activities honor America's World War I Vets during Fleet Week 2019

The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, in partnership with the U.S. Navy, will host a number of cultural activities, and commemorative events, during the U.S. Navy's upcoming Fleet Week New York, from 22-27 May 2019. A full list of the WWI-related activities can be found at ww1cc.org/fleetweek. These events will help tell the story of the 4 million American men and women -- many from the greater New York area -- who stepped forward to serve during World War I, 100 years ago. Click here to read more about the World War I -related activities taking place during Fleet Week 2019 this week.

The 369th Experience Band, sponsored by the Centennial Commission, will be making several appearances during Fleet Week, including at Rockefeller Center on Saturday, May 25; at Liberty State Park in Jersey City on Sunday, May 26; and leading the the annual Memorial Day Parade in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on Monday, May 27. Click here to find out more details and times for these performances by the fabulous 369th Experience.

In the run-up to Fleet Week in New York City this week, The American Kennel Club's Museum of the Dog will unveil the official bronze statue of Sgt. Stubby, a distinguished World War I war dog, which will be housed permanently at the AKC Museum of the Dog. The sculpture will be unveiled on May 23. Commissioner Dr. Libby O'Connell of the United States World War I Centennial Commission will perform the unveiling. Click here to read more about the sculpture, the sculptor, and how Stubby earned his recognition at the Museum of the Dog.

Fall start envisioned for WWI tribute; concept for monument in D.C.‘really coming along,’ says Arkansas designer

Memorial Detail 5192019 Arkansas Gazette

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette newspaper this week published an update on the progress of the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. The article noted that "supporters of the new World War I Memorial say they’re hopeful they can break ground this fall." “We’re getting close to wrapping up the design. We’re about 75% of the way through,” said Joseph Weishaar, the project’s architect and a Fayetteville native. “It’s really coming along.” Click here to read the entire article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette newspaper.

In search of Roman’s ‘lost boys’ of WWI

Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, PA was founded by Irish immigrant Thomas Cahill in 1890, and was the first free Catholic high school in the country. By the time the United States had entered World War I in 1917, the school was already more than a quarter-century old. Yet many alumni, including writer Chris Gibbons, had long assumed that there was no commemorative plaque for World War I because no Roman alumni had died in that war. However, as Gibbon's interest and knowledge of the Great War deepened over the years, he began to doubt this assumption. After he read James Nelson's book The Remains of Company D, Gibbons resolved to finally learn the truth regarding World War I and the lost boys from Roman. Click here to read how this search unfolded, and how the names of the lost boys of Roman are being rediscovered and honored 100 years after the end of World War I.

Filmmaker Daniel Bernardi and his historical documentary series for the National Cemetery Administration

Daniel Bernardi is a remarkable young filmmaker, and a very busy person. He is a Navy Reservist, a professor of film at San Francisco State University, and he manages a film production company specializing in documentaries. Daniel's current project, as a filmmaker, is a series of pieces for the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), which manages the nation's veteran cemeteries across the United States. These National Cemeteries are amazing historical sites, and are home some of America's greatest military heroes. -- In fact -- The Centennial Commission worked with the NCA for the Wreath Laying Ceremony for World War I heroes buried in NYC's Cypress Hills National Cemetery on May 2nd. Daniel's biggest film of this series, the WWI-themed WAR TO END ALL WARS, premiered recently at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, and will be screened there during Memorial Day Weekend. Much of the new video work done by Daniel and his team can be found on their YouTube channel. Recently we took some time to talk to Daniel about his work, and hear his thoughts on why these stories are important; click here to read the entire interview.

Indiana exhibit to highlight World War I veterans' shrine rededication

An exhibit chronicling World War I will be one highlight of this year's Memorial Day weekend rededication of Fort Wayne's Veterans National Memorial Shrine and Museum in Indiana. The Shrine is a recipient of a 100 Cities/100 Memorials grant. Info on the restoration project for this memorial can be found here. 100 Cities/100 Memorials is a joint program of the United States World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Click here to read more about the Shrine and the "The Great War: From Ration Lines to the Front Lines" traveling exhibit curated by the Indiana Historical Society.

Gone but no longer forgotten: At long last, these four World War I veterans receive a memorial service

The cremated remains of four World War I veterans were transported in a horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by Patriot Guard Riders and a police escort, to their final resting place at the Roseburg National Cemetery Annex in Douglas County, Oregon last week. The veterans’ remains were forgotten on a shelf at a local mortuary before being rediscovered through the painstaking research of Douglas County Veterans Forum member Carol Hunt and retired Roseburg National Cemetery technician Gigi Grimes Shannon. What the two women found was one of the largest groups of unclaimed veterans remains ever to have been recovered in the state. Click here to read this extraordinary story of a dogged pursuit for justice for these four World War I veterans.

Fort Des Moines exhibit honors African-American men who served in WWI

Over a century ago, the first African-American officers trained at Fort Des Moines. On May 4, local members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity unveiled a display honoring members who received their commissions there in 1917 and served during World War I. The Fort Des Moines training camp was the first and only established for African-American officers and non-commissioned candidates. What began as a simple question — "Did Phi Beta Sigma have any members who were commissioned here" — turned into a three-year project that uncovered 20 men from the fraternity who served in WWI, including nine who received their commissions at Fort Des Moines. Click here to read the entire story about the search, the ceremony, and what the fraternity learned about its World War I heritage as a result.

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast

Events:
Richard "Corky" Erie and Beth Baker
on Fleet Week 2019 in NYC

In May 10th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 121, host Theo Mayer interviewed Richard "Corky" Erie and Beth Baker about Fleet Week New York. Richard is the director of Fleet Week New York, and Beth is the Director of Public Affairs for the Navy in the Mid-Atlantic and Fleet Week New York. The two of them have plenty to say about the logistics, scale, operation, and impact of Fleet Week on the city- as well as how this year's event incorporates World War I. Click here to read the entire interview, and get an inside look at what it takes to bring "12 to 14 Navy and Coast Guard ships carrying upwards of 2,600 Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen to all five boroughs of New York City, executing over 130 events in six days."

Centennial News Now:
Tom Frezza on the USS Recruit

In May 3rd's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 121, host Theo Mayer interviewed Tom Frezza, Director of Education at the National Museum of the US Navy. Mr. Frezza spoke in-depth about the USS Recruit, a full-scale battleship replica built in New York City in 1917 to encourage people to join the Navy -- and they were able to recruit over 25,000 men into service! Click here to read the entire story about the great wooden "land ship" that sent sailors all over the planet while never leaving Manhattan.

100 Years Ago This Week: The Tragic Death of James Reese Europe

In May 3rd's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 121, host Theo Mayer reviewed some of the most important headlines from this week, 100 years ago. Among them was the death of James Reese Europe, the legendary African American band leader of the 369th Infantry Band. Already famous as an innovator and an advocate for Black musicians in New York, he's often credited for bringing Jazz to France with the 369th. He was tragically murdered in an altercation with a bandmate. Click here to read the contemporary story of the death of a military and musical legend 100 years ago.

WWI Centennial NEWS Podcast

Episode #123
Highlights: Remembering WWI Veterans

Host: Theo Mayer

Germany Agrees to Sign Peace Treaty - Mike Shuster | @ 02:15

100 Years Ago: The Treaty and the League as Viewed in America - Host | @ 06:50

War Memoirs From WWI: “Will Bird” - Dr. Edward Lengel | @ 13:10

Back Over There: Italian Immigrants Serving in WWI - Luca Angeli | @ 18:50

Fleet Week New York 2019: The Site, the Events and the Social Media - Host | @ 27:15

Living Historians from the Cutter Olympia - Laura Adie & Kevin Smith | @ 28:10

“The Hello Girls Musical” Releases Cast Album - Cara Reichel, Peter Mills & Ben Moss | @ 37:15

Articles & Posts: Highlights from Dispatch - Host | @ 46:50

Literature in WWI This Week

Waking Up to History: John Dos Passos, the Cut-up, and World War I

By M.C. Armstrong

When M.C. Armstrong traveled to Iraq as a war reporter, he took with him the work of WWI volunteer ambulance driver and American novelist, John Dos Passos. Like Dos Passos did in 1919, Armstrong came back and began to assert his own theory of war writing based on lessons learned.

In this post, Armstrong analyzes language as a weapon in war through the ways Dos Passos criticizes journalism using fiction. Read Waking Up to History: John Dos Passos, the Cut-up, and World War I, which discusses the war propaganda machine and Dos Passos' signature "cut up" technique at WWrite this week!

Behind Their Lines

Over 1.7 million American doughboys were sent to Europe to serve in the First World War.

Read one soldier’s account of the loneliness men felt on over-crowded ships as they headed towards the Great War. The writer, John Allan Wyeth, is considered one of the finest American combat poets of the war.

Official WWI Centennial Merchandise

"Lest We Forget: The Great War"

World War I Prints from the Pritzker Military Museum & Library

As the United States commemorates the centennial of World War I, one of the nation’s premier military history institutions pays tribute to the Americans who served and the allies they fought beside to defeat a resourceful enemy with a lavishly illustrated book. It is an official product of the Unites States World War One Centennial Commission. The story of WWI is told through the memorable art it spawned ― including posters from nations involved in the conflict ― and a taut narrative account of the war’s signal events, its major personalities and its tragic consequences; and the timely period photographs that illustrate the awful realities of this revolutionary conflict. Most importantly, this book is a tribute to those who served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and what would become the Air Force. It serves as a lasting reminder that our world ignores the history of World War I (and the ensuing WWII) at its peril ― lest we forget. Proceeds help fund the WW1 Memorial in Washington, DC.

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial .

100 years ago this week, “Hello Girl” Grace Banker received the Distinguished Service Medal for her service "with exceptional ability as Chief Operator in the Signal Corps Exchange at General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces and later in a similar capacity at First Army Headquarters." Banker's granddaughter Carolyn Timbie takes a look back at Banker's remarkable military service in World War I; click here to read the entire article.

Pershing Sponsors

John A. Dean

A Story of Service from the Stories of Service section of ww1cc.org

Submitted by: Elmer J Bott, Jr. {Legion Post Adjutant}

John A Dean born around 1893, John Dean served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

John A. Dean was born about 1893, his mother Anna (Kelly) Dean and William Dean were residents of Butler.

John A. Dean enlisted August 31, 1917 in the Ambulance Co #33, which trained at the Van Wyck estate bordering on Lake Apshawa. He then traveled to Syracuse, New York, Allentown, Pennsylvania and lastly Camp Greene, Charlotte, North Carolina for further training.

At Camp Greene his company was incorporated into the 4th Division Regular Army. They left the United States for service overseas on May 13, 1918. In whole or part he served at Belleau Wood, Chateau Thierry, and the Aisne-Marne offensive, St. Mihiel, the Meuse Argonne in France and in the Army of Occupation in Germany.