Chris Isleib (bottom left), Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, reports:

"My work with the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission has given my family & me a sensitivity to those who want to remember their veteran heroes. My own family has roots in County Sligo, Ireland. When I heard that they were creating a new local WWI Memorial, we wanted to provide some support to their effort. The people at Lest Sligo Forgets accepted our support, and they assigned us a random casualty-name to sponsor. As it turns out -- the random name they assigned was the name of our grandfather's cousin!"  Click here to read a report from the Lest Sligo Forget project on this remarkable coincidence linking Chris to a County Sligo WWI casualty via his grandfather, Michael Clancy O'Hart (top left).

If Spottswood Poles had been born a century later, he would have been a superstar. Instead, most people in his hometown of Winchester, PA have no idea who he was or what he did. But that’s about to change. Poles, an African-American who became a hero on ballfields and battlefields alike, will be recognized by city officials and the local baseball team this summer with a historical marker and the naming of a road for him in. Poles was a decorated hero in the Army’s 369th Infantry Regiment — the legendary Harlem Hellfighters — during World War I, and many argue that "the black Ty Cobb’” should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Click here to read more about Spottswood Poles' feats as a soldier and a ballplayer, and the long-overdue recognition planned by his home town.

Major League Baseball is adding a poppy to its Memorial Day uniforms — a symbol that has been used since World War I to honor those who died in war — with the phrase “Lest We Forget.” These will appear on teams’ regular uniforms. The caps will feature a special stars-and-stripes Memorial Day patch. For Memorial Day, beyond the poppies and cap patches, teams will wear their usual uniforms. On Memorial Day the individual teams will present on-field tributes featuring their own local military heroes. That includes first pitches and on-field presentations. Click here to read more about these new Memorial Day uniforms, as well as MLB's plans for special uniforms for games on Armed Forces Day.

Ever since the inception of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission in 2013, New York City sculptor Sabin Howard and architect Joe Weishaar have been hard at work creating Washington, D.C’s first-ever World War I memorial at Pershing Park. In order to bring the project alive, so to speak, Howard and a team of reenactors began a crucial stage of the creation process in the United Kingdom earlier this year, where the reenactors, who were dressed in WWI costume, posed in a first-of-its-kind photogrammetry rig that was composed of 160 cameras. One of those reenactors who traveled across the pond to partake in this monumental project was former Mineola resident Zach Libresco, who will be portrayed in the national memorial.  Click here to read more about how the the graduate of Mineola's Wheatley High School grabbed a permanent role in the national World War I Memorial.

A Roswell, GA family's great aunt was honored with a new headstone at Greenwood Cemetery for her service and bravery during World War I as an Army nurse. Camille Louise O'Brien was a member of the Emory nursing unit during WWI and was the only Red Cross nurse from Atlanta, and the only nurse from the Emory Unit to die in France during the war. O'Brien is recognized as a hero nurse for her exemplary service and dedication to treating her soldiers. Click here to read more about O'Brien's heroic and selfless service in World War I, and the honor paid to her a century later.

The Warner Bros. super hero film “Shazam!” currently playing around the nation is based on a character whose origins begin with an Army veteran’s little-known struggle a century ago to adjust to life after World War I. The world’s mightiest mortal was introduced by Fawcett Publications as Captain Marvel, the alter ego of kid reporter Billy Batson, in a comic published from 1940 to 1953. But before the fictional captain, there was Captain Billy, a real-life former WWI soldier and newspaper reporter whose humor magazine for World War I veterans shocked 1920s America and launched a publishing empire spanning magazines, comics and paperbacks. Click here to read the entire story of Captain Billy and his publishing legacy with its roots in World War I.

In April 12th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 118, Senator Jon Tester of Montana joined the show to discuss a new bill, S206, otherwise known as The Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019, that would finally give the Hello Girls the formal recognition they deserve. Click to hear Senator Tester talk about the bill, what it is, the connection to Montana, and how people can help get this properly deserved honor bestowed on these pioneering women who served so successfully and then struggled to be recognized and to receive veteran's benefits.

In April 12th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 118, author Alan Axelrod returned to finish an expansive interview on George Creel, the publisher of the government's Official Bulletin and one of the most powerful war-time Americans. Allen Axelrod, the author of Selling the Great War: The Making of American Propaganda, joined Theo for Part Two of their conversation about George Creel, discussing the post-armistice period, and then Creel's later life.  Click here to read the entire transcript, and discover why the "man who sold the war" ended up as a footnote in its history.  (Did you miss Part One? Click here to read the entire transcript of that podcast program.)

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 #119
Highlights: The Sinking of the USS San Diego

Host - Theo Mayer

100 Years Ago This Week - Host
| @ 02:25

Germany receives the allied dictates - Mike Shuster
| @ 10:55

The Polar Bear Expedition - James Carl Nelson
| @ 14:45

War Memoirs from WWI: Charles Carrington  - Dr. Edward Lengel | @ 22:10

May 2, 2019 Memorial at Cypress Hills Nat. Cemetery - Alain Dupuis | @ 27:55

The sinking of the USS San Diego - Dr. Alexis Catsambis | @ 32:30

Minnesotan Doughboys Remembered - Susi Adler
| @ 41:25

New Education Newsletter - Host
| @ 49:55

Highlights from the Dispatch - Host
| @ 51:10

The Weariness of the Thing - "The Boys Who Live in the Ground"

By Connie Ruzich

*Connie Ruizich from Behind Their Lines visits WWrite this week!

Of the American aviators who flew over enemy lines in the war, only fifteen percent were left after the signing of the armistice. Donald S. White, one of these few survivors, served as a pilot on the Western Front with the 20th Air Squadron.

He was cited for “exceptional devotion to duty” as a bombing aviator as “he had served in a day-bombing squadron in every raid since the squadron had been called into active work during the severe fighting in the Argonne.”

For this post, Connie Ruzich shares her rare discovery exclusively with WWrite: White’s poem about his service, a poem that seeks to speak “for thousands of his fellows.” Read “The Boys Who Live in the Ground” followed by Ruzich’s analysis this week!

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's Doughboy MIA this week is Corporal Vance Shankle, DSC. Born 03 November 1893 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He was a mill worker with the famous Cannon Company when America issued its first draft call.  Rather than wait to be called though, Shankle enlisted in September, 1917. Interestingly, his local draft board continued to list him in the newspapers among those who had failed to report for their physical as late as February, 1918 and it took a visit from his brother, Brooks, to straighten it out!

Shankle was sent to Camp Jackson for induction and then on to Camp Sevier, where he was assigned to Company K, 118^th Infantry, 30^th Division and with them departed for overseas service on 11 May 1918 from New York.

In France, Shankle was quickly promoted to Corporal for his fearlessness in action over the summer months of battle, and on 17 October 1918 he made a permanent mark on the history of his regiment, earning the Distinguished Service Cross:

SHANKLE, Vance (deceased) No. 1312113 Corporal, Company K, 118^th Infantry. For extraordinary heroism in action near St. Martin Riviere, France, October 17, 1918. When the advance of his company was held up, he volunteered to go forward with another soldier, to reduce a machine gun emplacement. Advancing in front of our lines, these two soldiers attacked the enemy position, destroyed it, and captured three prisoners. Corporal Shankle was killed in action shortly afterwards.

Corporal Shankle’s name is among the 333 names which grace the Tablets of the Missing at the beautiful Somme American Cemetery at Bony, France.

Want to help shed some light on Corporal Shankle’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.

Canvas and Leather Tote

Function and style are combined in this lightweight and compact Canvas & Leather Tote. You can show your American pride while carrying this Made in the USA dark khaki tote. Plenty of room for keys, wallet, tablet and documents. A distressed “U.S.” imprint is prominently displayed on the bag and an exclusive fabric garment label commemorates the U.S. Centennial of World War One.

Tote features: Constructed of touch dyed canvas and lined with 400 denier nylon. Handles made of 6 Oz. top grain oil tanned leather, backed with 1” webbing. Handle is attached to bag with distinctive “X” tacks. Dimensions: 18.5” W (seam to seam) x 13.5”H x 5.0” T-bottom style gusset.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item will help fund the national WW1 Memorial in Washington, D.C.

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

Pershing Sponsors

A Newburyport, MA city native has found himself at the center of a living history of World War I. The United States World War I Centennial Commission has been working to produce projects and activities commemorating the Great War’s centennial anniversary ever since it was created by an act of Congress in 2013. Sculptor Sabin Howard has been commissioned to create the National World War I memorial in Washington, DC, and has been using a first-of-its-kind, 160-camera “photogrammetry” rig to do so. Howard has been working along with roughly 35 actors who are portraying Word War I soldiers for the project, and Newburyport native Paul Emile Cendron is one of those Doughboys. Click here to read more about how a Massachusetts actor from a small town will play a big role in the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC.

Our friends at the legendary American Legion Post 43 in Los Angeles have great reason to celebrate. They recently completed a multi-million dollar top-to-bottom renovation of their landmark clubhouse -- not the least of which was their spectacular 1920's-era theater space. To kick things off right, they agreed to host, as their first major event, the multi-day annual Turner Classic Movies TCM Classic Film Festival.  The film that was picked to introduce this year's film festival was none other than Sergeant York, the classic Gary Cooper film produced in 1941. And of course, to introduce this great film, the film festival picked none other than our friend, Colonel Gerald York, grandson of Sgt Alvin York, and his uncle, Andrew Jackson York, son of the WWI hero. Click here to read more about the reconstruction, the new mission, and the grand opening of the American Legion Post 43 clubhouse.

Anna Bonaparte was 4 years old when her father James Wilkie died on board the USS Tampa on Sept. 26, 1918. Though she didn’t have many memories of her father, she constantly spoke about him and his service in the Coast Guard, said her son Wallace Bonaparte. Next month, Bonaparte, a former Army captain, will travel from his home in Charleston, S.C., to Washington to receive a Purple Heart in honor of his grandfather, as part of an initiative to recognize the 115 service members who died more than 100 years ago on board the ship. Anna Bonaparte died in 2012, and Wallace can only imagine how proud she would have been to see her father receive a medal for his service. Click here to read more about the upcoming Coast Guard ceremony, and the Coast Guardsmen who will receive their long past-due Purple Heart medals.

A soldier from Torrington, CT who died in WWI will be honored this summer by a local high school student as part of the Connecticut State Library’s “Digging Into History“ project. Lucas Rodriguez, 16 (left), will join a group of other teenagers from the state who will travel to France where certain American soldiers faced the German army for the first time. The group will volunteer in the village of Seicheprey where the troops dug trenches into the forest soil in April 1918 as a measure of protection. As part of the history project, Rodriguez is researching the military history of John Ryan, of Torrington, with the help of the Torrington Historical Society. Click here to read more about the Connecticut State Library project, and how Rodriguez's interest in WWI was kindled by stories he heard from his family about their military service.

The University of Virginia was in the national spotlight this month for becoming the National Champions of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. We are thrilled for them -- and we were also thrilled to find out that they have a special World War I-related project underway at their campus! As part of collaborative project called “ReSounding the Archives” between UVA, Virginia Tech and George Mason University, students from each school researched and analyzed World War I songs from UVA’s archives, and George Mason students recorded studio versions. Click here to read more about how this remarkable World War I musical project has become a resounding success.

In April 5th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 117, author Alan Axelrod joined the show to speak at length about George Creel, the publisher of the government's Official Bulletin and one of the most powerful war-time Americans. Axelrod is the author of more than 150 books,  and one of those books that Alan wrote is called Selling the Great War: The Making of American Propaganda. It's the bio of George Creel. Podcast host Theo Mayer and Axelrod had such an interesting conversation that it had to be broken out into two parts. Click here to read the transcript of part one of the discussion of George Creel, the man who sold America on World War I.

In March 29th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 116, host Theo Mayer told the story of the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean; a tremendous feat made possible by innovations in the flight technology that resulted from The War That Changed the World. On June 15, 1919, John Alcock and Arthur Brown (seen at left, taking mail in Canada for delivery to the UK) flew into history and a nice payday as they successfully crossed the Atlantic non-stop in spite of fog and ice. Click here to read the entire transcript of the discussion of how the aftermath of World War I had profound effects on technology and new technology-driven industries like aerospace.

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 #118
Highlights: American Music in WWI

Host - Theo Mayer

100 Years Ago This Week - Host | @ 02:10
Peace Treaty Draft Goes To Print - Mike Shuster | @ 09:05
George Creel: Selling The War, Part 2 - Alan Axelrod | @ 12:55
War Memoirs from WWI: Florence Farmborough - Dr. Edward Lengel | @ 24:20
“Hello Girls” Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019 - Senator Jon Tester | @ 30:00
New Website: American Music In WWI - Joshua Villanueva | @ 36:05
Featured from the Dispatch - Host | @ 44:55

History Between Humor and Tragedy: Musings on Robert Graves' Memoir, Goodbye to All That

By David James

For Afghanistan veteran and writer, David James, there is something profoundly important to remember about the tragedy WWI, though sometimes the easiest way to deal with tragedy, if not by outrage, stoicism, or escapism, involves a disarming sense of humor and irreverence.

James brings up these four issues in his post by focusing on Robert Graves’ memoirs Goodbye to All That, which traces Graves' early life in England, his participation in the trenches of WWI, and his post-war experiences.

Read History Between Humor and Tragedy: Musings on Robert Graves' Memoir, Goodbye to All That at WWrite this week!

"It's the Flu!" American war worker uses dark humor to describe reactions to the deadliest pandemic in human history.

An estimated 1/3 of all humans worldwide were infected with Spanish influenza in the 1918-1919 pandemic.

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's Doughboy MIA this week is Private Zibbia Wilson. Sometimes also spelled Zibba or Zibbia, Wilson was born 15 April 1895 at Mill Springs, Floyd County, North Carolina, the son of Thomas and Doris Wilson. At the time he was drafted, he was a farmer, working on one of two farms his family worked. Tall and slender, with blue eyes and black hair, on his draft card he initially tried to claim exemption due to nervous indigestion. Nonetheless, he was inducted and sent to Company E, 120^th Infantry Regiment, 30^th Division, sailing for France on 12 May 1918 from Boston, Massachusetts. The circumstances behind Private Wilson’s MIA status are unclear, but one report has him dying of disease while another has him killed in action. Nothing else is known at this time.

Want to help us shed some light on Pvt. Wilson’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.

Pershing Sponsors

The architect for the national World War I Memorial in Washington DC told an audience at the University of Arkansas last week that the elation of winning a design competition for a national World War I memorial at age 25 turned at times to cynicism as unexpected obstacles emerged in the months after his design was selected. Click here to read more about the trials that followed the January 2016 design competition win for Weishaar, and how the challenges helped shape the final design in unanticipated ways.

The upcoming Navy Fleet Week New York 2019 starts Thursday, May 22nd, and this year, the event will have a theme of ‘Remembering America’s World War I Veterans’. As Fleet Week approaches, the United States World War I Centennial Commission will host a commemorative event on May 2nd at historic Cypress Hills National Cemetery. There, we will take a moment to remember some heroes, who remain New Yorkers forever. Click here to read more about these New York Home Town Heroes of WWI, and the pre-Fleet Week ceremony to honor them.

This past year, the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project has made special effort to collect and preserve the stories of World War I - and they have found remarkable success in the form of donated WWI diaries, journals, and letters home. This effort was so successful, that they have further expanded their materials acceptance policy. In a partnership with our friends at Gold Star Families, the VHP will now also collect, preserve, and make available, the important stories of America’s Gold Star veteran family members. Click here to read more about these changes and expansions to the Veterans History Project.

Pelham, NY mobilized during WWI to defend the home front and to support the many young men who fought the war in Europe. Part of that mobilization was to provide monetary support to a national campaign to raise $35,000,000 for the Y.M.C.A.'s National War Work Council that funded efforts to provide comfort and support to American troops, Allied troops, and prisoners of war. Recently, a Pelhamite discovered an unused pledge card, issued by the local Pelham Committee in late 1917 to raise money locally for the National War Work Council, inside the walls of her home. Click here to read more about this remarkable artifact, and see pictures of the unexpected find from a century ago.

During the course of World War I, the entire nation of France was affected by the arrival of the two million American men and women serving with the American Expeditionary Force. One place where the memories remain alive is in the Yonne Valley, to the northeast of Paris. Named after the river Yonne, it is one of the eight constituent departments of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and was the site of the AEF's 16th Training Region. The Doughboys who trained there are well remembered. We were very lucky to speak to one of the leaders of the historical efforts in the region, Lucie Aubert. In addition to their various commemorative efforts, Lucie and her friends have created a website that tells the story of every single one of the 175 American service members who lost their lives in the Yonne, one hundred years ago. Click here to read the entire interview with Lucie, and learn more about the local efforts to honor the Doughboys who helped to save France 100 years ago.

As the American Legion celebrates the centennial of its birth during World War I, the United States Mint has released images of struck examples of the three 2019 American Legion 100th Anniversary commemorative coins.  The Mint is offering Proof and Uncirculated versions of the program’s gold $5 half eagle, silver dollar and copper-nickel clad half dollar. The gold coins are being struck at the West Point Mint with the W Mint mark while the silver dollars will bear the P Mint mark of the Philadelphia Mint where they are being produced. The Proof half dollar will bear the S Mint mark of the San Francisco Mint and the Uncirculated half dollar the D Mint mark of the Denver Mint. Click here to read more from Coin World magazine about the American Legion commemorative coins from the United States Mint.

Author Gina Hooten Popp (left) says "I don’t plan a story, but rather let the story come to and through me. So when Lucky’s Way—my historical fiction novel about a young World War One fighter pilot from Houston, Texas—started to take shape in my imagination, I totally immersed myself in research about The Great War. From non-fiction books and documentaries containing historical facts and timelines to soldier’s diary entries and letters sent back home, I learned about the nuances of this fascinating era." Click here to read more about Lucky's Way, endorsed by the United States World War I Centennial Commission, and Popp's efforts to ensure historical fidelity in the novel.

The Barrier Islands Center in Machipongo, VA is hosting a temporary exhibit on loan from the Library of Virginia, “True Sons of Freedom.” To commemorate World War I, “True Sons of Freedom” uses photographs of African-American soldiers from Virginia who fought overseas to defend freedoms they were denied at home. African-Americans from all parts of the Commonwealth served in the army and navy during World War I. The soldiers highlighted in “True Sons of Freedom” came from locations across Virginia and most worked as farmers or laborers before the conflict. Click here to read more about this historical exhibit on display in the former African-American Almshouse, which now serves as the Education and Community Building.

In March 29th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 116, host Theo Mayer spoke with Ken Buckles (left), a relative of the last surviving American WWI veteran, Frank Woodruff Buckles, who died in 2011. Ken is the Executive Director of Remembering America's Heroes, an organization dedicated to the memory of the men and women who have served this country. Click here to read the entire interview, including what Ken has to say about his relationship with Frank Buckles during the last several years of his life.

In March 29th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 116, host Theo Mayer spoke with Park University's Dr. Timothy Wescott (left) and Ashlyn Weber, a history student, about their work with the Commission's Valor Medal Review Task Force. Click here to read the entire interview about Park University's efforts on behalf of the Valor Medals Review Task Force, sponsored by the United States World War I Centennial Commission.

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 #117
Highlights: George Creel, Selling the War.

Host - Theo Mayer

100 Years Ago This Week - Host | @ 02:10

The Monroe Doctrine - Host | @ 06:40

April at the Paris Peace Conference - Mike Shuster | @ 10:05

War Memoirs from WWI: “Those We Loved” I.L. Read  - Dr. Edward Lengel | @ 14:00

George Creel: Selling The War, Part 1 - Alan Axelrod | @ 19:20

The Story of Helen Hagan - Yale News & Elizabeth Foxwell | @ 34:30

The Dispatch - Host | @ 43:50

Ellen Lamotte's "The Backwash of War".

Did a Censored Female Writer Inspire Hemingway’s Famous Style?

By Cynthia Wachtell

Virtually everyone has heard of Ernest Hemingway. But you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who knows of Ellen N. La Motte.

According to Cynthia Wachtell, editor of the new edition of Lamotte's formerly-censored novel, The Backwash of War, people should. She is the extraordinary World War I nurse who wrote like Hemingway before Hemingway.

She was arguably the originator of his famous style – the first to write about World War I using spare, understated, declarative prose. Wachtell first published this article in The Conversation but was kind enough to not only let WWrite reprint but also to give some background on her inspiration for studying Lamotte and Hemingway: her grandfather, who was a conscientious objector during WWI.

At WWrite this week: "Ellen Lamotte's The Backwash of War. Did a Censored Female Writer Inspire Hemingway’s Famous Style?"

"To a Young Aviator”

is an apt memorial for American flying ace Raoul Lufbury and all the pilots of the First World War. Aline Kilmer's poem captures the cool courage of the fliers, as well as the solitary loneliness of the job

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's Doughboy MIA this week is Private First Class Henry Powell Daniels. Born in the town of Cammer, Georgia, as one of the seven children of William and Sara Daniels, Henry enlisted in the Regular US Army at Columbus Barracks, Ohio on 28 October 1916 and served with Company G of the 37^th Infantry Regiment on the Mexican border. Following the declaration of war, he was reassigned on 28 May 1917 to Company F, 28^th Infantry Regiment and sent to France with the first contingent of American troops to go over, arriving on 11 June 1917. In France, the 28^th became one of the organic regiments to form the new 1^st Division, and with them Daniels entered the lines in the Somerville Sector and saw some of the first action of the war. In December, 1917, Private Daniels was promoted to Private First Class. On 28 May 1918 – the one year of his anniversary with the regiment – the first all American offensive of the war was launched against the town of Cantigny. Two days later, on 30 May 1918, Daniels was killed in action outside of cantigny. No other details of his death are known at this time.

Want to help us shed some light on PFC Daniels’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. Remember: A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

“Doughboy”
Window Decal

An easy and inexpensive way to let the world know that you are remembering America's Doughboys 100 years later.

Featuring the iconic Doughboy silhouette flanked by barbed wire so prevalent during WWI, you can proudly display this poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by U.S. soldiers.  

A portion of the proceeds from this item will go toward building the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC.

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

Pershing Sponsors

Sculptor Sabin Howard has made an important new development on the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. Working with another world-class, high-tech, sculptural imaging team -- this one at Pangolin Editions Foundry in the UK -- Sabin has been able to create a new, smaller, highly-detailed sculptural maquette of the final WWI Memorial design that is being developed to restore and enhance DC's Pershing Park. This maquette will be part of the Centennial Commission's progress-update presentation for the next regulatory review meeting with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) in April. Click here to read the entire story and watch video of the new maquette.

As you read in last week's Dispatch, Fleet Week New York City in May will have a WWI theme. The story of America's involvement in the war is very much a NYC story. Even before the US enter the war, the horrible Black Tom explosion damaged the Statue of Liberty, and the ill-fated Lusitania departed on her last voyage from Pier 54, on the West Side. Some of the most famous units of the war were NYC units — The Rainbow Division, the Liberty Division, the Harlem HellFighters, and the Lost Battalion. As we roll toward Fleet Week NYC, we will share some stories that show the city’s close connection to the war. This first story is about the wartime mayor, John Purroy Mitchel. After failing to win re-election in 1917, he enlisted in the Army Air Service as a flying cadet. Click here to read the entire story about the second youngest person elected mayor, who was often referred to as “The Boy Mayor of New York,” and came to a tragic end in World War I.

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) on March 28 introduced H.R. 1953, the “Hello Girls” Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill that would honor over 220 American women who served as phone operators with the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I. As phone operators, these women played a pivotal role in connecting American and French forces on the front lines of battle, helping to translate and efficiently communicate strategy. H.R. 1953 would award these women, the Hello Girls as they came to be known, with the Congressional Gold Medal—the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress—for their service and subsequent sixty-year fight for veteran status and the benefits that are earned with it. Click here to read more about Congressman Cleaver's resolution, which has already attracted four co-sponsors. The measure tracks a similar bill introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

Over the years, we have met several members of our WWI community who have gotten personally involved in hands-on projects, projects that help them to really embrace our WWI history. They include trench work restorations, tabletop diorama creations, reenactor impersonations, restorations of trains/tanks/ trucks/artillery pieces/ambulances/warships, etc. We love these projects -- and we always find interesting stories behind those people who undertake them. Our latest such project is being done by our friend Jared Shank, of Ohio. Jared is an Army veteran, and he only just started working on an incredible find -- a WWI-era light artillery piece with a remarkable history. We were lucky to share some time with Jared, and to hear his story--click here to read the complete interview.

The Armistice on Nov. 11, 1918 ended fighting on the Western Front, but the war—nor its lasting effects—did not end even with the signing of the Treaty of Paris at Versailles on June 28, 1919. The "1919: Peace?" exhibit at the National World War I Museum and Memorial explores the aftermath and the legacy of the Versailles treaty signing. The exhibit opens April 2, and runs through March 1, 2020. Click here to read more about this in-depth examination of how "the war transformed the world, but left a legacy of unresolved issues and conflict."

When America entered WWI in 1917, American men between the ages of 15 and 45 were required to register for the draft. This included not only U.S. citizens, but also resident aliens who had filed a declaration of intent to become a citizen. This presented a problem since many had immigrated, in part, to escape the long military service required by many European nations, according to the National Park Service. “Registrants for the draft who claimed exemption on the ground of being aliens,” said the Daily Dispatch Nov. 18, 1918, “and there were many in this country, will now have a long time in which to ponder the advisability of their claims. Such persons are forever barred from becoming citizens of the U.S.” Click here to read more about the 500,000 immigrants from 46 nations who made the choice to serve in America’s armed forces during WWI, making up 18 percent of the troops.

Naval historians of the First World War tend to gravitate towards great battles such as Jutland and the ferociously frustrating Dardanelles campaign, but these dramatic naval and littoral actions had nothing to do with the U.S. Navy's most decisive contribution to the war: delivering the two-million-man American Expeditionary Force (AEF) to Europe. By this time one hundred years ago, what was then known as the Great War had been over for months, but many of the American Soldiers and Marines who fought its final, bloody campaigns were still coming home. Click here to read more about how the U.S. Navy put an entire American army across the Atlantic, a feat inconceivable to European leaders on all sides of the conflict before the Navy actually accomplished it, and then "brought 'em back again" in 1919.

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 #116
Highlights: Frank Buckles, The Last Doughboy!

Episode #116
Host - Theo Mayer

100 Years Ago This Week
- Host | @ 02:15

Colonial Self Determination?
- Mike Shuster | @ 11:35

Revisit Wilson’s 14 points
- Host | @ 15:50

Doris Kellogg, Mechanic, Nurse, & more
- Dr. Edward Lengel | @ 20:10

Congressional Gold Medal for Hello Girls?
- Host | @ 26:00

Valor Medal Review Task Force
- Dr. Westcott & Ashlyn Weber | @ 27:40

Frank Buckles stimulates legacy
- Ken Buckles | @ 33:45

Big Prize - TransAtlantic Flight
- Host | @ 40:50

Dispatch highlights
- Host | @ 44:00

WWI Touches Pablo Picasso

By David Allen Sullivan

While award-winning poet David Allen Sullivan visited the Paris Louvre exhibition, "Disasters of War 1800-2014," he was most struck by a painting that seemed almost irrelevant to the other artistic representations of battle carnage in the museum: A Family by the Sea by Pablo Picasso.

Sullivan, who has written poetry from the hard lens of the Iraq War in his book, "Every Seed of the Pomegranate", contemplates WWI, Picasso, and the ethics of subtlety and beauty in the face of violence. Read his poem, "WWI Touches Picasso," published for the first time on WWrite this week!

American doughboy Joyce Kilmer wrote "Rouge Bouquet" to honor the sacrifice of 19 U.S. soldiers killed by German shellfire in March of 1918.

Just months later, the poem was read over Kilmer's grave, after his death at the Second Battle of the Marne in July. You can read the poem here: listen for its echoes of "Taps."

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's Doughboy MIA this week is Private First Class Aaron O. Holt. One of nine children of Benjamin Holt, Aaron Holt was born in Waycross, Georgia in May, 1898 and enlisted at Ft. Thomas, Kentucky, on 26 March 1917. He first trained with Company C, 4^th Infantry before being transferred on 09 June 1917 to Company C, 59^th Infantry, 4^th Division. Holt arrived overseas with the 4^th Division on 03 May 1918 and, as a ‘regular army’ division, was soon in combat. That summer in the ‘Hell-hole Valley of the Vesle’, Holt was killed in action on 12 August 1918. He left behind a young widow who would follow him into death in 1925. No other details of his death are known at this time.

Want to help us shed some light on PFC Holt’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. Remember: A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

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

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