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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

“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!

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.

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^ndDivision 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.

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.

Pershing Sponsors

With the help of the historic fireboat John J. Harvey, painted in World War I “dazzle” camouflage pattern, the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission welcomed the U.S.S. New York as she led the parade of ships into New York Harbor to kick off Fleet Week New York. Click here to see striking photos from New York Harbor.

The United States World War I Centennial Commission joined Admiral Christopher W. Grady, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and other Sea Service leaders, and city officials, for a special reception to mark the start of Fleet Week New York. Among the attendees was New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, who had a chance to see the Memorial maquette. Click here to see photos from the reception, which included a performance by cast members of the “Hello Girls” Off-Broadway musical.

The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in New York was the site of two World War I events: the dedication of the Sergent Stubby sculpture, with remarks by Commission Dr. Libby O’Connell, and a visit from Sawyer the Sea Dog (left), mascot of the U.S. Navy Museum in Washington, D.C., who appeared in his own unique World War I Navy uniform, along with several WWI Navy Living History Reenactors.

The U.S World War I Centennial Commission unveiled a new memorial plaque honoring the crew of the U.S. Navy WWI heavy cruiser USS San Diego during Fleet Week. Commission Vice Chair Edwin Fountain helped unveil the plaque, and spoke at the event in Times Square. The plaque will be permanently placed in Ocean Beach, N.Y. later this summer to honors the USS San Diego, sunk by enemy action off the coast of New York’s Fire Island , and the six U.S. Navy sailors who were lost in the tragedy.

The Maryland Catholic War Veterans (CWV) and Auxiliary hosted the Maryland “Catholic War Veterans Centennial World War I Memorial Mass” this past Sunday, at Saint Casimir Church, Baltimore, Maryland. The Services honored the veterans of World War l, as well as the veterans of General Joseph Haller’s ‘Blue Army’ Volunteers of WWI. In the ceremony, the American Legion’s General Joseph Haller Post 95 was recognized on its 100 Anniversary.  Click here to read more about these services specifically to honor those forgotten heroes of World War l.

For the third — and likely final — time, the University of Kansas on Monday dedicated “The Victory Eagle” statue in honor of the Douglas County residents who lost their lives fighting in World War I. “Monuments like this ‘Victory Eagle,’ commissioned to honor those from Douglas County who answered their country’s call, makes this world history our local history,” said Lorie Vanchena, who is a KU associate professor of German Studies. “Eighteen of the 68 individuals whose names appear on the plaque were KU students and alumni. So this monument makes this world history our university history.” Click here to read more about the many flights on the Victory’ Eagle’s journey to a permanent place of honor at KU.

St. Louis’ own 138th Infantry Regiment returned from World War I with a parade through the city on May 9, 1919. Coinciding with  the first meeting on American soil of the veterans of World War I who created the American Legion, the massive celebration included the 138th’s soldiers marched through cheering mobs, via pillars erected by the city to make 12th Street a “hall of honor” for the veterans returning from the Great War. Click here to read more about the big celebration for which the 138th had paid dearly in WWI.

Around a century ago, Marian C. Billings left her family’s tobacco farm on Main Street in Hatfield, MA at the age of 37 to join the Red Cross as a canteen worker during World War I. Of the 103 people from Hatfield who enlisted to serve in “the war to end all wars,” she was the only woman. A new exhibit curated by the Hatfield Historical Society shares stories of Billings’ time nursing and feeding soldiers from 1918-1919 in France, as well as presenting stories pieced together about the town’s WWI soldiers. Click here to read more about this remarkable exhibit.

In May 17th’s edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 123, host Theo Mayer interviewed Kevin Smith and Laura Adie of the Cruiser Olympia Living History Crew. Kevin and Laura both attended Fleet Week in NYC to share World War I Naval History with visitors. Click here to read on and learn more about the work of the Living History Crew, the story of the Olympia, and more. 

In May 3rd’s edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 121, host Theo Mayer interviewed Suzan Turner and a few of her students from Nashau, Iowa. Suzan’s students produced an award-winning documentary for Who They Were, a National History Day program that encourages students to engage with World War I. The students received the Loren Horton Award for Local History, and were honored by the Governor of Iowa for having the outstanding youth project in local history in the State this year. Click here to read the transcript of an absorbing interview with some remarkable young students of World War I.

In May 10th’s edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 122, host Theo Mayer recounted the story of the first transatlantic flight. American Navy pilots flying a Curtiss NC-4 made several stops on a trip that ultimately took several weeks before landing in Lisbon, Portugal. It was harrowing journey that marked a major achievement for the Navy, the nascent aerospace industry, and the United States as a whole. Click here to read the transcript of this enthralling podcast about aviation history.

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 #124
Highlights:The Imperial Hubris of Mandates

Host – Theo Mayer

100 Years ago: The Imperial Hubris of Mandates –
Host | @ 01:55

The Fate of The Ottoman Empire –
Mike Shuster | @ 09:45

War Memoirs From WWI: “Edmund Blunden”  –
Dr. Edward Lengel | @ 13:55

Commission News: Fleet Week Update –
Host | @ 19:45

Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence –
Dr. Kate Clark-Lemay | @ 21:10

Erie County WWI Remembrance –
Mary Jane Koenig | @ 28:40

Articles & Posts: Highlights from Dispatch –
Host | @ 34:35

How to Remember Your Ancestor’s Names

By Drew Pham

When WWrite asked veteran The Wrath-Bearing Tree editor, Drew Pham to contribute a post, he composed a poem that traces his Vietnamese heritage by looking at WWI and beyond using experimental techniques with language and style.

Pham, who was sent to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division, has published fictional and non-fictional work in Time Magazine, The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, Columbia Journal, and The Brooklyn Review. Read Pham’s innovative poem “How to Remember Your Ancestor’s Names” at WWrite this week!

For many Americans who fought in the First World War, their journey on a military transport ship was highly memorable: it was the first time they’d ever left the country.

Pittsburgh native Frank L. Armstrong wrote the comic verse “Going Over”; it uses humor to cope with the disconcerting strangeness of crossing an ocean for war service.

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday’s MIA this week is PFC James G. Mason. Born 10 December 1897 in Dublin, Georgia, James Griffing Mason was the son of James D. and Cassie G. Mason, the youngest of three children. He was one of the first from Dublin to enlist in the ‘Macon Volunteers’ for Border service on 20 June, 1916 into Company B, 2^nd Georgia National Guard. Upon the unit’s return following the US declaration of war, they were sent to the newly formed Camp Gordon to be federalized in August, 1917 as Company B of the 151^st Machine Gun Battalion, 42^nd ‘Rainbow’ Division. A conscientious and popular soldier, Private Mason was soon promoted to Private First Class. The 42^ndwent to France in November, 1917 and was in the thick of it almost from the beginning, eventually seeing 264 days of combat.

It was on 29 July, 1918, that PFC Mason was killed in action near Villers Sur Fere (Sergy) during the drive from Chateau Thierry to the Vesle River. He was 20 years old. While little is known of his case at this time, there is evidence that the temporary cemetery he was buried in contained several bodies buried without markers. PFC Mason may have been one.

                There is a private memorial to him in a family cemetery at Dublin, Georgia, and a military provided marker at Detrick Cemetery at Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Want to help shed some light on PFC Mason’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. It takes only a moment and your tax deductible contribution can be as large as you want or as small as $10.00 on our ‘Ten for Them’ program. Your contribution helps us make a full accounting of all 4,423 US MIA’s from WW1 and keeps these lost men from being forgotten.  Make your tax deductible donation now, with our thanks.

Remember: A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Commemorative Doughboy Hat

Inspired by the iconic image of a U.S. Doughboy, you can wear your American pride with this Made in the USA hat. The poignant lone silhouette of a soldier in trench warfare serves as a reminder of those who sacrificed so much one century ago. The Navy hat with white Doughboy embroidery is a 100% cotton, structured with contrasting pancake visor, sweatband and taping, and pre-curved bill. The velcro closure features U.S. flag emblem. A Certificate of Authenticity as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial is included. Order your Doughboy Commemorative hat here.

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial.  Proceeds from the Official WWI Centennial Merchandise help to fund the building of the national World War One Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Pershing Sponsors