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January 29, 2019
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Revamping Pershing Park: Giving World War I Remembrance Its Due
Senators Tester, Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Honor “Hello Girls”
U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) are honoring the groundbreaking service of the women who connected American and French forces on the front lines of World War I. The Senators introduced the bipartisan Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Actto award the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, dubbed the “Hello Girls,” with the Congressional Gold Medal for their service and subsequent 60 year fight to be recognized as veterans. The Hello Girls were recruited after male infantrymen struggled to connect calls quickly or communicate with their French counterparts. Despite their outstanding service and the military oath they took, the Hello Girls were denied veteran status and benefits when they returned home. It wasn’t until 1977, 60 years after the first Hello Girls took the Army oath, that Congress passed legislation to retroactively acknowledge the military service of the women in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Click here to read more about this new legislative initiative to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the “Hello Girls” that will “honor their service as well as their fight for recognition.”
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The American Legion magazine’s February 2019 issue will carry a full-page article detailing the Legion’s support for the United States World War I Centennial Commission-sponsored Valor Medals Review Task Force. This is the first systematic review of World War I veterans who may have been denied a Medal of Honor due to racial or ethnic discrimination. The Valor Medals Review Task Force is starting with the records of approximately 70 African-American soldiers — in particular, those worthy of the nation’s highest military award who may have been downgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross or received a French Croix de Guerre with palm. Click here to read more about the Valor Medals Review Task Force, and the Legion’s full support for its efforts.
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Warner Bros. Pictures is widening the front for Peter Jackson’s widely acclaimed World War I documentary, “They Shall Not Grow Old.” The studio will expand the release of the film to 500 theaters across 150 markets throughout the U.S. and Canada, beginning on Friday, February 1, 2019, with special pre-shows the evening before. The Warner Bros. release comes following the film’s hugely successful Fathom Events dates, which yielded record-setting results. “They Shall Not Grow Old” took in $8.34 million, making it the highest-grossing U.S. Cinema Event release ever. Click here to read more about the broad release of this epic World War I documentary, including how to buy tickets.
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From the World War I Centennial News Podcast
A Century in the Making: An Interview with National WWI Memorial creative team Joe Weishaar and Sabin Howard
Remembering Veterans: Erin Fehr
On January 11th’s edition of the WWI Centennial News Podcast, Episode 105, archivist Erin Fehr of the Sequoyah National Research Center (SNRC) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, spoke with host Theo Mayer about the new “American Indians in World War I” section of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission web site. The encyclopedic web site commemorates the service of American Indians in the Great War. Click here to read a transcript of the entire interview.
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Episode #107
Highlights: New Nations, New World.
Host: Theo Mayer
- The News 100 Year Ago in the Official Bulletin – Host | @02:05
- Tempestuous Voyage Home – Dr. Edward Lengel | @15:55
- A Seat At The Table: Yugoslavia – Host | @19:25
- Communist Revolution in Germany – Mike Shuster | @22:40
- First into German: Sgt. Roy Holtz – Host | @26:40(Courtesy of Robert Laplander)
- The Next Step for the Sculpture – Sabin Howard | @34:10
- National History Day WWI Education – Cathy Gorn | @41:45
- Speaking WWI: Cup ‘O Joe – Host | @49:45
- Hello Girls Musical Cast Album – Host | @51:35
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The Extra
The double suicide of American twin sisters Dorothea & Gladys Cromwell occurred Jan 19,1919. Their deaths provoked widespread public debate concerning the mental effects of war work on women volunteers. Read about Gladys Cromwell’s poem “The Extra”
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The US Mint stopped selling the World War I Commemorative Coin on December 27, but you can still purchase the limited edition silver dollar in combination with our specially-designed display stand, personalized with information about your WWI ancestor, from the Centennial Official Merchandise store. This package makes a great collectible gift for family members and descendants of those who served in World War I. Personalization can include: rank, full name, enlisted date, deceased date, unit/decorations, battles, cemetery, etc. If you already purchased the Commemorative Coin from the US Mint, you can order just the personalized display. Both the combo set and display alone are available at here. Supplies are limited. And remember: proceeds from the sale of this item go towards funding the building of the National World War One Memorial in Washington DC.
This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial.
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Submitted by: Linda Gagen {niece}
Dalton Ranlet was born around 1900. Dalton Ranlet served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1917.
Story of Service
My uncle, Dalton Ranlet, lied about his age to enlist in the 11th Engineers (Railway), which was one of the first regiments to go to France. In November 1917 he died in the Battle of Gouzeaucourt, which was the first time an American unit fought as a unit in World War I. His body was lost in the rubble and not recovered until 1955. He was then buried in the Somme Cemetery, without notifying the family.
My mother was born three years after Dalton’s death and grew up hearing stories of her brother’s service and death. In 2012, I learned that he was buried in France while researching family history. That discovery began a long process of searching for records both in the United States and France to learn more about Dalton.
Over time I met the citizens and officials for Gouzeaucourt, who expressed an interest in creating a memorial to the 11th Engineers. With the help of my friend Leo, we located the 11th Engineer Battalion Association, who gladly funded the construction of a memorial.
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Royal Canadian Legion, US Branch #25 