The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission is truly saddened by the loss of former President George H. W. Bush (top left). In addition to his many well-known accolades and achievements, he also served as an Honorary Commission Chair for our organization. His ties to WWI were strong. President Bush’s father, Prescott Bush (center left), served as a U.S. Army field artillery officer during the war. The war broke out while Prescott Bush was a college student at Yale University. Upon graduation, he accepted an officer's commission, and served as a field artillery captain with the Connecticut National Guard. President Bush’s grandfather, Samuel Bush (bottom left), also contributed to the war effort, as a senior government official working with wartime weapons contracts. In the spring of 1918, famous banker Bernard Baruch was asked to reorganize the War Industries Board as the U.S. prepared to enter World War I. He placed several prominent businessmen to key posts. Samuel Bush became chief of the Ordnance, Small Arms, and Ammunition Section, with national responsibility for government assistance to and relations with munitions companies.  Click here to read more about the Bush's family's World War I service to our nation. Also, click here to visit the Roll of Honor web site for more information on Prescott Bush.

We bring you this story as a repeat from March of this year. The U.S. Mint's 2018 World War I Commemorative Silver Dollar is a collectible coin that is only available for another three weeks. The coin makes a wonderful holiday present -- and it gives you the opportunity to directly participate in the creation of the new National World War I Memorial in Washington DC. A $10.00 surcharge from every coin sale will go to our Centennial Commission to help build the Memorial.  The sculptor of the WWI Centennial Coin, Don Everhart (left) is a legend in the world of numismatic design and sculpting. Don began his professional career at The Franklin Mint, where he worked as a sculptor from 1975 to 1980. From 1980 to 2004, he worked as a freelance artist, designing figurines, plates, coins, and medals for Walt Disney, Tiffany, the Royal Norwegian Mint and the British Royal Mint. He joined the U.S. Mint in 2004. There, he created designs for numerous coins and medals; his work resides in the permanent collections of The Smithsonian Institute, The British museum, and The American Numismatic Society. He retired from the U.S. Mint last year as the Lead Sculptor -- and his last coin project was our WWI Centennial Silver Dollar. Our WWI coin was special to him, so we discussed it with him, in the context of his incredible career.

When 13-year-old Matthew Haske wrote a letter to President Donald Trump about his World War One commemorative trip to France, he never thought that he would be invited to attend the ceremony for the Armistice at Suresnes with his father. He “worked and saved all of his money for two years to make this trip to France” as Trump mentioned in his speech at the ceremony. U.S. World War I Centennial Commission Intern Wanxing Niu asked Matthew about his passion for World War I and his journey to France. Click here to read Matthew's responses to her questions, including what he thought about meeting the President.

The PBS "To the Contrary" television series announced the winners of their 2018 About Women and Girls film festival, and among the awardees was The Hello Girls documentary. The "To the Contrary" film festival highlights the rights and struggles of women, girls and diverse communities. Winners in the film festival will have their films broadcast nationally on PBS in the coming year. The TV series "To the Contrary" airs on PBS stations nationwide, on Canadian television and Voice of America internationally. Click here to learn more about the award given to The Hello Girls documentary.

When World War I ended in triumph a century ago on Nov. 11, 1918, the nation's second-largest wartime port staged a jubilant downtown parade — with 50 Langley Field planes flying overhead and long columns of uniformed men marching down Washington Avenue. But just hours after the cheering and flag-waving stopped, thousands of soldiers and sailors returned to ravage the commercial district of Newport News in a spectacular outbreak of vandalism, arson and looting spurred by pent-up anger over price gouging. So wild was the two-hour-long orgy of revenge that it took a clever decoying tactic and 300 military policemen with fixed bayonets to quell the marauders. Click here to read more about underlying the causes of the spectacular riots, which created "a combustible mix waiting for a spark. And that spark came with the end of the war.”

An American Legion post in southeastern Indiana is continuing the nationwide trend of posts highlighting the link between World War I and The American Legion’s formation, by renaming itself after a Hoosier hero of that war. In the rural part of the county, Maj. Samuel Woodfill was born in 1883. He enlisted in the Army in 1901, and served in the Philippine-American War and at the Mexican border before the start of World War I. On Oct. 12, 1918, in Cunel, France – during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive – Woodfill’s actions against a German machine-gun nest, which culminated in hand-to-hand fighting, resulted in his receipt of the Medal of Honor, making him the only Hoosier to earn one during the war. Click here to read more about Major Woodfill, and the American Legion post that now bears his proud name.

Holding Onto the Silver Greyhounds' Tail

By Felicita Trueblood

In August 1918, Captain Wallace F. Hamilton was plucked from the Front to help lead the Silver Greyhounds, the first Overseas Courier Service, in Paris.

He made drawings and wrote a memoir of his experience, but these were stolen from the family's archive in 1972.

In 2008, Hamilton's daughter, Felicita Trueblood, went on an incredible quest to recover the lost items and then decided to publish the manuscript and the images.

This week at WWRite, read the post "Holding Onto the Silver Greyhounds' Tail," about Trueblood's journey to reveal both the little-known story about the courier service and the story of her father's WWI artistic life!

This week at the Behind Their Lines blog, read British medical worker Louis Golding writes of the sadness that characterized life after the Armistice in his poem "Broken Bodies." 

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's MIA this week is is Private Edward M. Beneker. The son of Henry and Catherine Beneker, Ed Beneker was a farmer born in South Gate, Indiana on September 20th, 1895. He entered the service on March 28th, 1918 and trained at Camp Taylor, Kentucky before being assigned to Company D, 115th Infantry, 29th Division at Camp McClellan, Alabama. With them he went overseas in June, 1918 and saw action that summer. Reported wounded on October 23rd, 1918, his status was later changed to killed in action, though his grave was never located. Nothing else is known of his case at this time.

Would you like to help solve Private Beneker's case? Then why not give Give 'Ten For Them' 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.

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

Pershing Sponsors

We bring you this story as a repeat from November of last year. The U.S. Mint's 2018 World War I Commemorative Silver Dollar is a collectible coin that is only available for another four weeks. The coin makes a wonderful holiday present -- and it gives you the opportunity to directly participate in the creation of the new National World War I Memorial in Washington DC. A $10.00 surcharge from every coin sale will go to our Centennial Commission to help build the Memorial. The designer of the Centennial Silver Dollar is Leroy Transfield (left). He is an experienced sculptor from New Zealand. His design was picked through an open international competition, hosted by the U.S. Mint, and this is his first coin for them. Click here to revisit our conversation with him about the coin, the inspiration, and his own personal ties to World War I.

America paused to remember World War I on the 100th anniversary of its close: At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ended. America’s entry the previous year set the course of American history and ignited passions of allegiance and heroism in the four million Americans who served and the 116, 525 men and women who sacrificed their lives. For a period of five days this month, November 8 through November 12, citizens could look into the lives and stories of diverse groups and individuals who served and supported the US military in WWI. Nine public events held in Pershing Park, Washington, D.C., site of the National World War I Memorial, saluted all military and veterans who served in WWI and the 100 years since.  Click here to read more about the A First Look special events that paid tribute to the significance of the anniversary of the Armistice.

For the Armistice Centennial, the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission hosted a number of events -- concerts, religious services, education symposia, commemorations, gatherings -- across the National Capital region, over the course of 8-12 November. The schedule represented an incredible partnership with such remarkable teammates as the Kennedy Center, the National Cathedral, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and many, many others. Called the ACE Events -- for Armistice Centennial Events -- they brought together long-term supporters of the Centennial activities over the years, with new members of our World War I community, many of whom have direct and indirect ties to people who served in the war. Click here to view galleries of photos that show the preparation and execution of some of the Commission's own ACE events.

To commemorate the centennial of the end of World War I, curators of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy art collections collaborated in a joint exhibition, “A World at War: The Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy in World War I” at the National Museum of the Marine Corps (NMMC). This collection of artwork by 42 artists depicts the experiences of Marines, Sailors, and civilians during “the war to end all wars.” Click here to read more about this collection of WWI artwork that was created by service members, some of America’s leading illustrators, and even some unknown artists.

Writing in the Fall 2018 issue of Veterans Voices magazine, World War I Centennial Commission Commissioner Dr. Matthew Naylor, who is also President and CEO of the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO, encourages modern-day Veterans to follow the example of Americans who served in WWI: write about your experiences in the service of your nation. He notes that "sharing the veteran experience empowers the serviceperson and benefits their community" while "fostering a connection between the two while also deepening the connection between society and the military." Click here to read Dr. Naylor's entire thoughtful article connecting WWI Veterans with their contemporaries in the 21st Century.

The Michigan World War I Centennial Committee hosted a special commemorative ceremony to honor a heroic native-son, and to dedicate this year's Veterans Day/Armistice Day to his memory. Our Centennial Commission was represented at the ceremony by Commissioner Debra Anderson. That native-son was Eugene I. VanAntwerp (left), former mayor of Detroit from 1948-1959, and National Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 1938-1939. Click here to read the entire story about VanAntwerp's military and industrial contributions to America's war efforts.

The Connecticut State Library has released the limited first edition republished “Connecticut Fights: The Story of the 102nd Regiment” by Capt. Daniel Strickland. This book is a remarkable account of the World War I experiences of this legendary infantry regiment. Christine Pittsley, Project Director for the Connecticut State Library's "Remembering World War One: Sharing History/Preserving Memories" shared the announcement with us. Click here to read the entire article about how this historic volume was reassembled from 70-year old printed pages to tell again the stories of the CT heroes.

In November 2nd's WW1 Centennial News Podcast, Episode 96, host Theo Mayer spoke with historian David Pietrusza about one of history's deadliest pandemics, the Spanish Flu. This virus wreaked havoc on the war-weary peoples of the world, killing an estimated 50 to 100 million. Despite its massive impact, the history of the Spanish Flu is largely forgotten or ignored in the broader discussion of WW1. Mr. Pietrusza answers questions about the origins and consequences of the Spanish Flu, and why so little attention is paid to it. Click here to read a transcript of the entire absorbing interview,

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 #99
Thanksgiving Special

Host: Theo Mayer

What are we thankful for on this Thanksgiving? | @ 00:25

How to help build the National WWI Memorial in Washington DC | @ 02:45

Memorial Sculptor Sabin Howard on the sculpture design | @ 06:55

President Wilson’s 1918 Thanksgiving Proclamation | @ 10:50

Commission Executive Director Dan Dayton | @ 15:55

Commission Chairman Terry Hamby | @ 17:25

Accidental Tourism and War Memorials

By Eric Chandler

As a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, writer Eric Chandler discusses the voyage he's taken (mostly on foot!) to grasp the lasting impact of WWI.

In this week's WWrite post, "Accidental Tourism and War Memorials," Chandler, author of Hugging This Rock, Outside Duluth, and Down In It, brings us along with him as he jogs through major American and Canadian cities searching for traces of WWI amidst other war memorials.

Read this compelling post about Chandler's awakening to the presence of World War I history in our daily lives at WWrite this week!

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's MIA this week is Private Melvin Tinsley. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on 21 March, 1895, Melvin Darden Tinsley joined the United States Marine Corps on June 26th, 1917 and took his training at Parris Island, South Carolina. Assigned to the 48th Company/6th Marines/2nd Division, Private Tinsley arrived overseas on November 20th, 1917. He served in the Toul Sector, the Aisne Defensive, at Chateau Thierry, and finally during the Aisne-Marne Offensive, where he was severely wounded in action on July 19th, 1918 at Soissons. He died later that day of his wounds. Nothing else is known of his case at this time.

Would you like to help us solve Private Tinsley’s case? Can you spare ten dollars? Why not give 'Ten For Them' 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.

“Nothing Stops These Men” Key Tag

Still one of the favorite WWI Centennial Commemoration items, this handsome key tag is a great addition to your keys! Inspired by an original World War One poster, this key tag features the dramatic image of a bayonet advance on the enemy, with the United States flag in the upper corner.

A functional way to show your patriotism, this 1-1/4” long, custom key tag has a bright gold finish, with color-fill, and is offered exclusively through the World War One Centennial Commission.

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

Pershing Sponsors

It was the day of commemoration that we had all looked forward to -- the Centennial of the Armistice. People filled Washington National Cathedral on Sunday 11 November, to honor Americans' sacrifices in World War I. In a sacred service that recalled the thousands of lives lost and the joy that followed news of the armistice, members of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission and other officials paid tribute to a generation largely forgotten in the wake of later conflicts. At 11 a.m. – exactly 100 years after hostilities ceased, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month -- the crowd fell silent and the cathedral's bourdon bell tolled 21 times. Click here to read more about the sacred service, and other Commission activities in Washington, DC on November 11.

From Washington, DC, to Honolulu, HI, and everywhere in between, plus U.S. military facilities worldwide, and aboard ships at sea, Bells of Peace tolled on Sunday, November 11, in solemn remembrance of the nation’s sacrifices in World War I, and in honor of all veterans. Participating organizations and individuals numbered in the tens of thousands. Over 23,000 people downloaded the Bells of Peace Smartphone App. Among those who tolled bells were veterans’ organizations, houses of worship, veterans’ cemeteries, patriotic and civic associations, universities, national and state parks, museums, senior living homes, and even restaurants. The World War I Centennial Commission received proclamations from the states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia in support of Bells of Peace. Nationwide, 120 cities, counties, and towns also issued proclamations. Click here to read more about how Bells of Peace tolled across the nation and around the world.

Sunday, 11 November, was a day of remembrance around the world, for those who served and were lost during World War I. Among those who helped to mark the occasion were various teams from the National Football League. You see, Sunday 11 November was also NFL Gameday -- which served as a great public platform to tell the story of our veterans. In Chicago, the Bears football team had special reason to mark the day, as the team's original founder and owner, George Halas (left), served in the Navy during World War I. Click here to read more about how the Bears and other NFL teams helped mark the centennial of the Armistice in stadiums across the nation.

The East Coast Doughboys and the Long Island Living History Association were out in force November 11 to participate in the 2018 NYC Veterans Day Parade. The parade, produced every year by the United War Veterans Council, took on an important World War I theme, as it fell on the day of the Armistice Centennial. Some 110 living history reenactors mustered for the parade -- to include people portraying Americans and Allies, soldiers, generals, nurses, and even WWI-era civilians. They brought with them a variety of gear, to include cars, trucks, and bicycles. Click here to read more about Doughboys on parade in NYC, and see spectacular photos of the participants.

Robert Laplander, Founder and Director of the Doughboy MIA project of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, and author of Finding the Lost Battalion, was an honored guest of the family of MIA Doughboy Eugene Michael McGrath on November 11 in Wisconsin, to help unveil a plaque honoring the soldier at his place of birth.  Laplander's 15 years of research to determine McGrath's fate was the genesis of the Doughboy MIA effort, but his efforts had a powerful effect on McGrath's family as well. Click here to read more about how the search for a missing Doughboy helped a family find itself again.

U.S. Army Pvt. Michael Walsh's family had waited over 100 years for this moment: the opportunity to honor their fallen hero. Walsh, an immigrant from Ireland, served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France through some of the bloodiest fighting of World War I. He would be one of the last men in his company killed during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in the fall of 1918 in which more than 26,000 Americans died. After Walsh's death, his family was never told details about what happened to him during the war, and they were never given the medals that Walsh so rightfully earned. Thanks to the World War I Centennial Commission's partner Purple Hearts Reunited, Walsh's nieces and nephews -- some now third generation -- received his Purple Heart award in Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin last week.  Click here to read more about the long-delayed delivery of the medal to Walsh's family, another successful chapter in the mission of Purple Hearts Reunited.

The 'real' Armistice agreement with Germany, signed on Monday 11 November 1918, finally ended the First World War with a cease-fire starting at 11 o’clock that morning. It was the last of the September-November 1918 armistices between the belligerents, and was celebrated with enormous joy and relief in the Allied countries. But four days earlier, on Thursday 7 November, false news of an armistice agreement had provoked similar rejoicing by millions of people across the world. Celebrated in France, Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, and probably elsewhere, this was the so-called False Armistice. Click here to read more about how misunderstanding created premature relief for warring nations. And see the Podcast article below for more information on the False Armistice.

From November 11th's WW1 Centennial News Podcast, Episode 97: Theo Mayer takes us through the dramatic events of the week leading up to November 11th, 1918. With her allies already out of the war, Germany's government begins to break down. Negotiations between the Allies and Germany continue for several days. Finally, on the 11th, the War That Changed the World ceases and the Allied nations celebrate. Click here to read a complete transcript of this podcast.

Few documents in history can match the significance of the Armistice, the agreement that officially ended the Great War on Allied terms. Clearly, the Armistice represented a massive blow to German prestige, and together with the Treaty of Versailles, exacted a heavy punishment on a broken nation. Sadly, the peace that began with the signing of the Armistice would be shattered just two decades later. Click here to hear the entire Armistice, as read by host Theo Mayer in Episode 97 of the World War 1 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 #98
Special:
Sacred Service

This special episode brings you the inspiring sound of World War I Armistice Day Sacred Service, a multi-denominational service honoring the Centennial of the WWI Armistice, from the WWI Centennial Commission in partnership with Washington National Cathedral.

Download the Sacred Service program (a keepsake in its own right) at this link.

A Story of Regeneration - Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River"

According to writer Brandon Caro, Ernest Hemingway's "Two Big-Hearted River," tells the tale of WWI soldier who comes home and seeks to regenerate his soul after the prolonged trauma of combat through the story of a fishing trip.

In this week's WWrite post, Caro, who is the author of the novel, Old Silk Road, and has published in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and  Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art,talks about the ways this story resonates with his own experience as a veteran of Afghanistan. 

Read Brandon Caro's compelling post,  "A Story of Regeneration - Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River" at WWrite this week!

Remembrance Day, 1921

Across time and national boundaries, veterans have often returned from war only to face economic hardships that seem to minimize their sacrifices.  "Remembrance Day, 1921" poignantly gives voice to dead soldiers who sympathize with their comrades who have survived war.  .

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's MIA this week is Private Lorton Register. Born in Gilmer County, Georgia, Lorton Webster Register entered the Regular Army at Ft. Thomas, Kentucky, on April 15th, 1917. Attached to the 18th Infantry/1st Division, he was among the first troops to set foot in France. He was killed in action on the night of March 1st, 1918, while at a listening post ahead of the lines. Nothing else is currently known about this case.

Would you like to help us solve Private Register’s case? Can you spare ten dollars? Then why not give 'Ten For Them' 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.

"Lest We Forget: The Great War" is brand new way for you to help build America’s WWI Memorial, in Washington DC. At the same time, you get to enjoy a very special, colorful, inspiring and lasting souvenir of the centennial!

The book features nearly 350 high-quality images, an introduction by Sir Hew Strachan and text by historian Michael W. Robbins. The project is dedicated to the Centennial and produced by The Pritzker Military Museum and Library along with the WW1 Centennial Commission.

Importantly, when you get this visual remembrance of the "War that Changed The World"  - a full ½ of the proceeds go to building the Memorial!

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

Pershing Sponsors

The nation tolled its bells on November 11 in honor of the service and sacrifice of its World War I veterans, and all who have served in its Armed Forces. The Washington National Cathedral led the national bell tolling with 21 somber, muffled tolls.  Also in Washington, D.C., the Netherlands Carillon near Arlington Cemetery, the Old Post Office bell on Pennsylvania Avenue, and the Robert Taft Carillon on the U.S. Capitol participated in the toll. Military installations everywhere paused to toll bells at the direction of the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and the Commandant of the Coast Guard. Click here to read more about how the Bells of Peace project rang out across the nation and around the world.

In honor of the centennial of the World War I armistice on November 11, NYC Parks’ Citywide Monuments Conservation Program (CMCP) staff joined forces with park partners this fall to refurbish and care for several monuments, including Father Duffy in Times Square, the Pleasant Plains Memorial on Staten Island, the Abingdon Square Doughboy in Greenwich Village, and the Carroll Park monument in Brooklyn. With 103 memorials of all shapes and sizes erected in the aftermath of World War I, Parks has one of the most prevalent collections of memorials to this important moment in history. Memorials can be found across the city, with 21 in Brooklyn, 18 in the Bronx, 23 in Manhattan, 12 on Staten Island, and 29 in Queens. Click here to read more about the NYC WWI memorials, and the restoration work that has been done to preserve them.

One hundred years ago on November 11, the First World War mercifully drew to a close. Across a devastated Western Front, British Tommies and French Poilus emerged from the trenches as their German adversaries capitulated. What few remember is that over two million American Doughboys stood in the Allied lines when the guns finally fell silent on November 11, 1918, after four years of slaughter that claimed 18 million lives. Daniel J. Samet, a foreign affairs researcher based in Washington, D.C., writes that if our nation forgets the events of World War One, "we also overlook one of its key consequences: the rescue of democracy around the world." Click here to read this thoughtful essay on the key legacy of World War I.

To mark the Armistice Centennial, the World War I Centennial Commission's commemorative partners, American Heritage magazine, have a new special issue that is all about World War I. There’s some important writing here, including an essay that Herbert Hoover wrote in 1958 about his experiences as an aide to Wilson at the peace talks after World War I. This important first-person narrative candidly details the difficulties that Wilson faced in what Hoover called “the greatest drama of intellectual leadership in all history.” Click here to read more about the important contents of the special issue of American Heritage Magazine.

The Virginia War Museum will be running a temporary exhibit "Flags of War: Virginia’s First World War Regimental Colors" until November 18, 2018. The temporary exhibit will feature the regimental flags of Virginia’s units that served overseas in the 42nd, 29th and 80th Divisions as well as African American Engineer Battalions and Coast Artillery units. This is the first time ever that all of the flags have been displayed for public viewing. Click here to read more about this once in a lifetime opportunity to view these sacred artifacts of Virginia’s role in the Great War.

The nation of Italy commemorated the 100th anniversary of the end of the war, this week. In official ceremonies in Rome and in Trieste, Italy's president Sergio Mattaella recalled Europe’s history, and urged young people to remember the conflict's lessons while striving for peaceful coexistence. “To celebrate together the end of the war and to jointly honor the fallen — all the fallen — signifies to reiterate with force, all together, that over the path of war, we prefer to develop friendship and collaboration,” he said at a ceremony in Trieste, a port city not far from some of the deadliest battles between Italian soldiers and troops of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. Click here to read more about these events, part of a week of observances for the centenary of Armistice Day in Italy.

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 97
Highlights: The Run-up to the Armistice

100 Years Ago… The Run-up to the Armistice - Host | @02:10

Was America crucial to winning the war? - Prof. Geoffrey Wawro | @09:10

A reading of the Armistice - Host | @18:50

The 369th Experience - performance | @39:05

Veterans Day/Armistice Day Centennial Day WWrite Interview with Pulitzer Prize Winner Robert Olen Butler on the Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thriller Series and the Importance of WWI.

For Veterans Day and the Armistice Day Centennial, WWrite has had the honor to speak with Robert Olen Butler. Butler, who has been called the “best American living writer.” Butler won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 1993 and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature in 2013. A Vietnam veteran and a former reporter, Butler unites war and journalism in his Christopher Marlowe Cobb espionage thriller series. Four books trace the journey of American spy, Kit Cobb, as he navigates his way through the most important aspects of the WWI-era. The Hot Country(2012), The Star of Istanbul (2013), The Empire of the Night (2014), and Paris in the Dark (2018), take the characters and plot through the Mexican Civil War, the sinking of the Lusitania, the use of Zeppelins, and trench warfare. Butler is best known for his literary fiction, but in this interview, he explains the equally-intricate, equally-literary process of writing spy novels against the historical tectonic shifts of 1914-1918, a time, he says, closely resembles our present era. 

Listen to the fascinating interview at WWrite here today!

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's MIA this week is Sergeant Richard Parks. Born in Gilmer County, Georgia, Sergeant Parks enlisted on September 11th, 1916 at Columbus Barracks, Ohio, and served on the Mexican Border before going overseas with Company L/9th Infantry Regiment/2nd Division. Sergeant Parks served through the battle at Belleau Wood, but was hit during the attack at Soissons by a high explosive shell on July 18th, 1918. He later died of his wounds. Nothing else is known of his case at this time.

Would you like to help us solve Sergeant Parks’ case? Can you spare just ten dollars? Why not give 'Ten For Them' 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.

Honoring the Doughboys Book

The Great War may have ended 100 years ago, but the ways in which it influences and affects the generations today are diverse and fascinating. Upon receiving the diary of his grandfather, a World War I veteran, writer and photographer Jeffrey Lowdermilk was inspired to honor the memory of George A. Carlson by traversing the same journey he took across Europe, reliving the experiences by visiting the towns, battlefields, and landscapes described in the diary. He has since published a book, Honoring The Doughboys: Following My Grandfather’s WWI Diary, describing his journey,  with contemporary photographs of the places he visited as well as diary excerpts. In addition, Mr. Lowdermilk has donated several copies of Honoring the Doughboys to be sold as Official Centennial Merchandise to benefit the Centennial Commission’s Memorial Fund.

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

Pershing Sponsors