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Highlights - Draftees Ship Out Update on the Spring Offensive - Mike Shuster | @02:25 America Emerges: The Draftees Ship Out - Edward Lengel | @06:20 Don’t send the boys “Dainties” by parcel post! | @11:40 Remembering Veterans: The Women’s Overseas Service League - Cathleen Cordova | @16:45 Updates from the States: Idaho Commission - K.C.Piccard and Frank Krone | @21:55 Spotlight in the Media: Sgt. Stubby Premiere | @27:35 100C/100M: Glen Carbon IL - Linda Sinco | @32:45 100C/100M: Appleton, WI - Alexander Schultz | @38:35 Speaking WW1: Tommy | @44:45 WW1 War Tech: The Little Curie | @46:20 The Dispatch Newsletter | @48:05 The Buzz - The Centennial in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @49:25----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #65 - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is March 30th, 2018 and our guests for this week include: Mike Shuster, from the great war project checking in on the progress of the German Spring Offensive - Operation Michael Dr. Edward Lengel with a story of New York City’s Doughboys as they set sail for Europe Cathleen Cordova shares the history of the Women’s Overseas Service League K.C.Piccard and Frank Krone are here to tell us about the Idaho WW1 Centennial Commission Linda Sinco shares the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project at Glen Carbon, Illinois Alexander Schultz with the 100 Cities/100 memorials project in Appleton, Wisconsin Katherine Akey with the WW1 commemoration in social media   And that is our lineup of guest for WW1 Centennial News -- a weekly podcast brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Starr foundation. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show. [MUSIC] Preface 100 years ago this week, the fate and future, that would be determined by WWI hangs somewhat by a thread. In this episode, we want to give you a sense of what was happening on the ground in Europe, explore the push to get our troops across the Atlantic, and see how the war effort is affecting life and policy here stateside… A year after entering the fray - America is definitely in the thick of it! With that as a setup, let’s jump into our Centennial Time Machine and roll back 100 years to - to witness a crucial moment,  in the War that Changed the World! World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week Great War Project We are going to open our look back 100 years ago this week, with Mike Shuster former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project Blog…. Mike: Your post is a powerful update on the front line action, this last week of May, 1918. The Allies are trying desperately to cope with Germany’s “total commitment” onslaught - By the week’s-end it turns out that maybe the Kaiser’s claim of total victory, last week,  may have been a bit premature. It’s not over yet. Looking forward to your report, Mike… Thank you Theo - This week the headline read…. [MIKE POST] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/03/25/in-german-spring-offensive-crisis-on-both-sides/ America Emerges: Military Stories from WW1 We are going to follow with America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI with Dr. Edward Lengel. Ed:  As Mike just told us… getting our boys shipped out and on the ground in France is crucial… and your story this week focused on what that was like state -side… Many troops and individual soldiers that would play important roles in the upcoming battles are heading “over there”. What’s the story Ed: [ED LENGEL] [MUSIC TRANSITION] Dr. Edward Lengel is an American military historian, author, and our segment host for America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI. There are links in the podcast notes to Ed’s post.   Links:http://www.edwardlengel.com/one-hundred-years-ago-new-york-city-bids-farewell-doughboys/ https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ On the Homefront [SOUND EFFECT] On the homefront, there are a number of articles this week reflecting our conversation from Last week, with the Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s Lynn Heidelbaugh, about the massive amount of mail going out to the troops - especially parcel post - so much so - that the War department begins the week by expressing concern, and ends the week by listing a whole stack of items banned from being sent to our boys “Over There”. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Monday March 25, 1918 A Headline in the Official Bulletin Reads Parcel Post to France Being Crowded With the Dainties Purchasable There at Prices Lower Than the Cost Here And the story reads: What are you sending by parcel post to the boys in France? asks the department. If it is cookies, candies, or canned goods, bear in mind that the soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces can purchase these things at the Y. M. C. A. recreation centers, or canteens in France, as cheaply as they can be had here. And the article goes on the make an economic argument not to send these items. Two days later [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Wednesday March 27, 1918 A Headline in the Official Bulletin Reads SHIPMENTS OF PARCELS TO SOLDIERS IN FRANCE TO BE LIMITED TO THOSE REQUESTED BY MEN The article goes on to explain: the postmasters throughout the country are instructed to receive no parcel-post shipments for delivery to members of the American Expeditionary Forces abroad unless the articles offered have been requested by the individual to whom they are to be shipped and approved by his regimental or higher commander. In the same issue another headline reads Prices at Which Our Soldiers in France May Purchase Those .Little Dainties You Are Sending Them by Mail And once again, the article details the price of razors, cigarettes, even malted milk balls. Although seemingly redundant - anyone interested in a great primary source on prices of basic item in 1918 - this article is a treaure trove of detail. You can access each issue of the Official Bulletin on the Commission’s website at ww1cc.org/bulletin - each issue is re-published on the centennial anniversary of its original publish date. This article is on Page 7 of the wednesday March 27th issue. The week continues with more cajoling about not sending our boys loving care packages from home, AND by the end of the week - the War Department gets unambiguous and definitive! Dateline: Saturday, March 30, 1918 A Headline in the Official Bulletin on Page 7 reads WAR DEPARTMENT STATEMENT ON SHIPMENT OF POST PARCELS TO U. S. SOLDIERS IN FRANCE The War Department has issued the following statement regarding the restrictions of the shipment of parcels to officers and soldiers in France. On account of the well-known shortage in shipping it is necessary' to limit shipments to France to things which are absolutely essential for the fighting efficiency of our forces in France. In other words, we must strip for action. It his been found that the shipments of parcels to individual officers and soldiers has assumed enormous proportions now averaging 250 tons a week, and by reason of their bulkiness displacing a great amount of important Army freight on commercial liners and transports. And that’s the end of Aunt Ethel's home-made cookies and Momma’s canned peaches for our doughboys in France 100 years ago this week in the war that changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel As we have mentioned before, we are very happy that you listen to our audio podcast, but If you’d like to see videos about WWI 100 years ago this week,  we suggest our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube, Hosted by Indy Neidell. New videos this week include: Conscientious Objectors -- Water -- Wastage German WW1 Prototype Tanks of 1918 Backs to the Wall -- All Eyes on Amiens See their videos by searching for “the great war” on youtube or following the link in the podcast notes! Link:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW It is time to fast forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - [SOUND EFFECT] This part of the podcast isn’t about the past - it is about NOW and how we are commemorating the centennial of WWI! Remembering Veterans Women's Overseas Service League This week for remembering veterans and for our last article focused on Women’s History Month we want to introduce you to the Women’s Overseas Service League.  As the name implies, the League was founded by American women who had served overseas during World War One. With us to help us understand the WOSL, their heritage, mission and constituency we are joined by Cathleen Cordova, the Past National President of the WOSL. Welcome Cathleen. [greetings] [Cathleen -- the Women’s Overseas Service League was formed in 1921, just after the war -- What prompted the formation? Who was it for?] [Would I consider the Women’s Overseas Service League a Veterans Service Organization? How does it differ?] [The league’s focus and mission has evolved over the years? What is the continuing legacy of WWI in within the League?] [Does the League have any specific WWI Centennial commemoration - or any heritage focused programs?] [goodbyes] Cathleen Cordova is the Past National President of the Women’s Overseas Service League. Learn more about the organization and their legacy of friendship and advocacy by following the links in the podcast notes. Link: http://wosl.org/history/ http://wosl.org/ Updates from the States Idaho Commission It’s time for our Updates from the States. This week we’re joined by K.C. Piccard, Commissioner for the Idaho World War 1 Centennial Commission, and Frank Krone, the commission’s co-founder. Welcome! [greetings] [Frank --  I don’t know very much about the Idaho Centennial Commission? Would you tell us about it - and how did it get started?] [K.C.--On the Podcast in February, we told our listeners quite a bit about the sinking of the Tuscania --  You and your Commission got deeply involved with a connected commemoration called Hands Across the Atlantic Project. Can you tell us about it? [Frank - any other plans or programs from Idaho you’d like to tell us about?] [goodbyes/thanks] K.C. Piccard and Franke Krone are with the Idaho World War 1 Centennial Commission. Learn more about the commission and their projects by visiting their website at the links in the podcast notes. links:http://idahoworldwar1centennial.org/ Spotlight in the Media Sgt Stubby Premiere: Follow up Earlier this week, here in Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of joining US WWI Centennial Commissioner Zoe Dunning, and the California WW1 Centennial commission Courtland Jindra and Bill Betten at the premiere of the Animated Feature film - Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero. I have been following the development of this movie for a long time, and of course we have had the film’s producer, writer, and director Richard Lanni and Associate producer Jordan Beck on the podcast over the past months, so I was really ready to see the actual the Sgt. Stubby movie. I loved it! And so did the 800 person audience at the premiere! Flat out - it’s a really good, class double A animated film that delivers a great movie experience for kids and grown up alike. You know, it’s really - I mean REALLY hard to create a sympathetic, animated animal character that is someone that you actually care about. Especially if that character has no voice. Everyone in the room fell in love with Stubby. I didn’t ask the grownups, but I did ask some of the 400 kids in the theater what they thought: [Kid’s comments] Sgt. Stubby - an American Hero - and a really great movie experience coming to a theater near you. Grab a friend, grab a kid, grab a grandparent and go see this really heartfelt and heartwarming movie. Oh yea - did I forget to mention - its based on a real story and its all about WWI. Sorry! Link: http://www.stubbymovie.com/ 100 Cities 100 Memorials Glen Carbon, IL Moving on to our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials segment about the $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue and focus on our local WWI memorials. Next week, on Friday April 6th, we will be announcing the final 50 Awardees. Some very exciting memorials and project are among that group. Before that, this week, we are going to profile TWO projects from Round #1. They are very different and very much the same -  the first is a deeply meaningful but humble project about a WWI memorial restoration from the Village of Glen Carbon Illinois, where a doughboy statue stands guard over the graves of two local WW1 veterans.   With us tell us about the project is Linda Sinco, Museum Coordinator of the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum.                               Welcome Linda! [greetings] [Linda: Your project was designated as a WWI Centennial Memorial, in part because it represents memorials of it’s type all over the country. Can you tell us about it please?] [The doughboy isn’t a bronze - what is it made out of? What’s the status of the statue now?] [When you took on the project, you did research and got some great local newspaper coverage for the endeavor - what was the community involvement?] [How did you connect with the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program?] [You rededicated your statue last year in September - Any commemoration plans for Memorial Day or Armistice day this year?] [Linda - thank you so much for looking after your doughboys!] [goodbyes/thanks] Linda Sinco is the Museum Coordinator for the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum.    Learn more about the 100 Cities/100 Memorials program and their doughboy statue restoration at the link in the podcast notes or by going to ww1cc.org/100Memorials Link: www.ww1cc.org/100cities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKcETM-DQ-c https://www.glen-carbon.il.us/891/Heritage-Museum-and-Log-Cabin Appleton, WI Our second 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project profile this week is the Spirit of the American Doughboy project in Appleton, Wisconsin. This doughboy sculpture is from famed WWI memorial sculptor E. M. Visquesney and it has had one tough time of it,  since it was erected in 1934. With us tell us about the project, it’s checkered restoration history and its current rescue is Alexander Schultz, Executive Director of Sculpture Valley. Welcome Alex! [greetings] [Alex - This monument was originally put in place in 1934 for $700 - the equivalent of $13,000 today… and it has had a troubled history since. Can you tell us a bit about the maintenance woes of this doughboy?] [So in 2015 Sculpture Valley stepped in to fix the issues from the ground up - what IS Sculpture Valley?] [What kind of support did the project get from the community? ] [You did a rededication on Veterans Day last year - any plans for Armistice day this year?] [Alex: Thanks so much for being here!] [goodbyes/thanks] Alexander Schultz is the Executive Director of Sculpture Valley. Learn more about Sculpture Valley and the 100 Cities/100 Memorials program at the link in the podcast notes or by going to ww1cc.org/100Memorials Link: www.ww1cc.org/100cities https://www.sculpturevalley.com/ https://www.sculpturevalley.com/memorail-restoration-initiative/ [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1” - Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war  --- By the time America joined the war, nicknames for the various forces involved in the conflict were already established. The French infantry were known as the Poilus, or the hairy ones -- the Australian and New Zealanders were collectively known as the ANZAC a simple contraction for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - meanwhile the New Zealanders were also called Kiwis. The American were often referred to as Sammies but self branded as Doughboys. And the British common soldier? Well, That’s our Speaking WWI word for this week. The British soldier was known as the Tommy. The nickname appears to come from an individual, Tommy Atkins, a mythical, courageous British soldier who fought under the Duke of Wellington in 1794. Lore has it that In 1815, the British War Office asked the Duke for a name that could personify a strong British soldier, and he, apocryphally, replied “Tommy”. From a branding perspective, it sounds like a great choice to an old marketing guy like me…. it’s so aptly descriptive of a regular joe… resolute… a comrade… a good fellow and unlike a lot of the other names - Tommy seems human. The nickname was popular enough in the 19th century that Rudyard Kipling included a poem about a mistreated soldier named Tommy. Tommy didn’t get associated with the British army, until World War I, when the name Tommy Atkins was featured on a guidance sheet enclosed in every pocket ledger provided to every British soldier to inscribe their personal information. Tommy -- a valiant and humble soldier, and this week’s speaking WW1 word. Links:http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-British-Tommy-Tommy-Atkins/ http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/tommy.htm [SOUND EFFECT] WW1 War Tech Little Curie This week for WW1 War Tech -- we’re focusing on a medical device that saved countless lives -- and was invented by a woman. Almost immediately after the discovery of the X-ray in 1895, medical professionals began using it to locate foreign objects, that had become lodged in the body. - you know - like bullets. At the start of the war in 1914, the only X-Ray machines to be found where located in city hospitals, far away from the frontlines and only benefiting soldiers that could survive the long journe to get to them. The answer came from famed French scientist Madame Marie Curie, discoverer of radium ... polonium and twice-awarded the Nobel Prize. When the German army began marching toward Paris early in the war, Madame Curie shipped her supply of radium to a bank in Bordeaux and devoted her time to the war effort. Curie came up with the “radiological car” - a rig with an X-Ray machine, a photographic dark room, and an early electrical generator to produce the X-Rays. Using funding from the Union of Women of France and cars donated by wealthy Parisians, she trained some 150 women, including her daughter Irene, to operate these machines and move them around the front lines to where they were most needed. The “little curies” --as they were called-- debuted at the First Battle of the Marne. Over 1 million soldiers received Xray exams from the mobile units over the course of the war. The LIttle Curie-- a big idea from an awesome scientist, Madame Marie Curie, and this week’s WW1 War Tech. Learn more, and see images of the mobile machines, at the links in the notes. Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-marie-curie-brought-x-ray-machines-to-battlefield-180965240/ Articles and Posts For Articles and posts we want to re-introduce you to a fantastic WWI Centennial resource. It’s the Commission’s weekly Dispatch Newsletter. Every week, the Commission publishes all sorts of great information about WWI and the centennial commemoration. There are articles posted in the website’s news section, New Stories of Service that are submitted by you. Important commemoration events. Blog posts and postings from our state partners. And even the highlight listing from the WWI Centennial News podcast. Well - in the dispatch, the editor, Chris Christopher works diligently to keep it short and useful.  He provides a quick summary of each new post with links to read, listen or see more… It takes just a minute to subscribe, and only a couple of minute to scan each Dispatch issue when it comes in to your email on Tuesday mornings - It’s a great way to see if there is something you’d like to know more about. So sign up for the Weekly  Dispatch newsletter at ww1cc.org/subscribe and take a look at samples in the archive at ww1cc.org/dispatch or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.html http://ww1cc.org/dispatch The Buzz And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what do you have for us this week? Adopt an Orphan! We shared a beautiful image this week on Facebook from the Marine Corps History Division. It’s a studio portrait of a little girl, Jeanne Louise Alphonsine Pascal. She’s maybe three or four years old, dressed in a dark frock with an enormous white bow atop her head. She is the Mascot of Company L, Thirteenth Regiment, U.S. Marines, A.E.F. Under the auspices of the American Red Cross, soldiers were able to adopt war orphans; it’s a very early example of a familiar charitable system. For four cents a month, per man, a unit of some 200 men could fully feed, clothe and house an orphan. Some estimated 200,000 children were orphaned in France and Belgium alone during the war. Grassroots orphans’ relief efforts appeared in France as early as 1914. Many editions of the Stars and Stripes-- the American Expeditionary Forces’ official newspaper-- discuss and promote The Red Cross’s orphan relief campaigns, including the issue from this week 100 years ago. These children, supported by the Allies and under the care of a variety of service organizations, were beneficial for the soldiers; they reminded the men of their children back home and the orphans received food and care from the Allied troops. By April 1918, Stars and Stripes reports that 38 children were adopted by various Infantry companies. You can read the article “Take as your mascot a French war orphan” in the Stars and Stripes, and see the image of little Jeanne Louise, by following the links in the podcast notes. That’s it for this week in the Buzz. Link:https://cdn.loc.gov/service/sgp/sgpbatches/batch_dlc_argonne_ver03/data/20001931/print/1918032901/0001.pdf https://www.facebook.com/36536773014https://cdn.loc.gov/service/sgp/sgpbatches/batch_dlc_argonne_ver03/data/20001931/print/1918032901/0001.pdf7282/photos/a.367850739898981.107284.365367730147282/1062367587113956/?type=3&theater https://rememberingwwi.villanova.edu/orphans/ Thank you Katherine - Outro And that is also it for this week’s episode of WW1 Centennial News. Thank you for listening. We also want to thank our guests... Mike Shuster, Curator for the great war project blog Dr. Edward Lengel, Military historian and author Cathleen Cordova the Past National President of the Women’s Overseas Service League KC Piccard, and and Frank Krone co-founders of the Idaho World War 1 Centennial Commission, Linda Sinco with the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project at Glen Carbon, Illinois Alexander Schultz with the 100 Cities/100 memorials project from Appleton, Wisconsin Katherine Akey, the commission’s social media director and line producer for the podcast A shout out to Eric Maar as well as our intern John Morreale for their great research assistance. And I am Theo Mayer - your host. The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1. Our programs are to-- inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; Including this podcast! We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms; We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country; and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library as well as the Starr foundation for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn   on  iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn, Podbean, Stitcher - Radio on Demand --- or using your smart speaker.. Just say “Play W W One Centennial News Podcast” and we are excited to announce - as of this week - you can listen to us on Spotify. Search ww1 Centennial News. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thank you for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here today about the war that changed the world! [music] What did the American Captain shout to the British left-tennant as the German barrage rained down? [insert music clip Tommy] So long!

Favorite Stories of 2017 - Part 1 January 4,  Episode #1- our first story! | @ 01:05 February 15, Episode #7 - "Stories of Service" and "Family Ties" introduced by Chris Christopher | @ 02:15 March 8, Episode #10  War in the sky -The story of Baron von Zeppelin | @ 04:05 March 29, Episode #13- Special Feature - about horses and mules serving | @ 07:50 April 5 and April #12 - Episodes 14 and 15 - Commission News - In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace - with Ed Bilous and Chris Christopher | @ 11:20 April 26  Episode #17 - 100 years ago this week - The selective service act of 1917 | @ 19:10 April 26 - Episode #17 - War In the Sky - It turned into the world’s largest aerospace company | @ 21:05 May 3, Episode #18 - Spotlight in the media - introducing Sgt. Stubby the animated film with Jordan Beck | @ 23:30 May 3 Episode #18 From the BUZZ - Moss is mostly good with Katherine Akey | @ 28:05 May 10, Episode #19 - 100 Years ago This week -  For Mother’s day - Mothers in WW1 | @ 29:20 June 6, Episode #23 - Commission News - A brief mission profile from Commission Executive Director - Dan Dayton | @ 35:25 Also June 6, Episode #23 - Special Feature - George Cohan’s “Over There” turns 100 - with Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten | @ 36:50 June 14, 2017, Episode 24 - Spotlight in the media - Three theories on why Wonder Woman is set in WW1 |@ 43:20 June 14, Episode 24 - International Report - The Violin of Private Howard | @ 45:40----more---- Overview Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - Episode #52. This New Year’s week, and next week, we have a special 2-episode series for you. Next week marks our first anniversary for the show so wanted to share some of our favorite stories and segments from 2017 with you! They are presented in chronological order. Part 1 takes us into July 2017, and Part 2 through the end of the year. We are not going to spend time setting up each piece, but we will tell you the date, the episode and the article title each time - to keep it all in context.   WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the US World War One centennial Commission and the commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library.   See above for the list of stories Outro Thank you for having joined us for our WW1 Centennial News New Year’s Special - The best of 2017 - Part 1. Join us next week for Part 2. Happy New year to all of you for 2018 and for 1918 from the whole team at WW1 Centennial News   The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1. Our programs are to-- inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1 We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms; We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country; and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. Thank you to the commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support. This podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn   on  iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News, and on Amazon Echo or other Alexa enabled devices. Just say: Alexa: Play W W One Centennial News Podcast. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial.   [MUSIC] So long!

WWI Centennial News SPECIAL This is another special feature presentation of the WW1 Centennial News Podcast. Welcome to PART II of  “In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace”. This two part special is an adaptation from a live staged event the Commission produced on the April 6, 2017 centennial of America’s entry into: “ war that changed the world”. Edward Bilous as the artistic director, and Chris Christopher as the US WW1 Centennial Commission’s executive producer pulled together an amazing group of artists, historians musician, actors, and others for a live performance staged at the National WWI Museum and Memorial  in Kansas City to an audience of over 3,000 attendees. For this 2-part special we have excerpted key moments from the story that unfolds, the music that was performed and the readings from a cast of amazing actors, orators, musicians and other luminaries. In Part 1 we examined the great debate in America about getting into the war, and today, in Part 2, we present how events overtook the debate and as America declared its entry into WW1.----more---- Talent Credits This podcast was adapted from the live event In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace: Centennial Commemoration of the US entry into WWI Credits for the live event include: Edward Bilous Artistic Director John Rensenhouse Narrator Michelle DiBucci Music Director Sarah Outhwaite Video Designer   Carlos Murillo Script and Adaptation Greg Kalember Music Producer, Mix Engineer, Sound Design   Portia Kamons Executive Artistic Producer For Virtua Creative Shelby Rose Producer, Media and Special Events For Virtua Creative   Dale Morehouse Speaker   Carla Noack Speaker   David Paul Pre-Recorded Speaker   Janith English Principal Chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas   Sergeant Debra Kay Mooney Choctaw Nation   Col. Gerald York Grandson of Sergeant Alvin C. York   Deborah York Great-Granddaughter of Sergeant Alvin C. York   Noble Sissle Jr. Son of Noble Sissle   Featuring Musical Performances by 1st Infantry Division Band Michael Baden John Brancy Francesco Centano Billy Cliff Peter Dugan Ramona Dunlap Lisa Fisher Samantha Gossard Adam Holthus Christopher T. McLaurin Chrisi Poland Aaron Redburn Reuben Allen Matt Rombaum Alan Schwartz Yang Thou Charles Yang Alla Wijnands Bram Wijnands   Cast (In Alphabetical Order) Freddy Acevedo Yetunde Felix-Ukwu Jason Francescon Khalif Gillett Emilie Karas Chelsea Kisner Christopher Lyman Marianne McKenzie Victor Raider-Wexler   Artillery Master Charles B. Wood MEDIA CREDITS National World War I Museum and Memorial:  TheWorldWar.org Library of Congress: LOC.gov New York Public Library: DigitalCollections.nypl.org National Archives: Archives.gov National Historic Geographic Information System: NHGIS.org State Library of New South Wales: SL.nsw.gov.au Imperial War Museums: IWM.org.uk National Museum of African American History and Culture: NMAAHC.si.edu The Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation and the York Family: SgtYork.org Australian War Memorial: AWM.gov.au National Media Museum: NationalMediaMuseum.org.uk Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Archive: WoodrowWilson.org Mathers Museum of World Culture: Mathers.indiana.edu Front Page Courtesy of The New York Times Company   PODCAST   THEO MAYERWW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Before we get into the main part of the show - - Let me try to set it up: [SOUND EFFECT - WAYBACK MACHINE] We have gone back in time to January 1917. Late last year, in 1916, Woodrow Wilson ran for president under the slogan “He Kept us Out Of War” and “America First” and he won - by a slim margin. In Western  Europe, Eastern Europe, the middle east and other areas around the world -  All tied together by colonial imperialism - the war rages on! NARRATOR Not long after the election of 1916, events would unfold at a rapid pace, until the United States reached a tipping point where isolationism could no longer be an option. January 19, 1917 – Arthur Zimmerman, Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, sent a telegram to German Ambassador to Mexico, proposing an alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event of US entry into the War. ZIMMERMAN "We intend to begin on the first of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal of alliance... make war together, make peace together... and an understanding... that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.... You will inform the President of the above... as soon as the outbreak of war with the United States of America is certain...." NARRATOR The British Admiralty, which had cracked German diplomatic cipher systems, decoded the message within hours. Seeking to influence the American government, the British provided the Americans a copy of the telegram. On the 28t h  of February, President Wilson released the telegram to the press. The appearance of the news nationwide on March 1s t  galvanized American support for entry into the war. January 31, 1917, Robert Lansing, Secretary of State, received a note from the German Ambassador to the United States. GERMAN AMBASSADOR A new situation has... been created which forces Germany to new decisions.... England is using her naval power for a criminal attempt to force Germany into submission by starvation. In brutal contempt of international law, the... powers led by England..., by ruthless pressure, compel neutral countries either to altogether forego every trade not agreeable to the Entente Powers, or to limit it according to their arbitrary decrees. From February 1, 1917, sea traffic will be stopped with every available weapon and without further notice.... NARRATOR This message from the German Ambassador directly contravened the German guarantee to Wilson   that ended unrestricted submarine warfare following the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. Coupled with the Zimmerman telegram, Germany’s renewed aggression decisively changed American attitudes about the war.    On February 3, 1917, the United States formally ended diplomatic relations with Imperial Germany. On February 25, 1917, the Cunard Line ship Laconia was struck by German Torpedoes. Floyd Gibbons, an American correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, was on board and lived to describe the scene: FLOYD GIBBONS At 10:30 p.m., there was a muffled noise. Five sharp blasts – the signal to abandon. We walked hurriedly down the corridor ... to the lounge which was amidships. We moved fast but there was no crowding and no panic. ...we looked down the slanting side of the ship and noticed ... her water line ... was a number of feet above the waves. ... the lifeboats... rested against the side of the ship.... I could see that we were going to have difficulty in the descent to the water. ‘Lower away!’ someone gave the order and we started downward ... toward the seemingly hungry... swells. The stern of the boat was down; the bow up, leaving us at an angle of about 45 degrees.... The tiers of lights dimmed slowly from white to yellow, then to red, and nothing was left but the murky mourning of the night..... The ship sank rapidly at the stern until at last its nose stood straight in the air. Then it slid silently down and out of sight.... NARRATOR Austin Y. Hoy, a Chicago machinery company executive working in London, cabled President Woodrow Wilson after the sinking of the LACONIA: AUSTIN HOY My beloved mother and sister, passengers on the LACONIA, have been foully murdered.... I call upon my government to preserve its citizens’ self-respect and save others of my countrymen from such deep grief as I now feel. I am of military age, able to fight. If my country can use me against these brutal assassins, I am at its call. If it stultifies my manhood and my nation’s by remaining passive under outrage, I shall seek a man’s chance under another flag. NARRATOR Events abroad also served to tip American opinion. The fall of the Russian Tsar's regime on March 15, 1917 resulted in a greater moral clarity for the Allied cause: the war was now a struggle of democratic nations against autocratic empires. Despite the passions aroused by the Zimmerman telegram and the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, Wilson himself had no personal desire to bring the US into conflict in Europe. Wilson told a journalist off the record: WILSON If there is any alternative, for God’s sake, let’s take it! NARRATOR March 20. Wilson confers with his cabinet. They unanimously vote for War. March 21. Wilson calls Congress into special session for April the 2n  d . On the evening of April the second, 1917, President Wilson addresses a joint session of Congress asking for a Declaration of War. WILSON “While we do these momentous things, let us make very clear to all the world what our motives are. Our object, now as then, is to vindicate the principles of peace and justice as against selfish and autocratic power. Neutrality is no longer feasible or desirable where the peace of the world is involved and the freedom of its peoples, and the menace to that peace and freedom lies in the existence of autocratic governments. We have seen the last of neutrality. We are at the beginning of an age in which it will be insisted that the same standards of conduct and of responsibility for wrong done shall be observed among nations and their governments that are observed among the individual citizens of civilized states.” NARRATOR The Congress rose to its feet and applauded enthusiastically. Cheering crowds lined the streets as Wilson departed from the Capitol. As author Byron Farwell wrote: FARWELL QUOTE It was the greatest speech of Wilson’s life. At about 10:00, when the president had returned to the White House, he and his wife had dinner with friends, after which Wilson wandered into the empty cabinet room. His secretary, Joseph Tumulty, found him there: ‘Think what they were applauding,’ he said to Tumulty. ‘My message today was a message of death for our young men. How strange it seems to applaud that.’ He put his head down on the table in the Cabinet Room, and sobbed.’ NARRATOR Still, in the face of aggression, there were voices of opposition. Arkansas Senator George Norris: SENATOR NORRIS Belligerency would benefit only the class of people who will be made prosperous should we become entangled in the present war, who have already made millions..., and who will make hundreds of millions more if we get into the war. To whom does the war bring prosperity? Not to the soldier. Not to the broken hearted widow. Not to the mother who weeps at the death of her brave boy.... I feel that we are about to put the dollar sign on the American Flag.” NARRATOR The Senate passed the War Resolution with only three Republicans and three Democrats opposed. The House voted 373 for, with 50 opposed. Jeanette Rankin, the first woman to serve in Congress, and the lone female Representative, voted against the resolution. The approved Declaration of War was sent to President Wilson on April 6, 1917. At 1pm that day he signed: “Approved 6 April, 1917, Woodrow Wilson.”   Tolling of the bells 19 gun canon salute   DEBORAH YORK As the country mobilized, we leave you with the voices of two soldiers: PERSHING Major General John J. Pershing to President Woodrow Wilson, April 10, 1917:  “Dear Mr. President: As an officer of the army, may I not extend to you, as Commander-in-Chief of the armies, my sincere congratulations upon your soul-stirring patriotic address to Congress on April 2d. Your strong stand for the right will be an inspiration to humanity everywhere, but especially to the citizens of the Republic. It arouses in the breast of every soldier feelings of the deepest admiration for their leader. I am exultant that my life has been spent as a soldier, in camp and field, that I may now the more worthily and more intelligently serve my country and you. With great respect, Your obedient servant, JOHN J. PERSHING Major General, U.S. Army DEBORAH YORK And from the diary of Sergeant York serialized in  Liberty magazine in 1927: SERGEANT YORK I had no time to bother much about a lot of foreigners quarrelling and killing each other over in Europe. I just wanted to be left alone to live in peace and love. I wasn’t planning my life any other way. ... I figured that if some people in the Wolf River Valley were quarrelling... it wasn’t any of my business to go and interfere, and Europe was much further away.... I never dreamed we’d go over there to fight. So I didn’t pay much attention to it. I didn’t let it bother me until I received from the post office a little red card telling me to register for the draft. That’s how the war came to me, in the midst of all my peace and happiness and dreams, which I felt all along were too good to be true, and just couldn’t last.” THEO MAYER In the meantime, the popular music of the time begins to address the American soldier, his image and his place in the world. IF HE CAN FIGHT LIKE HE CAN LOVE, GOOD NIGHT, GERMANY! If he can fight like he can love, Oh what a soldier boy he’ll be! If he’s just have as good in the trench As he was in the park or on a bench,   Then ev’ry Hun had better run And find a great big linden tree I know he’ll be a hero ‘over there’ ‘Cause he’s a bear in any Morris chair And if he fights like he can love Why, then it’s goodnight, Germany!   Verse 2 Ev’ry single day all the papers say, Mary’s beau is, oh, so brave With his little gun, chasing ev’ry Hun He has taught them to behave Little Mary proudly shakes her head, And says, “Do you remember what I said?”   Chorus If he can fight like he can love, Oh what a soldier boy he’ll be! If he’s just have as good in the trench As he was in the park or on a bench, Then ev’ry Hun had better run And find a great big linden tree I know he’ll be a hero ‘over there’ ‘Cause he’s a bear in any Morris chair And if he fights like he can love Why, then it’s goodnight, Germany! ANNOUNCER I Have A Rendezvous With Death (POEM: No Music or Sound) I have a rendezvous with Death At some disputed barricade, When Spring comes back with rustling shade And apple-blossoms fill the air— I have a rendezvous with Death When Spring brings back blue days and fair. It may be he shall take my hand And lead me into his dark land And close my eyes and quench my breath— It may be I shall pass him still. I have a rendezvous with Death On some scarred slope of battered hill, When Spring comes round again this year And the first meadow-flowers appear. God knows ‘twere better to be deep Pillowed in silk and scented down, Where love throbs out in blissful sleep, Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath, Where hushed awakenings are dear... But I’ve a rendezvous with Death At midnight in some flaming town, When Spring trips north again this year, And I to my pledged word am true, I shall not fail that rendezvous. THEO MAYER And so America goes to war and takes her place on the world stage. Nothing would be same again as the country heads into the most rapid and profound transformation of her young existence. World War 1 Centennial news is here to tell you the story - We will explore WW1 Centennial News THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week. And we will explore WW1 Centennial News NOW - what is happening today with the centennial commemoration of the war that changed the world. And so it begins [MUSIC] That was Part 2 of our special feature presentation of “In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace” our 2-part special of America’s reluctant entry into World War 1. The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1. Our programs are to-- inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; Our podcast and these specials are a part of that endeavor We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms; We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country; and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.   If you like the work we are doing, please support it with a tax deductible donation at ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case Or if you are on your smartphone text  the word: WW1 to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 texted to 41444. Any amount is appreciated.   We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn   on  iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thanks for listening to this special presentation of WW1 Centennial News… A full list of the many talented people who contributed to this production is in the podcast notes.   [OVER THERE]   So long.

WWI Centennial News SPECIAL This week and next week, we are going to break format as we present a 2-part special podcast version of  “In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace”. This two part special is an adaptation from a live staged event the Commission produced on the April 6, 2017 centennial of America’s entry into: The war that changed the world. Edward Bilous as the artistic director, and Chris Christopher as the US WW1 Centennial Commission’s executive producer pulled together an amazing group of artists, historians musician, actors, and others for a live performance staged outdoors at the National WWI Museum and Memorial  in Kansas City to an audience of over 3,000 attendees. For this 2-part special we have excerpted key moments from the story that unfolds, the music that was performed and the readings from a cast of amazing actors, orators, musicians and other luminaries. Part 1 examines the great debate in America about getting into the war----more---- Talent Credits This podcast was adapted from the live event In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace: Centennial Commemoration of the US entry into WWI   Credits for the live event include:   Edward Bilous Artistic Director John Rensenhouse Narrator Michelle DiBucci Music Director Sarah Outhwaite Video Designer   Carlos Murillo Script and Adaptation Greg Kalember Music Producer, Mix Engineer, Sound Design   Portia Kamons Executive Artistic Producer For Virtua Creative Shelby Rose Producer, Media and Special Events For Virtua Creative   Dale Morehouse Speaker   Carla Noack Speaker   David Paul Pre-Recorded Speaker   Janith English Principal Chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas   Sergeant Debra Kay Mooney Choctaw Nation   Col. Gerald York Grandson of Sergeant Alvin C. York   Deborah York Great-Granddaughter of Sergeant Alvin C. York   Noble Sissle Jr. Son of Noble Sissle   Featuring Musical Performances by 1st Infantry Division Band Michael Baden John Brancy Francesco Centano Billy Cliff Peter Dugan Ramona Dunlap Lisa Fisher Samantha Gossard Adam Holthus Christopher T. McLaurin Chrisi Poland Aaron Redburn Reuben Allen Matt Rombaum Alan Schwartz Yang Thou Charles Yang Alla Wijnands Bram Wijnands   Cast (In Alphabetical Order) Freddy Acevedo Yetunde Felix-Ukwu Jason Francescon Khalif Gillett Emilie Karas Chelsea Kisner Christopher Lyman Marianne McKenzie Victor Raider-Wexler   Artillery Master Charles B. Wood MEDIA CREDITS National World War I Museum and Memorial:  TheWorldWar.org Library of Congress: LOC.gov New York Public Library: DigitalCollections.nypl.org National Archives: Archives.gov National Historic Geographic Information System: NHGIS.org State Library of New South Wales: SL.nsw.gov.au Imperial War Museums: IWM.org.uk National Museum of African American History and Culture: NMAAHC.si.edu The Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation and the York Family: SgtYork.org Australian War Memorial: AWM.gov.au National Media Museum: NationalMediaMuseum.org.uk Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Archive: WoodrowWilson.org Mathers Museum of World Culture: Mathers.indiana.edu Front Page Courtesy of The New York Times Company   PODCAST THEO MAYER WW1 Centennial News is brought to YOU by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Before we get into the main part of the show - - Let me try to set this up:   [SOUND EFFECT - WAYBACK MACHINE] We’ve gone back in time to June 28, 1914. Today, a 19 year-old radicalized teenage Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip guns down Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie - ON their wedding anniversary no less. So this was all kicked off by a misguided kid - after all - what does anybody know about consequences at 19, and gunning down celebrities - is - pretty dumb and definitely misguided. And the archduke was a celebrity - he was in line for the throne of the Austro-hungarian empire. Things are already pretty tense in Europe! Austria-Hungary, blames the Serbian government for the attack and sees this as great justification for settling the question of Slavic nationalism once and for all - with a little war action. BUT….  Russia supports Serbia, SO… Austria-Hungary asked Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm to back them in the event of a Russian intervention… An intervention that would probably suck in Russia’s ally, France, and maybe Britain too. So - Just a month later on July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and a big burning match gets tossed on the very dry tinder of european tension… the tenuous peace between Europe’s big powers goes up in flames. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia line up against the Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I begin. But remember - no one knows at the time that this is a global war. It’s just a little imperial action which Germany sees as a great opportunity - Remember - in German the word Kaiser means EMPEROR - so emperor Wilhelm thinks that this is a good time to expand German imperial holding with a rush west -  across Belgium - to deliver a quick and decisive blow to France for an imperially profitable end to a simple, messy little conflict. BUT….at the First Battle of The Marne, 90 miles from Paris, the German plan falls apart and the Germans suffer a defeat at the hands of the Allies – over a million soldiers face off and fight over 6 days, and sadly more than 100,000 die. This is where we join up with the live production beginning with a quote from Barbara Tuchman from her book - The GUNS OF AUGUST: “After the Marne, the war grew and spread until it drew in the nations of both hemispheres and entangled them in a... world conflict no peace treaty could dissolve. The Battle of Marne was one of the decisive battles… not because it determined that Germany would ultimately lose or the Allies ultimately win the war, but because it determined that the war would go on…. The nations were caught in a trap… from which there was… no exit.”   NARRATOR Even with the United States remaining resolutely neutral, many young Americans needed no persuasion to join the War effort. Mary Gladwin, a nurse from Akron, Ohio, was among the first American Red Cross nurses to go to Europe during the War, serving as the supervisor of nurses at the American Hospital in Belgrade. She wrote:   MARY GLADWIN The cannonading lasted all the time. There was no time during twenty-four hours in the first six months  that  some of the guns were not fired. My room was a little whitewashed one. Every time one of the big French guns would fire.... It would illuminate all the wall and then... I would hear the boom of the guns. That kept up night after night, until the time came that we did not hear them any more…   NARRATOR Eugene Bullard, the only African American pilot to fly in World War I, did so not for the United States, but for France. The son of a freed slave, Bullard stowed away to Europe in 1912, determined to escape racism in the US. After working as a boxer and vaudeville performer in England, Bullard settled in France. When hostilities broke out, he joined the infantry of the French Foreign Legion, earning the Croix de Guerre for bravery at the Battle of Verdun. After sustaining injuries and declared unfit for infantry service, Bullard earned his wings with the Aeronautique Militaire of France, and joined the Lafayette Flying Corps in 1916. His plane was decorated with the slogan” “All Blood Runs Red.” When the US entered the war, Bullard tried to enlist as a flyer for the Americans:   BULLARD “I was more and more puzzled until it suddenly came to me that all my fellow countrymen who had transferred were white. Later, I learned that in World War I Negroes were not accepted as flyers in the United States Army. This hurt me, deeply.”   THEO MAYER When hostilities broke out in Europe, thousands of Americans touring the continent descended on London hoping to find safe passage home, only to find themselves unable to obtain accommodations or tickets for the few ships sailing. A forty year old mining engineer and financier from Iowa by the name of Herbert Hoover was living in London in 1914. Hoover organized an American relief committee that provided food, shelter and financial assistance to over 100,000 Americans. Hoover’s leadership earned him the respect of the US Ambassador to Great Britain, Walter Hines Page. Ambassador Page tapped Hoover to lead a relief mission to Belgium. After the Battle of Marne, Belgium faced starvation. Germany had invaded, but refused to take responsibility for feeding the populace. On the other side, Britain’s Naval blockade prevented ships from entering Belgian ports. So in October of 1914, Herbert Hoover established an organization to procure and deliver food to the starving Belgian population, rescuing a nation from certain ruin. Herbert Hoover wrote:   HERBERT HOOVER "...there was no former human experience to turn for guidance. It would require that we find the major food supply for a whole nation; raise the money to pay for it; get it past navies at sea and occupying armies on land; set up an agency for distribution of supplies for everybody justly; and see that the enemy took none of it. It was not ‘relief’ in any known sense. It was the feeding of a nation.   THEO MAYER This will later earn Herbert Hoover the job of heading the united states food administration… and of course he also becomes the 31st President of the United State [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline May 8, 1915 Headline of the NY times reads: LUSITANIA SUNK BY SUBMARINE, PROBABLY 1,260 DEAD; TWICE TORPEDOED OFF IRISH COAST; SINKS IN 15 MINUTES; FROHMAN AND VANDERBILT MISSING; WASHINGTON BELIEVES THAT A GRAVE CRISIS IS AT HAND   SONG: WHEN THE LUSITANIA WENT DOWN A thousand more, who sailed from our shore, Have gone to eternity. The Statue of Liberty high Must now have a tear in her eye. I think it's a shame-- Some one is to blame, But all we can do is just sigh!   Chorus Some of us lost a true sweetheart; Some of us lost a dear dad; Some lost their mothers, sisters, and brothers; Some lost the best friends they had. It's time they were stopping this warfare If women and children must drown. Many brave hearts went to sleep in the deep When the Lusitania went down.   Refrain Many brave hearts went to sleep in the deep When the Lusitania went down.   THEO MAYER US neutrality faced numerous tests. Vying for control over shipping lanes across the Atlantic and through the North Sea, Germany and Britain both found themselves on a collision course with the United States. Britain, in their effort to blockade commerce from the US reaching Germany, seized American ships. Germany, in retaliation to US shipments, introduced a new weapon of war – the U-Boat – which could strike without warning. In 1915, German U-Boats sank over 90 ships.   NARRATOR Leading up to the Election of 1916, many Americans favored the Allies in the War, yet embraced President Wilson’s urging to remain “impartial in thought as well as in action.” At the time, one third of US citizens were either born in Europe or were descendants of European immigrants. Sympathy for both countries on both sides of the conflict ran high. The descendants of German immigrants found themselves torn, on the one hand identifying firstly as Americans, yet on the other, sympathizing with their relatives abroad. When the US entered the War, German-Americans were labeled “alien enemies” and faced severe restrictions on their civil liberties. Irish Americans preferred neutrality as well, as the prospect of the U.S. entering the War on the side of the British was an anathema to Irish nationalist sentiment. The sinking of the Lusitania led many Americans to call for an immediate reprisal against Germany. Wilson proceeded with caution, demanding an apology, compensation for the victims and assurances that Germany would cease unrestricted submarine warfare. In a speech delivered at a Citizen Naturalization Ceremony on May 10, 1915, Wilson affirmed the anti-War US stance:   WILSON “America must have this consciousness, that on all sides it touches elbows and touches hearts with all the nations of mankind. The example of America must be the example not merely of peace because it will not fight, but of peace because peace is the healing… influence of the world.... There is such a thing as a man being too proud to fight. There is such a thing as a nation being so right that it does not need to convince others by force that it is right.”   NARRATOR Wilson’s measured response faced opposition from figures like former President Theodore Roosevelt, who believed Germany’s aggression warranted a strong military response:   THEODORE ROOSEVELT “I am pretty well disgusted with our government and with the way our people acquiesce in and support it. I suppose, however, in a democracy like ours the people will always do well or ill largely in proportion to their leadership. If Lincoln had acted after the firing on Sumter in the way that Wilson did about the sinking of the Lusitania, in one month the North would have been saying they were so glad he kept them out of the war and… that at all hazards fratricidal war must be averted.”   NARRATOR Theodore Roosevelt’s words were not mere bluster. He would eventually see three of his sons off to war. Two would return alive. His youngest son, Quentin, died when he was shot down over France in 1918.   THEO MAYER The conflict  about  US neutrality  didn't just rage in Washington, but was reflected throughout  american society and culture  - Here is the great debate playing out as musical counterpoint in two popular songs of the times sung from the hearts of two mothers.   SONG MEDLEY: “I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier” - “America, Here’s My Boy”   Verse 1 There’s a million mothers knocking at the nation’s door A million mothers, yes and they’ll be millions more, And while within each mother’s heart they pray Just hark what one brave mother has to say: Chorus America, I raised a boy for you America, you’ll find him staunch and true Place a gun upon his shoulder He is ready to die or do America, he is my only one; My hope, my pride and joy, But if I had another, He would march beside his brother; America here’s my boy   Verse 2 There’s a million mothers waiting by the fireside bright A million mothers waiting for the call tonight And while within each heart there’ll be a tear She’ll watch her boy go marching with a cheer   Chorus America, I raised a boy for you America, you’ll find him staunch and true Place a gun upon his shoulder He is ready to die o My hope, my pride and joy, But if I had another, He would march beside his brother; America here’s my boy.   Verse 1 Ten million soldiers to the war have gone Who may never return again Ten million mothers’ hearts must break For the ones who died in vain Head bowed down in sorrow in her lonely years I heard a mother murmur thro’ her tears:   Chorus: “I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier, I brought him up to be my pride and joy.” Who dares place a musket on his shoulder To shoot some other mother’s darling boy? Let nations arbitrate their future troubles, It’s time to lay the sword and gun away. There’d be no war today If mothers all would say: “I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier.”   Verse 2 What victory can cheer a mother’s heart When she looks at her blighted home? What victory can bring her back All she cared to call her own? Let each mother answer in the years to be, Remember that my boy belongs to me!   Chorus: “I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier, I brought him up to be my pride and joy.” Who dares place a musket on his shoulder To shoot some other mother’s darling boy? Let nations arbitrate their future troubles, It’s time to lay the sword and gun away.   NARRATOR At the other end of the political spectrum, the editors of the conservative North American Review argued for U.S. participation:   THE EDITORS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW We know now… what this war is. It is the last of the great battles for Freedom and Democracy. America fought the first a century and forty years ago. France followed through seas of blood and tears. But lately the Great Charter has passed… from the barons to the people of England. Japan has ceased to be a monarchy except in name. China as a Republic defies the power of might…. Can anyone doubt that the beginning of the end of absolutism is at hand….?   NARRATOR Legendary newspaper reporter Walter Lippman offered this third-way assessment of the role America could play in the War:   WALTER LIPPMANN In May 1916, the President made a speech which will be counted among the... decisive utterances of American foreign policy…. The speech was an announcement that American isolation was ended, and that we were prepared to join a League of Peace….. …it was intended to make clear to the world… that if America has to fight, it would fight for peace and the order of the world. It was a great portent in human history, but it was overshadowed at the time by the opening of the Presidential campaign.”   THEO MAYER The United States, like Canada and the British Empire, absorbed a massive influx of immigrants from the end of the 19th Century through the war. Capitalizing on the idea that immigrants traveled to distant shores seeking freedom from tyranny, recruitment efforts in all three countries appealed to immigrants’ indebtedness – in exchange for their freedom, and their children’s freedom, they were urged to show their patriotism by enlisting in the fight.   “THERE’S NO HYPHEN IN MY HEART” SONG   Verse 1 To these broad shores my fathers came From lands beyond the sea They left their homes they left their friends To breathe an air more free To them an alien land it seemed With customs strange and new But my heart knows just one dear flag The Red, the White, the Blue   Chorus: There is no hyphen in my heart It can’t be cut in two Oh flag of bars and silver stars I’ve given it all to you   Verse 2 Columbia to me you’ve been A mother fond and true My heart’s best love and loyal trust I gladly offer you Let others sing of native lands Far o’er the ocean’s foam The spot where floats the stars and stripes Shall ever be my home   Chorus: There is no hyphen in my heart It can’t be cut in two Oh flag of bars and silver stars I’ve given it all to you   NARRATOR The 1916 election hinged on the question of America’s neutrality in the War. Wilson, running for a second term, built his candidacy around the idea that America ought to prepare for the possibility of war, yet the campaign slogans “He Kept Us Out of War” and “America First” persuaded the American public that a vote for the Republican candidate, Charles Evans Hughes, would be a vote for war. While many embraced the slogans, others criticized them. Teddy Roosevelt:   TEDDY ROOSEVELT President Wilson’s ignoble shirking of responsibility has been mis-clothed in… the phrase of a coward, “He Kept Us Out of War.” In actual reality, war has been creeping nearer. . . and we face it without policy, plan, purpose, or preparation.   NARRATOR In September 1916, Wilson accepted the Democratic nomination for President:   WILSON “We have been neutral not only because it was the fixed and traditional policy of the United States to stand aloof from the politics of Europe… but also because it was manifestly our duty to prevent … the indefinite extension of the fires of hate and desolation kindled by that terrible conflict and seek to serve mankind by reserving our strength and our resources for the… difficult days of restoration and healing …, when peace will have to build its house anew.”   NARRATOR The Debate reached every corner of American society. Voices for and against the US joining the war included not only politicians, but men who would likely be called to serve, women, African Americans and Native Americans fighting for an equal role in American Civic life.   NARRATOR American Arthur Bullard, who had lived in war-time France and England, wrote in early 1917:   ARTHUR BULLARD Whatever the diplomats may like to call it, this is War. And we do not know how to fight…. We have no American general who ever commanded an Army corps, not one of our naval officers ever fought against a Dreadnought, none of our artillery men ever fired a real shot at an enemy aircraft. We must learn…. The war is upon us and we... must decide what we are going to do about it… We who love peace ought to keep out of war as long as possible and when we are forced to go in – go in hard!   NARRATOR For women, the prospect of war also provoked debate. Many nurses of the American Red Cross nurses had experienced the tribulations of War first hand. Jane Delano, founder of the American Red Cross Nursing Service, wrote in the winter of 1915:   JANE DELANO We have learned that women can be mobilized without confusion; that their chances of illness when ... seem to be no greater than men’s; that they face danger with equanimity…. Out of this experience we should be…. able to guarantee a satisfactory nursing personnel not only for national relief in time of calamity, but for efficient service should our country be confronted with that greatest of all disasters – War.   NARRATOR A year later, Bessie R. James of the National League for Women’s Service wrote:   BESSIE R. JAMES On November 8, 1916, the foresight of the women… is something which cannot but arouse admiration. That anyone should organize to prepare half the populace of the country for war while a president was being put back into office because of a supposed peace policy would seem ridiculous. This however, was exactly what happened.   NARRATOR The first years of the War coincided with the beginning of The Great Migration, a transformative period for African Americans who fled the entrenched racism of the south for better wages and living conditions in northern cities like Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit and New York. At the outbreak of war, many African Americans viewed service in the military as an opportunity to show their willingness to serve and improve on their standing as second-class citizens. Others were more skeptical. In a 1917 issue of The Messenger, Chandler Owen and A. Phillip Randolph challenged the hypocrisy of American democratic ideals in relation to African American struggle:   OWEN & RANDOLPH; Patriotism has no appeal to us; justice has. Party has no weight with us; principle has.   NARRATOR In his 1914 editorial, “World War and the Color Line,” W.E.B. Dubois drew connections between the crisis in Europe and the conditions experienced by African Americans at home: W.E.B. DUBOIS Many colored persons… may easily make the mistake of supposing that the present war is far removed from the color problem in America…. This attitude is a mistake. The present war in Europe is one of the great disasters due to race and color prejudice and it but foreshadows greater disasters in the future….   NARRATOR As the likelihood of war increased in early 1917, DuBois again unleashed his pen to reflect on the institution of segregated training camps:   W.E.B. DUBOIS We must choose then between the insult of a separate camp and the irreparable injury of strengthening the present custom of putting no black men in positions of authority here is only one thing to do now, and that is to organize the colored people for leadership and service, if war should come. A thousand commissioned officers of colored blood is something to work for.   NARRATOR Diplomat, lawyer, and official of the NAACP James Weldon Johnson called for an end to what he termed the “Excess Patriotism” which had led the world’s nations to war: JOHNSON It is this hot, high-tempered, foolish, bad-mannered patriotism that keeps farther away the day for which all lovers of humanity pray; the day when men shall not hate each other because of the boundaries of domain or the differences of race, but when universal brotherhood shall be established and a lasting peace shall reign.   ARE THEY EQUAL IN THE EYES OF THE LAW SONG Verse 1 As they sit in consultation Seeking peace for the wide, wide world I wonder if their thought e’er turn to me. I was at the concentration of the troops that stopt the whirl Of the Kaiser in his dash to the sea. As I sit in meditation Seeking solace from on high I wonder if they see I stand in awe, As they plan the federation for the races far and nigh Are they equal in the eyes of the law?   Chorus: Are they equal in the eyes of the law? The black man faced his death and cried, “Hurrah?” His soul was pure and white, He fought a manly fight, No more patriotic sons you ever saw Are they equal in the eyes of the law? The black man faced his death and cried, “Hurrah?” They were the same in no man’s land, Tell me how so they stand? Are they equal in the eyes of the law?   Verse 3 God, the Father of creation, Hear, oh, hear my humble plea, As with contrite heart I call thy holy name. In this land of desolation, Where they lynch and torture me, Keep them, Father, from this life of sin and shame. Oh thou God of restitution, Though with vengeance in Thy hand, We pray Thee, Keep us from grim hatred’s mighty claw Show them, Lord, that retribution, Runs its course throughout the land, To make men equal in the eyes of the law.   Chorus: Are they equal in the eyes of the law? The black man faced his death and cried, “Hurrah?” His soul was pure and white, He fought a manly fight, No more patriotic sons you ever saw Are they equal in the eyes of the law? The black man faced his death and cried, “Hurrah?” They were the same to the God of the hosts, Tell me in your Freedom’s boasts, Are they equal in the eyes of the law?   NARRATOR America’s native peoples overwhelmingly supported the United States during the Great War, although a few leaders such as Dr. Carlos Montezuma, a Yavapai-Apache, objected. He wrote:   CARLOS MONTEZUMA They are not citizens. They have fewer privileges than have foreigners. They are wards of the United States of America without their consent or the chance of protest on their part.   NARRATOR But most Indian leaders saw the conflict as an opportunity to gain recognition and to affirm tribal sovereignty, as did the Onondaga and Oneida Nations that declared war on Germany.   In 1917, Oglala Chief Red Fox, a nephew of Crazy Horse, went to Washington and urged Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, to offer the services of the Indians in the Great War:   CHIEF RED FOX From all over the West, we now stand ready--fifty thousand Indians between the ages of seventeen and fifty-five. We beg of you, to give us the right to fight. We guarantee to you, sir, our hearts could be for no better cause than to fight for the land we love, and for the freedom we share.   NARRATOR Chief Red Fox’s sentiments were echoed by the Seneca Arthur Parker, President of the Society of American Indians in 1917, who wrote:   ARTHUR PARKER The American Indian has common cause with the Allies.  The Indian fights because he loves freedom and because humanity needs the defense of the freedom loving man. The Indian fights because his country, his liberties, his ideals and his manhood are assailed by the brutal hypocrisy of Prussianism. Challenged, the Indian has... shown himself a citizen of the world, [and] an exponent of an ethical civilization wherein human liberty is assured.   NARRATOR The outcome of the 1916 election reflected divisions in the country. Winning by a slim Electoral College margin, Wilson’s second term would soon face a series of crises that would determine the fate of his neutral position in the war.   NARRATOR - ALL READERS While debate raged in America, the slaughter continued in Europe. Rapid advances in the technology of weapons of war led to vast devastation. For the first time in history the battlefield saw the use of tanks, chemical weapons, machine guns, long-range artillery and aircraft. Sixty five million men fought in the War from 40 countries. Twenty one million were wounded. Eight million died – roughly 3,000 every day. Six and a half million civilians were killed including two million in Russia alone. One hundred and ten thousand tons of poison gas was used, killing nearly half a million men. In Europe alone, approximately 10 million people were displaced by the war, including 1.8 million Armenians forcibly deported to the Syrian desert. 1.5 million Belgians were refugees from the Germans. In the Battle of Somme, fought between July and November of 1916, 1.2 million men perished for a meager Allied gain of 7.8 miles of territory. During the Battle of Somme, it is estimated that in the first week of fighting over one and one half million artillery shells were fired… almost three shells per second for 168 continuous hours. (NEED THIS STATISTIC!!) Never before had humankind unleashed terror on this scale and it’s effects permanently scarred the landscape and the souls of those who were there. THEO MAYER And that is the end of  part 1 of “In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace” Join us again next week for part II   The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1. Our programs are to-- inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; Our podcast is a part of that endeavor We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms; We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country; and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.   If you like the work we are doing, please support it with a tax deductible donation at ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case Or if you are on your smart phone text  the word: WW1 to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 texted to 41444. Any amount is appreciated.   We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn   on  iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thanks for listening to this special presentation of WW1 Centennial News… A full list of the many talented people who contributed to this production is in the podcast notes.   [MUSIC] So long.