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Highlights: 4th of July, 1918 100 Years ago: 4th of July, 1918 | @02:00 Great War Project: Chaos at all ends - Mike Shuster | @12:05 America Emerges: Capturing Vaux - Dr. Edward Lengel | @16:15 Commission News: Bells of Peace - Betsy Anderson | @20:55 Historian Corner: WWI Shaping the 20th Century - Dr. Jay Winter | @27:00 State Update: CT WWI History Project - Christine Pittsley | @33:30 100 Cities / 100 Memorials: Governors Island - Kevin Fitzpatrick & Maj. Jared Nichols | @39:05 Speaking WWI: War Effort | @46:25 Articles & Posts from the Weekly Dispatch Newsletter | @47:45 The Buzz: The Centennial in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @49:55----more---- World War One Then 100 Years Ago President Wilson and others speak of America’s lofty virtues, the contribution of immigrant soldiers, and a desire for a new, free, rules-based international order while celebrating the fourth of July at Mount Vernon. In Paris, the French hold their own massive celebration, as the European allies express their gratitude to the Americans. Meanwhile, the US Navy continues to grow in ships and manpower. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/06/23/102712800.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/06/23/102712799.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/06/23/102712854.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/06/24/102713653.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/06/25/102713961.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/06/25/102713963.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/06/27/102714713.pdf https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/naval_warfare_usa The Great War Project Historian Mike Shuster details the events of this week in 1918. The war enters a new phase characterized by chaos on all fronts. In the west, “it is now open warfare”, according to a soldier's diary, with rapid movement of men and vehicles as the Allies try to press their advantage over Germany. In the east, German troops continue to grab territory from the disintegrated Russian Empire. And in the United States, prominent socialist Eugene Debs is sentenced to 10 years in prison for speaking out against the war. http://greatwarproject.org/2018/06/24/a-provocative-anti-war-speech/ America Emerges: Military Stories from WW1 Dr. Edward Lengel takes us through the U.S. 2nd Division’s July 1st assault on the German-held town of Vaux, a critical victory for the still-developing outfit. http://www.edwardlengel.com/portfolio/thunder-and-flames-americans-in-the-crucible-of-combat-1917-1918/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/army-brigade-action-capture-vaux-1918/ https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ Great War Channel Check out our friends at the Great War Channel, who just released a special episode on the Harlem Hellfighters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4dirfiokh0 World War One Now Commission News The Commission’s own Betsy Anderson joins us to discuss Bells of Peace, a program that encourages the tolling of Bells at 11 am, on November 11th, 2018, to commemorate the Armistice. www.ww1cc.org/bells Historians Corner Dr. Jay Winter, a renowned historian, speaks with Theo Mayer about the impact of WW1 on historical memory. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-morrison-winter-20140625-column.html http://www.dw.com/en/world-war-i-created-new-culture-of-mourning/a-17233945 https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-War-between-History-Century/dp/0300110685 Updates from the States Christine Pittsley discusses the Connecticut State Library’s “Remembering WWI Project”, which engages local communities to shed light on Connecticut’s WW1 history. https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2017/summer/statement/connecticut-remembers-world-war-i-through-letters-diaries-and-other-personal-possessions http://www.wfsb.com/story/35851072/families-meet-to-share-history-of-loved-ones-in-world-war-i https://apnews.com/afcf1bea88b44bf0bdc6cc9ca20f1551 https://ctstatelibrary.org/remembering-world-war-one-2/ http://ctinworldwar1.org/digitization-days/ 100 Cities/100 Memorials Kevin Fitzpatrick, a New York City-based author and program director for that city’s World War I Centennial Committee, and Major Jared Nichols, an active-duty army officer, discuss the ongoing memorial restorations on Governor’s Island. www.ww1cc.org/100cities http://governorsislandguide.com/?p=951 http://eastcoastdoughboys.com/governors-island-2018/ Speaking WW1 This week on Speaking WW1, our phrase is “War Effort”, meaning the collective struggle of an entire nation to defeat the enemy. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/225589#eid15332372 Articles and Posts This week’s highlights from the Dispatch: award winning WW1 themed student projects, remembering Quentin Roosevelt, a new book about the only U-Boat attack on U.S. soil, WWrite blog, Story of Service, and our official merchandise. http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.html http://www.ww1cc.org/dispatch The Buzz Katherine Akey highlights our recent social media activity, including an article about efforts to get WW1 memorials and cemeteries recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, footage of post-war Paris on Facebook, and a restored WW1-era Harley Davidson in action on Instagram. https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/france-belgium-seek-unesco-recognition-for-wwi-memorials-1.534494 https://www.facebook.com/musiquefranco/videos/10207775402411127/?hc_ref=ARTuww1xobGk6c34jEPEK4sFp6jN4OGx_RDy3T7oJ5hWRMwi2YMO1CfbbwzKYhcRmB0 https://www.instagram.com/operationtwinlinks/
Highlights US Telephone in WWI - Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser, AT&T | @02:25 The tide begins to turn - Mike Shuster | @10:10 The “Sweetheart of the doughboys” - Edward Lengel | @14:25 The Women’s Land Army - Elaine Weiss | @22:55 Anzac Day - Group Captain Peter Davis & Commander Peter Kempster | @30:30 100 Cities / 100 Memorials: Granite, OK - Phil Neighbors & Perry Hutchison | @37:40 Speaking WW1: Kiwi & Aussie | @44:25 WW1 War Tech: Geophone | @45:35 Dispatch Newsletter Headlines | @47:20 WWI Centennial in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @50:05----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #69 - 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. This week: Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser tells us about an iconic American company and its role in the war -- AT&T. Mike Schuster, from the great war project blog updates us on German morale as Operation Georgette comes to a close. Dr. Edward Lengel with the story of Elsie Janis, the “sweetheart of the doughboys” Elaine Weiss introduces us to the Farmerettes, the women’s land army Group Captain Peter Davis and Commander Peter Kempster on the Australian and New Zealander commemorations for ANZAC day Phil Neighbors and Perry Hutchison with the 100 Cities / 100 Memorial project from Granite, Oklahoma. Katherine Akey with the commemoration of world war one in social media And lots more... on 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 Today we are going to explore the US telephone system during the war -- and unlike most nations where the phone systems are typically government owned --- The US Telephone system has always been privately owned - well, not always - for 1 year during WWI - the US government took over the nation’s telephone system… but perhaps most amazing of all - a year later, after the war, the US government privatized it again! With that as a setup, let’s jump into our centennial time machine and look at the America’s telephone story 100 years ago - in the war that changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] [TRANSITION] World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week It is the summer of 1918 and the House Committee on Interstate Commerce is holding hearings about a government take over of the nation’s privately held telephone system. Only three witnesses are called to testify - Albert Berleson - The Postmaster General, Newton Baker, the secretary of war and Josephus Daniels, the secretary of the Navy. These three men, eventually backup up by President Wilson - are pushing for the takeover of the phone system - citing among other things - national security concerns including the protections from spies using this incredibly powerful technology that is rapidly spreading across the land. Most remarkably --- that representatives of the phone company are NOT asked to participate in the discussion. Well, to help us tell this amazing story, we invited Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser, the corporate Historian from AT&T to join us on the show. AT&T During the War Welcome, Dr. Hochheiser! [greetings/welcome] [Dr. Hochheiser - from an AT&T historical perspective - what was the story here?] [Were the company executives on record about this? What did they say? How did this nationalization actually work? The government suddenly declared that they owned the phone lines, but operations continued to be run by AT&T? Or were they? ] [What happened as a result of the postmaster General’s involvement?] [The most interesting part of all this FOR ME - is that control was returned to AT&T again as the war ended. How did that happen?] [During the war, how did telephone facilities rise to meet wartime needs? ] [Dr, Hochheiser - We just got in a question from our Live audience. Frank Krone wants to know what happened to AT&T’s chief technologist John Carty - after the war?] [How did this 1-year event help shape AT&T as a company?] [goodbye/thanks] Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser is the corporate historian at AT&T. Learn more about the company and its WW1 history at the links in the podcast notes. Links: https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1466&context=faculty_scholarship https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/inventions-flourished-due-wwi.html http://soldiers.dodlive.mil/2014/03/world-war-is-hello-girls-paving-the-way-for-women-in-the-u-s-army/ https://www.corp.att.com/history/history1.html [MUSIC TRANSITION] Great War Project It is time for Mike Shuster -- former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project Blog…. Mike: Your post this week indicates a turning point for the Spring Offensive. As Ed Lengel pointed out previously in our roundtables, the German goal was to split the French and the British armies and drive the british to the ports and off the mainland. But it looks like that plan has failed! What is going on Mike? [MIKE POST] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. The links to Mike Shuster’s Great War Project blog and the post -- are in the podcast notes. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/04/22/german-morale-is-flagging/ [SOUND EFFECT] America Emerges: Military Stories from WW1 Welcome to our segment - America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI with Dr. Edward Lengel. Ed: Mike Shuster pretty much covered the fighting front here at the end of April - - but your story this week offers us a wonderful and completely different perspective on the events in Europe and a very, very special person - The “Sweetheart of the Doughboys” - Singer and entertainer Elsie Janis. What is her 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 and his web sites as an author. Links:http://www.edwardlengel.com/elsie-janis-becomes-sweetheart-doughboys-1918/ https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ The Great War Channel For videos about WWI 100 years ago this week, and from a more european perspective --- check out our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube. New episodes this week include: Knocking out the Hejaz Railway Another of the very popular “Out of the Trenches” episodes where host Indy Neidel takes questions from the audience And finally Felix Graf Von Luckner -- Who did what in WW1? 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 Alright - It is time to fast forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - [SOUND EFFECT] This part of the podcast isn’t the past --- It focuses on NOW and how we are commemorating the centennial of WWI! Commission News Gift from French President recalls WWI USMC heroics in Battle of Belleau Wood This week in Commission news-- we were excited to see that French President Emmanuel Macron brought a special gift to the White House during his visit to Washington -- one that bears great World War I significance: it was a European Sessile Oak sapling from the Belleau Wood in France. Presidents Trump and Macron - ceremonial shovels in hand - planted the commemorative tree on the White house lawn. The Battle of Belleau Wood is one of the most important American engagements of World War One -- it was the first major battle for the US Marines during the conflict and is still viewed as a seminal moment in Marine Corps history. Fighting alongside British and French troops, America suffered more than 9,700 casualties. You can read more about this meaningful and symbolic gift, and see pictures of the ceremonial planting at the White House, by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4376-special-gift-from-the-president-of-france-recalls-american-wwi-heroics.html Remembering Veterans Farmerettes and Suffrage with author Elaine Weiss This week For Remembering Veterans -- As we have pointed out before --- there are actually more veterans of WWI than just the soldiers and sailors - As the men headed off to training camps and to Europe - The women of America needed to pick up the role of their missing men -- Especially when it came to feeding the nation. And that is the story of the “Farmerettes and the Women’s Land Army”. With us to explore that story is Elaine Weiss, journalist and author of multiple books including Fruits of Victory: The Woman’s Land Army in the Great War --- as well as The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote. Welcome to the podcast, Elaine! [greetings] [Elaine-- Feeding the nation AND sending desperately needed food to our allies was strategically critical - how did American Womanhood stand up to that task?] [Where did the idea to create a Women’s Land Army come from? ] [How did the Women’s Land Army experience play into the suffrage movement? Were the Farmerettes paid for their work? Equal pay for equal work?] [What was the reception the women received -- both on the ground, by the farmers, the public, and the government?] [What became of the farmerettes once the war ended… especially when the men came home?] [Did the legacy of these women set a precedent when the second world war came around? ] [How about their influence on the women in the workforce today?] [goodbyes/thanks] Elaine Weiss is an award winning journalist and author of multiple books, including the recently published The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote from Viking Books. Read a rave review of her new book, and learn more about her work by following the links in the podcast notes. Links:http://elaineweiss.com/ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/books/review/womans-hour-elaine-weiss.html Events NC State University This week from our WWI centennial events registers at ww1cc.org/events -- there is a great one at North Carolina State University, on May 1st! Back in Episode #64, we spoke to Thomas Skolnicki [SKOAL-nick-ee], the Landscape Architect for the University -- retired US navy Rear Admiral -- Benny Suggs, the director of NC State's Alumni Association and US Air Force Veteran, World War One Centennial Commissioner Jerry Hester -- All three men are NC State University Alumni, and all involved in the school’s 100 Cities, 100 memorials project. They told us about the restoration of the school’s belltower -- and about this upcoming rededication event. The event will include a full military ceremony with a 21-gun salute and a flyover of F-15s from the 4th Fighter Wing stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, in Goldsboro, NC. It’s an opportunity for all to learn about the sacrifices made by NC State students and the commitment that the school has made since its inception to military service and leadership. Nearly 2,000 students and alumni served in WWI, and the Bell Tower includes the names of the 34 who died in that service. So if you’re in the area -- be sure to check it out! We have links for further details in the podcast notes. Link:https://news.ncsu.edu/2018/04/belltower-event-commemorates-end-of-wwi/ https://www.alumni.ncsu.edu/s/1209/16/interior.aspx?sid=1209&pgid=6092&gid=1001&cid=9908&ecid=9908&post_id=0 International Report In our International Report-- This past Wednesday, April 25th is a day of special remembrance that has its roots in World War One- It is known as ANZAC day which stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers are known as Anzacs. and here to tell us more about the past, present and future of ANZAC day are Group Captain Peter Davis of the Australian Defense Staff and Commander Peter Kempster of the New Zealand Defense Force. Gentlemen, welcome to the podcast [greetings/welcome] [So what’s the story of ANZAC day? What’s the origin?] [How is ANZAC day celebrated in Australia and New Zealand? And does the commemoration differ between the two nations?] [[This is the last centennial year-- what were commemorations like on Anzac day this year?] [I think many people may be familiar with the ANZAC’s involvement at Gallipoli-- but that engagement was over by 1916. Where did the forces deploy to after that?] [Personally, what does ANZAC day mean for you?] [thanks/goodbye] Group Captain Peter Davis is the Assistant Defense Attache and Chief of Staff of the Australian Defense Staff at the US Australian Embassy and Commander Peter Kempster is the New Zealand Naval Attache to the US for the New Zealand Defense Force. Learn more about ANZAC day and the centennial organizations of both countries by following the links in the podcast notes. Link: https://www.awm.gov.au/index.php/about/our-work/projects/centenary-projects http://www.anzaccentenary.gov.au/ http://www.defence.gov.au/events/centenaryofanzac/ProgramOfEvents.asp https://ww100.govt.nz/ https://mch.govt.nz/what-we-do/our-projects/current/first-world-war-centenary-projects 100 Cities 100 Memorials This week for our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials segment --- the $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue and focus on our local WWI memorials ---we are going to profile the World War I Memorial project from Granite, Oklahoma. With us tell us about Granite, Greer County and their inspiring WWI story are Phil Neighbors, pastor of the Valley Baptist church and a native son of Granite, and Perry Hutchison, retired Army Colonel and former professor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth Officer Training School. Gentlemen, welcome to the podcast [greetings/welcome] [Phil: In your grant application you describe Granite, Oklahoma as a small community of heroes - that’s an intriguing opening line! What did you mean?] [Phil: American Legion Post 121 in Mangum Oklahoma is placing a new monument in the World War 1 Memorial Park in Granite. Can you tell us a little about those specifics please? [Well, Phil - As I we talked off line, there is another Oklahoma 100 Cities / 100 Memorials awardee from Towson, Oklahoma. So this is interesting - It seems that Oklahoma has a big WWI story to tell - but doesn’t seem to have a WWI centennial organization or Website - maybe this will help stimulate something to come together!] [Phil: Thank you for bringing us the story of the heroes from your corner of the country. It’s been great to have you on!] [thanks/goodbye] Phil Neighbors is pastor of the Valley Baptist church and a native son of Granite, Oklahoma and Perry Hutchison, retired Army Colonel and former professor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth Officer Training School Learn more about the 100 Cities/100 Memorials program by following the links in the podcast notes or by going to ww1cc.org/100Memorials Link: www.ww1cc.org/100cities Speaking WW1 It’s time for our weekly feature “Speaking World War 1” -- Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- We are sticking with our ANZAC theme... New Zealand, as were all the Dominion nations of the British Empire, was thrown into World War 1 by Britain’s own declaration of war on August 4, 1914. When the New Zealanders arrived in Europe - Their uniforms were emblazoned with badges, emblems, and insignias of Kiwis - and NO… It’s not an egg-shaped fuzzy fruit - It’s the big, flightless and quite unique national bird of New Zealand! And one of our two Speaking WWI Words this week - these soldiers were instantly nicknames the Kiwis! As for the Australians, Also a dominion nation - their WWI soldierly nickname and that stuck ever since is our second Speaking WWI word this week - Aussies. Kind of obvious - and you know it -- but I’ll bet you didn’t know that the nickname came from WWI! Kiwis and Aussies-- nicknames earned during the war that helped cement these two great nations and their identities -- and this week’s words for speaking WW1. Links:https://ww100.govt.nz/where-britain-goes-we-go https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/first-world-war-overview/introduction#ft1 http://mentalfloss.com/article/58233/21-slang-terms-world-war-i http://slll.cass.anu.edu.au/centres/andc/annotated-glossary/a http://online.wsj.com/ww1/australia-new-zealand-founding-myths [SOUND EFFECT] WW1 War Tech Geophone For WW1 War Tech -- this week we are headed underground to learn about yet a sonic invention of necessity. Within just a few months of the first construction of a trench, the tangle of an estimated 25,000 miles of trenches spread from the English channel to the Swiss border. The only way to attack the enemy was through a costly offensive in No Man’s Land, or… and I did not know this…. underground via a system of tunnels. This method of offensive mining quickly became standard in some areas. And so… a device that could detect an enemies’ digging patterns would prove immensely valuable. It was a Professor Jean Perrin of the Sorbonne University in Paris, who provided just that type of device with his invention of the geophone in 1915. It was basically a specialized stethoscope like device -- that could amplify sound traveling underground --- sort of an earth sonar, enabling a skilled listener to detect the distance and location of German tunnels. Some imaginative soldiers operating geophones under ground would often interpret strange things from the noises they picked up - one report from a New Zealand Tunneling Company describes how one listener swore he had heard a horse eating oats, which the author noted could only have been true if the horse had been a prehistoric fossil! The report went on to detail the exhausting process of piecing out all the sounds a geophone operator could hear while underground, and determining which ones were harmless and which ones signified hostile activities. This underground duty QUOTE “strained body, brain, and nerve” like no other. Because of these pressures, tunnelers often received up to four times as much pay as soldiers on the surface. And, by and large, their work paid off: it was British tunnelers blew up 19 mines simultaneously at Messines in June 2017, killing approximately 10,000 German troops and creating the most powerful man-made explosion prior to Hiroshima. The geophone-- the subject of this week’s WW1 War Tech. We have put links in the podcast notes to learn more\ Links: http://ww1centenary.oucs.ox.ac.uk/space-into-place/the-war-underground-an-overview/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/inside-first-world-war/part-eight/10741888/world-war-one-weaponry.html https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/listening-with-a-geophone Articles and Posts For Articles and posts -- here are the highlighted features from our weekly dispatch newsletter. [DING] Headline: Building a World War I tank in the garage Read an interview with two of our friends who have a pretty unique weekend project. They are building a WWI tank in a garage. Actually, we should say that they are building another WWI tank in a garage -- they already completed one, earlier last year! [DING] Headline: Pennsylvania WWI Centennial Committee sets World War I History Symposium at the U.S. Army History & Education Center Read about this exciting symposium event -- which will feature four unique and engaging presentations by retired U.S. Army Major Kurt Sellers, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel John D. Shepard, author Gloria J. House, and genealogist and historic researcher Barbara Selletti. [DING] Headline: WWrite blog: In a Lonely Forest This week’s WWrite blog post features one writer’s quest to uncover the story of WW1 era lyricist, Josef Rust. [DING] Headline: Story of World War I Choctaw Code Talkers told at Reims event in France Read about a special April event in Reims, France where the story of the Choctaw code talkers was presented to the local audience. [DING] Headline: Help sought to return World War I medal unearthed in N.J. woods to vet's family A metal detector recently unearthed a WW1 service medal -- read about its discovery and the efforts to return it to its original owner’s family. [DING] Headline: The story of Otho Bradford Place This week’s featured Doughboy MIA is 2nd Lt. Otho Bradford Place, a native of Bremen Indiana who died in battle during an attack along the Agron River. [DING] Headline: Official WWI Centennial Merchandise Finally, our selection from our Official online Centennial Merchandise store - this week, it’s the Centennial Commemorative Pin! Proudly Wearing the WWI 100 Years lapel pin is a fantastic way to start a conversation. The question, what’s that? Can lead to great discussions about the centennial, the commemoration and WWI. Wear the pin and let the world know it’s the centennial! And those are the headlines this week from the Dispatch Newsletter Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch newsletter at ww1cc.org/subscribe check 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://www.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 did you pick? Trench Art and Commemoration Follow Up Hi Theo -- This past week had a lot of commemorative events happen -- and we’ve shared images and video from them on our Facebook page that you can see in the podcast notes. Events included the dawn ANZAC ceremony at the Korean War Memorial in DC and in NYC’s Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Plaza-- French President Macron participating in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -- and commemoration of the Battle of Seicheprey in Connecticut. You can also see some great images of ANZACs in the field on our Instagram at ww1cc -- including a photo of some aussies camped out at the foot of the Great Pyramids with their mascot Kangaroo! Also shared on our Facebook page this week was a historic video from ECPAD, a French archive of historical defense audiovisual material. The video shows soldiers, and prisoners of war, fashioning various objects from leftover military equipment, like spent shells, shrapnel, and broken pallets. These Trench Artists create vases, buckets, decorative mementos, toys, pipes, and musical instruments from the detritus of the war around them -- and also repair clothing and boots, recycle old wax into new candles, and more. You can watch these improvisational artisans working by following the link in the podcast notes. That’s it for this week in the Buzz. Link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/pcb.967365740105391/967365683438730/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/wwi100nyc/posts/1623102094475370 https://www.instagram.com/ww1cc/ https://www.facebook.com/ArlingtonNationalCemetery/posts/10157322536098976 https://www.facebook.com/CTinWorldWar1/posts/1666362546743273 https://www.facebook.com/laurentnice/videos/10213046223568254/ Outro And that wraps up the last week of April for WW1 Centennial News. Thank you for listening. We also want to thank our guests... Dr. Sheldon Hochheiser, corporate historian at AT&T Mike Shuster, Curator for the great war project blog Dr. Edward Lengel, Military historian and author Elaine Weiss, journalist and author Group Captain Peter Davis of the Australian Defense Staff and Commander Peter Kempster of the New Zealand Defense Force. Phil Neighbors, and Perry Hutchison, from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Granite OK Katherine Akey, WWI Photography specialist and the line producer for the podcast Many thanks to Mac Nelsen our sound editor as well as John Morreale our intern and Eric Marr 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 Or search WW1 Centennial News on iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn, Podbean, Stitcher - Radio on Demand, Spotify or using your smart speaker.. Just say “Play W W One Centennial News Podcast”. 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] So, you know how we always do a closing joke - typically about our speaking WWI word. Well, when I researching jokes about ANZAKS - here is what came up in Google. An unwritten law in Australia and New Zealand is “Don’t make jokes about the Anzacs.” You can make jokes about almost anything except the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps That’s pretty funny! So long!
Highlights - Healers of WW1 March Preview - Roundtable with Dr. Edward Lengel, Katherine Akey & Theo mayer | @02:15 Spoils of War from Russia - Mike Shuster | @13:10 Medicine in WW1 - Charles Van Way, George Thompson & Sanders Marble | @18:30 New VSO WW1 support site @ ww1cc.org/veteran | @26:00 African American nurses in WW1 - Dr. Marjorie DesRosier | @27:35 100C/100M project from Raymond WA - Gordon Aleshire | @33:25 Women Physicians in WW1 - Eliza Chin, Keri Kukral & Mollie Marr | @36:50 Speaking WW1 - “Archie” | @43:10 WW1 War Tech - The Browning Machine Gun | @45:05 WWrite Blog on Brest-Litovsk Treaty | @47:10 American War Artist and his curator - Katherine Akey | @48:10----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #61 - 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 2nd, 2018 and our guests for this week include: Dr. Edward Lengel, Joining Katherine Akey and I in a March preview roundtable. Mike Shuster, from the great war project blog with an update on the fallout from the Russian defeat on the Eastern Front Charles Van Way, George Thompson, and Sanders Marble on Medicine in WW1 and their new website at the Commission Dr. Marjorie DesRosier on the struggle of African American Nurses in WW1 Gordon Aleshire, telling us about the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Raymond, Washington Eliza Chin, Keri Kukral and Mollie Marr telling us about the short documentary At Home and Over There: American Women Physicians in World War I Katherine Akey, with a special report on an amazing French WWI photography curator A great lineup -- today -- on 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 Last month we did an experiment. Dr. Edward Lengel, Katherine and I sat down together - as we often do in our editorial meetings - and talked about the upcoming month of February. We got great feedback from you so we are going to do it again, here at the top of March! I put a sidecar on our centennial Time Machine so we’d all fit as we roll back 100 years to the war that changed the world! World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] Overview Chat with Ed, Katherine and Theo Ed, Katherine - welcome to early March 1918. [Ed & Katherine make some comment] So guys - I understand that this is our last chance to take a breather - Starting this month, the action gets pretty hot and heavy with the Germans getting ready for their big Spring offensive. [Katherine - you use the term Kaiser Schlagt or Emperor’s Strike. Is that the same thing as the “spring offensive?”] [Ed - this is going to go on for months going forward - can you give us an overview and what the German’s have in mind?] [Quick change of subject - As we get into the military action we keep throwing around all these names of military formation like division, corps, regiment, brigade - and I’ll wager 80% of our audience has no idea of what all that means - so let’s do an overview - We sent over a Field Army - that’s the big one - the American forces] [Ed - can you break it down for us - sort of big to small and tell us about how many soldiers are in these various formations?] [Force building in Europe - March - April - May - June etc…] [Now that we have a clear idea that there are ARMIES on the ground - As the German offensive starts - Our US General Pershing needs to integrate with the French and the British commands - How does all that lay out?] [Flu begins] That was Dr. Edward Lengel and Katherine Akey as we talked about an overview for the upcoming month of March, 1918 and even looking forward a bit more than that. Next week we will be back to our regular 100-years-ago this week format including our regular feature ‘America Emerges - Military Stories from WWI” [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Now on to the Great War project with Mike Shuster - former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project Blog…. Mike’s recent posts have told us of the devastating suffering of the German people in the fatherland, But…. the Kaiser and his Generals are feeling hot and empowered by the total defeat of the Russians on the Eastern front. They think they are going to win this thing! The spoils-of-war from that campaign include vast territorial gains, massive stashes of captured arms, repatriation of huge numbers of soldier all now available to put the big wallop on the French and Brits - hopefully before the Americans can really join in the fight. So Mike the details of the Russian collapse are really monumental, aren’t they!? [MIKE POST] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/02/25/german-attack-in-west-is-imminent/ [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel The Great War Channel on Youtube is hosted by Indy Neidel. Here is Indy. [Hello WW1 Centennial News Listeners - I’m Indy Neidell, host of the Great War Channel on Youtube. American troops are about to experience their first major battle of the war-- the Kaiserschlacht. Join us every Thursday for a new episode to follow this massive German offensive as it unfolds. Find us on Youtube and follow us on Facebook.] This week’s new videos from the Great War Channel include: Operation Faustschlag - Germany advances in the east again Amphibious Landing Craft The Czechoslovak Legion’s Odyssey through Russia To 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 OK… time to fast forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - [SOUND EFFECT] In this section we explore what is happening NOW to commemorate the centennial of the War that changed the world! Commission News Medicine in WW1 Website We have a lot to unpack here so let’s get going with Medicine in WWI! We have three guests with us today who not only know a whole lot about the subject - but they have also bundles that know-how into an amazing new website on the Commission’s server at WW1CC.org/medicine - all lower case. Charles Van Way, a retired Army Colonel, Professor Emeritus at University of Missouri–Kansas City George Thompson, Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of the History and Philosophy of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Sanders Marble, the senior historian with the Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage. These are the three men responsible for this website. And they did a masterful job. It may be one of the most authoritative, in-depth, well illustrated and concise subject sections on our site. Welcome, gentlemen! [greetings] [Gentlemen: At the very top of your website you put a statement.. It reads: A century ago, American Medicine went to war! I love that - it’s very illustrative.] [How did the three of you come together to undertake making with wonderful resource?] [What was the biggest impact of the war on American Medicine? Charles, let’s start with you.] [OK - a round table question - with a one phrase answer - what was the single most important innovation in medicine coming out of this war - ] [Sanders --- George --- Charles----] (talk about how they agree and disagree) [We just had a question come in from a member of our live audience: When influenza cases started to appear on the in-transit troop ships - what kind of isolation units were set up on these overcrowded transports to lower the contagion rate? ] [Quickly about the website - It is really comprehensive - You could do a semester course with it. Charles, could you give us a high level overview of what all is there? Gentlemen - thank you for introducing us to the subject of Medicine in WWI - but most of all - thank you for the huge effort you put into building the scholarly, in-depth and well thought web site at ww1cc.org/medicine! [they respond] [goodbyes] Charles Van Way, George Thompson, and Sanders Marble are the curators of Medicine in WW1, the amazing new resource at ww1cc.org/medicine. Link: www.ww1cc.org/medicine Remembering Veterans New Veterans Landing page To kick off our Remembering Veterans Section this week, let’s talk about VSOs - that stands for Veteran Service Organizations. Organizations like the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars or VFW, The Daughters of the American Revolution or DAR and a whole lot of others. These organizations are very important partners for the commission with closely aligned goals and missions. Many of you listening today are in fact members of a VSO, but if you are not, let me give you an overview of who they are. First of all - they are amazing - and amazingly dedicated organizations focused on the men and women who served and sacrificed for our nation. And although they have national organizations, for the most part - they are very grassroots by nature with thousands of local posts or chapters all around the country that do all the real hands stuff. For example - When my dad, who was a Marine Corps Pilot in WWII passed away, a local American Legion post provided an honor guard for his funeral - because he served his nation! And they won’t forget one of their own. And I’ll never forget how they honored him - even though he was not a member of their post. VSO’s have been deeply involved in many of our commemoration programs including 100 Cities / 100 Memorials, centennial commemorations with States, and they have been key financial contributors to the national WWI Memorial project in Washington DC. But as I said - it is all about the local level - so for the local posts and chapters - we just published a special landing page on our website just for them - it’s a landing page with a series of “subject and activity tiles” that make it easy to see how to get involved with the centennial commemoration of the war that changed the world. It’s actually not a bad resource for anyone - at ww1cc.org/veteran all lower case and of course you can always follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/veteran African American Nurses Staying with veterans, wrapping up African American History Month and leading us into Women’s History month, this segment is about the experiences of African American Nurses. Joining us again is Dr. Marjorie DesRosier (de-roh-zuhr), who was on a few weeks ago. Dr. DesRosier is an international nurse historian and independent scholar. She, herself is also a Registered Nurse and former clinical professor from the University of Washington School of Nursing, in Seattle. Welcome back, Dr. DesRosier! [greetings] [The story of African American Nurses in WWI is fascinating - To start, could you tell us about how an African American woman would go about becoming a Nurse in that era? ] [What kinds of resistance did these women encounter?] [How did these women respond? Especially to the Surgeon General’s policies?] [Did it work?] [Where can people learn more about this?] We’ve posted some links in the podcast notes for our listeners - Dr. DesRosier - thank you for coming back on the show to bring us this story. [goodbyes] Dr. DesRosier is an international nurse historian, independent scholar and registered nurse - Follow the link in the podcast notes to learn more about African American Nurses in WW1 and Dr. DesRosier’s work. link:http://desrosierhistory.com/ http://history.amedd.army.mil/ancwebsite/articles/blackhistory.html http://www.edwardianpromenade.com/african-american/african-americans-in-the-great-war/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4046-honoring-african-american-women-who-served-in-the-army-nurse-corps-in-wwi.html 100 Cities 100 Memorials 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. This is a perfect tie-in to the VSO story we told you about earlier - because this project is being done by --- Veterans of Foreign Wars post 968 in Raymond, Washington. With us tell us about their city and the project is Gordon Aleshire, Adjutant of VFW Post 968. Welcome Gordon! [greetings] [Gordon - you live in a beautiful - and pretty remote part of the country - tells us about Raymond, Pacific County and the areas roll in WWI?] [I have seen the before and “in process” pictures of your memorial. It really needed help. Tell us about how the post decided to take this on.] [Did the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project come along for you before or after you took on the challenge?] [What are your rededication plans?] Gordon - Thank you and post 968 for the great work you are doing in remember our WW1 doughboys! [goodbyes] Link: www.ww1cc.org/100cities Project support link: https://www.gofundme.com/ww-i-memorial-restoration Gordon Aleshire, is Adjutant of VFW Post 968 in beautiful Raymond Washington Spotlight in the Media As we mentioned - March is Women’s History month - So This week for our Spotlight in the Media -- We’re joined by Eliza Chin, Keri Kukral and Mollie Marr. They are the team that researched and produced a documentary called: At Home and Over There: American Women Physicians in World War I. [greetings] Welcome to you! [Eliza: You are the executive Director of the American Medical Women’s Association - Briefly - what is that? What does the organization represent?] [Keri: You are the founder and CEO of Raw Science TV - again briefly what is that?] [Mollie: you know this was coming - I know you are a student at the Oregon Health & Science University - but you’re also the Executive Chair of the American Medical Women's Association branch at the school - how does that work at a university?] [Alright - So the three of you came together to create this wonderful documentary - AND I have to add - impressive companion online web exhibit - How did this come together? Eliza can you tell us? [Keri-- the film has a 3D component to it. Tell us about that - What was the intent?] [Mollie would you please tell us how you researched the subject - anything particularly surprize you?] [Eliza -- If someone would like to book the film for a local screening or WWI event -- how do they do that?] Thank you all for joining us today and telling us about this great project! [goodbyes] Eliza Chin is Executive Director of the American Medical Women's Association -- Keri Kukral is the CEO of Raw Science TV -- and Mollie Marr is an MD/PhD student at Oregon Health and Science University. You can learn more about their project: At Home and Over There: American Women Physicians in World War I and how to access the documentary for your WWI event by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.amwa-doc.org/ https://www.amwa-doc.org/wwi-exhibition/ https://www.amwa-doc.org/wwi-film/ [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 --- During WWI as planes flew over the front - little puffs of smoke appeared in the sky… Well - actually each one of those puffs was a deadly expanding ball of shrapnel designed to mangle planes and pilots! True to British humor this deadly deterrent for fliers got a silly nickname - which is our Speaking WWI word for this week. “Archie” -- was the British nickname for anti-aircraft fire-- and it has two contested origins. Origin #1: A pilot in the Royal Air Force, Vice-Marshall Borton, who, upon encountering enemy anti-aircraft fire, apparently quoted a lyric from a popular music hall song of time: “Archibald certainly not!” - a popular contemporary cultural exclamation of defiance. [*play song*] Origin #2: The training grounds for RAF pilots back in England at --- Brooklands in Surrey - neighbored a “sewage farm” -- The Archibald sewage farm. Apparently the farm, which processed sewage to irrigate and fertilize the land, had notoriously difficult air currents above it, creating a wafting turbulence the pilots found quite similar to that of the anti-aircraft weapons. Either way, Archie! an humorous and very English term for the explosives that trailed and tormented pilots as they flew over the front in WWI. -- See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/301554/why-is-german-anti-aircraft-fire-called-archibald http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/11156904/The-slang-words-that-defined-the-First-World-War.html http://mentalfloss.com/article/58233/21-slang-terms-world-war-i Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZkyKLZghUc https://languagesandthefirstworldwar.wordpress.com/2017/06/06/archibald-certainly-not/ [SOUND EFFECT] WW1 War Tech Browning Machine Gun For WW1 War Tech -- this week, we’re taking a look at The Browning Machine Gun. It got a lot of press this week 100 years ago because apparently on February 27, 1918, in the vicinity of Congress Heights in Southeastern Washington D.C, it sounded like the War in Europe had suddenly spread to America. This is because they were test firings of the new Browning at the U.S. Government’s shooting range. The guns, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and the Browning M1917, were being demonstrated to a crowd of American politicians, foreign army officers, and the press. The firearms were being touted as “the finest gun in the world”. The machine guns were the brainchild of John Moses Browning, a man known as “the father of modern firearms” whose weapons designs, including the pump-action shotgun. When the Army sent out a request to all American inventors asking for new firearms designs in 1917, Browning personally traveled to the capital to present his new prototypes. The Ordinance Department demanded these weapons be put to the test by shooting 20,000 rounds of ammunition. When the test was performed at the Government Proving Grounds in May 1917, Browning’s gun fired the 20,000 rounds with no complications, then fired another 20,000 only breaking a single part. Besides reliability, another impressive feature was a design so simplistic, the officers who demonstrated the weapon could take it apart and put it back together while blindfolded. This made such an impression on the War Department that the “blindfold test” soon became an essential part of military training. Mass production began soon thereafter, with the first Browning guns arriving in France on June 29, 1918. Though only 1,168 Brownings saw combat, the general design proved so useful the Browning M1917 was an essential part of the American arsenal all the way until the Korean War. Read more about the Browning at the links in the podcast notes. Links: http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=358 https://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=785 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gun-designer-john-browning-is-born http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/mgun_bar.htm http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/mgun_browning.htm https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/27/103191974.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/28/109328811.pdf http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/places/official-bulletin/3329-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-2-issue-244-febuary-27-1918.html Articles and Posts WWrite Blog This week for the WWrite Blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, the post reads: “Brest-Litovsk: Eastern Europe’s Forgotten Father” The post was written by Adrian Bonenberger In his lifetime, the world-famous Polish dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky, might have also claimed Russian, German, or Ukrainian nationality. The future of Nijinsky's Europe–and his identity–was decided on March 3, 1918. Veteran author, Adrian Bonenberger, calls the event "the moment" when "the old world falls apart, and creates space for the new to arise." In this week's WWrite post, Bonenberger gives us a rich overview of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty and its implications for the former Soviet bloc countries! Read the story at the Wwrite Blog. Ww1cc.org/w w r i t e or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/4094-brest-litovsk-eastern-europe-s-forgotten-father-2.html Waldo Peirce Changing formats a little - Katherine Akey is going to close out this week with a story about an article we posted on our website at ww1cc.org/news about American painter and ambulance driver - Waldo Pierce - but her report is equally about the Corine Reis - the author of the article and a dedicated French curator of WWI stories and images. [Katherine - you were the one who came across Corine that led to the article maybe we should start with her - her curated images are truly AMAZING!!!] Hey Theo -- yeah, the project Corine has been working on is something else. Published on our website, and included in our weekly email dispatch, is an interview with Corine. She’s a French citizen historian -- and the great-niece of American painter and ambulance driver Waldo Peirce. He was one of the many students voluntarily leaving their lives at home-- for him, his studies at Harvard-- to aid the French years before America joined the war. Corine meticulously, and with a great sense of storytelling, curates and shares his photographs, artwork and writings on her Tumblr and Facebook pages, chronicling his experience throughout the war. Her interest and personal connection to Waldo grew over time, expanding to include the American Volunteers of WW1 at large. In the interview, Corine discusses her passion, the incredible archive left behind by her great-uncle Waldo, and her plans for documenting the lives of volunteers during WW2 as well. Additionally to reading the interview, I’d really, really encourage you to take the time to scroll through her Tumblr, which can be found embedded in the interview at WW1cc.org. To say that Corine is a dedicated storyteller is a understatement of the highest order. Through this project, she has gathered photographs and excerpts from collections all across the world, creating a single body of stories that is unlike most we encounter when researching World War One. I first came across her Tumblr during my weekly search for photographic content for the Commission, and was really surprised at how few of the images were familiar to me. So much of what she has rediscovered and shared with the world is quiet, quotidian, and somehow spectacular: An image of a woman ambulance driver holding a kitten and casually wearing the Croix de Guerre; an over-the-shoulder shot of a young British officer staring longingly at a photo of a woman tucked inside his hat; an image of a man sitting in the midst of a dense, unspoiled French forest as sunbeams glance through the trees; a crowd gathering around a deep, shearing hole in the Parisian street, the result of a recent German air raid. The collection Corine has assembled -- and continues to assemble-- is exceptional. The hours of work -- as well as her very artful eye and deep passion for the subject-- are evident in every post. We’ve included links in the podcast notes to the interview we did with her, as well as to her Facebook and Tumblr pages. Links: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4082-waldo-peirce-goes-to-war-is-a-remarkable-new-wwi-tumblr-blog.html https://waldopeircegoestowar.tumblr.com/ https://www.facebook.com/waldo.peirce Thank you Katherine - Outro Thank you for listening to this week’s episode of WW1 Centennial News. We also want to thank our guests... Dr. Edward Lengel, Military historian and author Mike Shuster, Curator for the great war project blog Charles Van Way, George Thompson, and Sanders Marble, the curators of the new Medicine in WW1 website Dr. Marjorie DesRosier, nurse, author and historian Gordon Aleshire, Adjutant of VFW Post 968 Eliza Chin, Keri Kukral and Mollie Marr, the production team behind the documentary At Home and Over There: American Women Physicians in World War I Katherine Akey, the commission’s social media director and line producer for the podcast Thanks also to our intern John Morreale for his great research assistance. And I am Theo Mayer - your host. [MUSIC] CLOSING 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; this podcast is a part of that…. Thank you! 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, new this week on Stitcher - Radio on Demand --- as well as the other places you get your podcast -- even on your smart speaker.. Just say “Play W W One Centennial News Podcast.” 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] Archie, Veronica and Jughead - Three types of deadly munitions from WWI - Not true…. Just kidding… So long! So long!
Highlights The Government's Expanding Power | @10:30 America Emerges: 1st Division learns tough lessons - Edward Lengel | @08:55 War in the Sky: First US planes get shipped to France | @13:15 GWP Blog: Wrapup on Tuscania - Mike Shuster | @15:30 A Century in the Making: A busy week for the memorial project | @20:15 Remembering Veterans: the 370th Infantry Regiment - Colonel Eugene Scott | @24:00 Education: Poppy Program in middle school - Taylor Gibbs & Lyvia bartoli | @31:35 Speaking WW1: Camouflage | @36:55 WW1 War Tech: Depth Charge | @39:00 WWrite Blog: This Colored Man Is No Slacker | @41:00 Buzz: The flu then, the flu now - Katherine Akey | @42:05----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #60 - 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 February 23rd, 2018 and our guests for this week include: Dr. Edward Lengel, with a story about the 1st Division’s early encounter with gas warfare Mike Shuster, from the great war project blog with a wrap up story of the sinking of the Tuscania Colonel Eugene Scott - US Army Retired - with the restoration of the 370th regiment Victory Monument in Chicago Taylor Gibbs and Lyvia Bartoli sharing their experience fundraising with the Commission’s Poppy Program Katherine Akey, with the centennial of WWI in social media All now -- on 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 In October of 1917, Wilson signs the "Trading with The enemy" act into law giving him sweeping new powers to manage and control international trade. We covered this in some detail during episode #42 and here are the highlights: Enemy owned property can be seized Enemy intellectual property can be ignored The Treasury department gets extensive powers over the international movement of precious metals and securities The postmaster General gets total censorship rights over international communications including telegraph Interestingly - “enemy” is defined as someone we have declared war on OR a nation that the President simply proclaims as an enemy OR a company engaged in commerce with an enemy OR a company incorporated or operating in enemy territory OR a company that has ties to one of the many things above. With free reign to seize and capture foreign properties - the administration sets up the Office of the Alien Property Custodian putting a guy named A. Mitchell Palmer in charge of “appropriating” enemy held properties. This week 100 years ago - Using the “Trading with the Enemy” and the “espionage” acts as foundations - President Wilson goes the next mile and issues a series of proclamations including taking total control of all the foreign commerce of the United States. With that that as a setup - it's time to jump into our centennial Time Machine and roll back 100 years to the war that changed the world. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] It is mid February 1918. From the pages of the Official Bulletin - the government war gazette published by George Creel - the nation's propaganda chief comes the following: [radio and telegraph sound effect] Dateline: Friday February 15, 1918 The headline in the Official Bulletin Reads: PRESIDENT ISSUES PROCLAMATIONS FOR CONTROL OF ENTIRE FOREIGN COMMERCE OF UNITED STATES LICENSES REQUIRED FOR ALL IMPORTS AND EXPORTS And the story reads: The President has today issued two proclamations which will become effective to-morrow. After February 16, 1918, no commodities may be exported from this country or imported into this country except under license. The administration states that: “the military situation and the tonnage situation have made increasingly apparent the necessity of Instituting a complete and thorough control of all our exports and imports. [theo] The entire second page of the article - all three columns -- are dedicated to the detailing of the scores of types of goods now under import and export regulation as well as the dozens of countries now under commerce restrictions. You can read the full text of the proclamations yourself, since we re-publish every issue of the official bulletin on the Commission’s web site at ww1cc.org/bulletin - go to the February 15th issue and read the story on page 1 and 2. In the same issue the treasury department announces that they have begun a nation-wide hunt for Alien Property to be impounded or confiscated. [SOUND EFFECT] Headline: Nationwide Hunt for Alien Property Is Begun by U. S. Custodian Palmer WARNING NOTICE GIVEN Persons Evading Law Liable to $10,000 Fine or Ten Years' Imprisonment or Both. [Theo] As an aside - $10,000 in 1918 is the equivalent of $180 grand today. The story reads: Mitchell Palmer, Alien Property Custodian, authorizes the following statement: Federal agents have begun a search of the country from coast to coast to get in alien property still outstanding. Holders of property thus uncovered who have failed to report it, may be fined or imprisoned, or both. The law will be impartially enforced against all individuals or corporations who fail to report the possession of enemy property. But the Wilson administration is not stopping there - They are also going for total control of the railroads - Dateline Feb. 22. 1918 A headline in the NY times reads The Senate Passes Railroad Bill [Theo] And the story reads: With Administration forces victorious · on every contested point, the bill for Government control of railroads passes the Senate tonight without a roll call. Determined efforts to prescribe limitations beyond which the President or the Director General might not go in managing the railroads, failed when Senators of both parties rallied strongly behind Senator Smith of South Carolina --- the Administration spokesman on this measure. [Theo] The story goes on to read: So generous was the Senate that the President is to be untrammeled by any existing law that he deems will handicap or hinder effective governmental control and management of the transportation systems. [Theo] But there are those in the government that are getting worried about the Executive branch gathering so much dictatorial power - and where this may leave the nation after the hostilities cease. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: February 19, 1918 In a New York Times headline: WATSON CRITICIZES POWERS GIVEN TO WILSON Senator Watson opposes power extension for after the war ends In the story senator Watson, a Republican is quoted: I am willing to confer upon the President all the power necessary to Win this war: I have voted for several measures, the necessity of which I doubted, because he stated that the authority sought was essential to the successful prosecution of this conflict; but I am not yet convinced that, ln order to win this war, it is necessary to confer upon the President these tremendous powers for a period of peace after the conflict shall have ceased. To that end let us firmly resolve that, with the proclamation of peace, the President shall surrender all the vast powers willingly conferred upon him by an aroused people, because of the exigent necessities of war: and that this nation shall return to the kind of republic founded by the revered fathers of this Union! And so the Wilson Administration consolidates its unprecedented and overarching power across all sectors of American industry, food production, transportation, finance and trade 100 years ago this week in the war the changed the world. Follow our research links in the podcast notes. Links: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/places/official-bulletin/3327-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-2-issue-240-febuary-21-1918.html https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/19/103191523.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/19/103191559.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/19/103191562.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/21/102672512.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/22/102673051.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/23/102673526.pdf America Emerges: Military Stories from WW1 This week on: America Emerges: Military Stories from WWI… Dr. Edward lengel recounts the story of the First Division - the Big Red One in action, as they face off a deadly gas attack. Welcome Ed. [ED LENGEL] Ed - Next week you’ll be joining Katherine and I for our March preview roundtable - looking forward to speaking with you then! [Thanks Theo] 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 and his website as an author. Links:http://www.edwardlengel.com/big-red-one-action-ansauville-1918/ https://www.facebook.com/EdwardLengelAuthor/ http://www.edwardlengel.com/about/ War in the Sky This week for the War in the Sky we are going to look at some articles from the times and the Bulletin. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Thursday February 21, 1918 A headline in the NY Times reads: FOE COMES AND GOES AT WILL Enemy Airplanes View Positions and Take Observations Freely Above The Reach of Guns Only Fighting Air Machines Can Stop Their Calm Parade Over Enemy Lines And the story reads: Control of the air in the American Sector belongs to the enemy. Any officer at the front will make this declaration - and all have made it. Every time the Germans come over, their path through the sky is followed by fleecy shrapnel puffs, but the the chances of hitting an airplane with anti-aircraft shells at those high altitudes is so remote that the enemy aviators calmly fly along, as if on a pleasure tour. The article closes with the question: "When are some American Planes Coming Here?" The answer is published on the same day in the Official Bulletin this week: [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Thursday February 21 1918 Headline: First American-Made Aerial Warships Now on Way to the French Battlefront, A statement by the Secretary of War reads: The first American-built battle planes are to-day en route to the front in France. This first shipment, though in itself not large, marks the final overcoming of many difficulties met in building up this new and intricate industry. These planes are equipped with the first American “Liberty motors” from machine production. One of them in a recent test surpassed all records for speed and climbing for planes of that type. Engine production, which began a month ago, is now on a quantity basis and the peak of production will be reached in a few weeks. [theo] And so the first planes are shipping to France from the US with the aim of changing the dynamics of the war in the sky 100 years ago this week . See the links in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/warinthesky http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/places/official-bulletin/3327-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-2-issue-240-febuary-21-1918.html https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/21/102672505.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/21/102672510.pdf https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/22/102673069.pdf [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Now on to the Great War project with Mike Shuster - former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project Blog…. This week Mike takes another look at the Tuscania sinking in the context of the great troop movements over the Atlantic. Our research for the podcast shows that this singular ship sinking was in news for weeks and somehow marks a psychological watershed for the US. Perhaps it was the realization that we were in a real life and death struggle. What are your headlines Mike? [MIKE POST] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/02/18/a-gathering-flood-of-doughboys/ https://cdn.loc.gov/service/sgp/sgpbatches/batch_dlc_argonne_ver03/data/20001931/print/1918022201/0001.pdf [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel For videos about WWI we recommend the Great War Channel on Youtube. These veteran WWI story producers are offering several new videos this week including: Russian Pistols of WW1 No War, No Peace - Trotsky’s Gamble France’s War Aims and Refugees To see their videos about WWI follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. 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 section is not about history, but rather - it explores what is happening NOW to commemorate the centennial of the War that changed the world! A Century in the Making A century in the making - the story of America’s WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. In this segment we take you on an insider’s journey that explores this grand undertaking, and the people behind it. It’s been an exciting week for the Memorial Team. Late last week, Maquette in hand - the maquette being the 10 foot long first draft miniature of the stunning sculpture for the memorial - the team set up for a meeting and review by the Washington Commission of Fine Arts - one of the governing bodies for what is -- and what is not built in the Nation’s Capital. Good progress was made with the CFA commissioners providing their insight and feedback to the team. Then it was off to New York for the project’s first exposure on national networks television, as Commission Chairman Terry Hamby, Sculptor Sabin Howard and the Maquette joined host Steve Doocy for an interview recording on the set of Fox and Friends - The segment aired this past Tuesday Morning [RUN EXCERPT CLIP FROM INTERVIEW] The airing resulted in thousands of page views of the memorial webiste and most important hundreds of people making their first donations to the project. Now the Maquette and team have set up a special showing the historic Willard Hotel in Washington DC - located directly across the street from Pershing Park - the future home of America’s WWI Memorial in Washington DC. It’s been a big week for a wonderful project that has been A Century In The Making. If you are not familiar with this great project, let me invite you for a direct look at ww1cc.org/memorial or follow the link in the podcast notes Link: http://ww1cc.org/memorial Remembering Veterans/100 Cities 100 Memorials Today we are combining our Remembering Veterans AND our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials segments with an interview with Colonel Eugene Frederick Scott - US Army Retired -- born in the South - Raised in Chicago - and forged in the US Army with a 28 year military career included two tours of duty in Vietnam. A man like this does not retire - and in his post military career he became the publisher of the Chicago Daily Defender Newspaper, and a very busy social activist. Colonel Scott - along with his equally formidable wife - Beverly - who I suspect may be his secret weapon - showed up in my world during the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project where they submitted a Chicago Monument to the 370th Infantry Regiment. Welcome Colonel Scott. [Colonel: Let me start by talking local Chicago history - Can you give us an overview of the 370th and their role in WWI?] [could you tell us a bit about the monument that is one of the awardees for the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project] [Colonel - what other WWI centennial projects are you working on or with?] [Thank you for joining us today] Colonel Eugene F. Scott US Army Retired and Former publisher of the Chicago Daily Defender Newspaper. Link: get links http://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/col-eugene-scott https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/whats_on/video-rucksack/2016-liberty-gala-oral-history-video-remarks-colonel-ret-eugene-f-scott/ Education Poppy Packet Fundraising Today in our Education section, we are joined not by an educator but by two very special entrepreneurial and dedicated young students. Taylor Gibbs and Lyvia Bartoli from St. John the Evangelist Middle School in Watertown, Connecticut. They brought the Centennial Commission's Poppy Seed Fundraising Program to their school, to help raise awareness for our World War I veterans, and to help raise money for America’s World War I Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington, DC. Welcome Lyvia and Taylor! [greetings] [How did you hear about the WW1 Poppy Program and what made it appealing to you to get involved with?] [How did the fundraising go?] [Did you find that the Poppy Packets increased interest in WW1 from the buyers?] [What advice would you give to anyone else using the Poppy Packets to raise funds?] [Have you been surprised at how much recognition you’re getting for this effort?] [goodbyes] Taylor Gibbs and Lyvia Bartoli are students at St. John the Evangelist Middle School, and are Poppy Seed Fundraising pros! Learn more about their efforts, and the Poppy Program, by visiting ww1cc.org/poppy or at the links in the podcast notes. Links: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4038-watertown-ct-students-support-memorial-with-poppy-seed-sales.html http://www.ww1cc.org/poppy Education Newsletter To wrap up Education this week -- The latest WW1 education newsletter just came out! Issue 11 is “Women in War!” and focuses on the diverse roles women took on to support the war, both abroad and at home. This issue includes resources for teaching about The Hello Girls, Female Yeoman, Women Warriors in Russia, Women’s Rights in Turkey -- and the legacy of the Women’s Suffrage movement. The newsletter is published by the National WW1 Museum and Memorial in partnership with the WW1 Centennial Commission. Go to our new education website at ww1cc.org/ e d u where you can sign up for the education newsletters and connect with the commission education program - or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: ww1cc.org/edu Updates from the States This week for our updates from the States - we are actually going to look at something from 100 years ago. In our research this week for our THEN history section - we found this very interesting map that was published in the February 21 issue of the Official Bulletin on page 8. The headline reads: COST PER MAN DRAFTED FOR SERVICE AS INDICATED, BY STATES It’s worth a look with Delaware recruitment the most costly per soldier at $19 and Oklahoma the least at a dollar fifty-seven. The average draftee inducted cost the government $4.93 each. Check out the article and the map to see what it cost in your state - see Page 8 of the February 21st issue of the Official Bulletin at ww1cc.org/bulletin or follow the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/places/official-bulletin/3327-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-2-issue-240-febuary-21-1918.html [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 --- In 1914, the French army still used the same military uniform they had for decades, with vibrant red pantaloons and bright white gloves. The “see me - shoot me” uniforms were one of the factors that led to their route by the German army in the first few months of the war. In response, the French launched a special unit in 1915, whose members, mostly artists, were known as camoufleurs. The french term “se, camoufler” means to hide oneself. This led to this week’s “speaking WWI “ word camouflage. Quite popular as a clothing style most often used as the slang - Camo In the military sense, the word denotes “the disguising of military personnel, equipment, and installations by painting or covering them to make them blend in with their surroundings.” With planes scouting every mile of active front for troop movements, ammunition stores and other valuable information -- hiding in plain sight became increasingly important. So armies looked to nature for ideas on how to hide tanks, hospitals, snipers, bridges and even ships from the enemy’s prying eyes. Camouflage-- this week’s speaking ww1 word -- See the podcast notes to learn more! link: http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1906083,00.html https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/5-facts-about-camouflage-in-the-first-world-war Stars and Stripes While we talking about words - in this week’s Stars and Stripes issue from their on-going feature “ A Doughboy’s Dictionary”--- Our favorite definition this week is: Socks Socks are defined as: Foot coverings composed of substance represented to the Government or the Red Cross as being wool, and possessed of the same capacity for contracting holes as is a machine gun target at fifty yards. Read this all of this week’s stars and Stripes newspaper from 1918 - by following the link in the podcast notes. Link:https://cdn.loc.gov/service/sgp/sgpbatches/batch_dlc_argonne_ver03/data/20001931/print/1918022201/0003.pdf [SOUND EFFECT] WW1 War Tech Depth Charge For WW1 War Tech -- we are going to talk about the Depth Charge. U-boats were the scourge of the seas -- taking out almost five thousand ships over the course of the war. German U-boats especially focused their attacks on British shipping, both military and commercial, the Royal Navy considered many possible strategies to defeat this threat, but none seemed viable until the summer of 1916, when naval engineer Herbert Taylor perfected the hydrostatic trigger, allowing for a weapon that could be detonated when it experienced certain levels of water pressure -- in other words - at certain depths.The underwater pressure explosions were devastating to submarine hulls while not damaging surface ships. Though only 2 U-Boats were sunk by depth charges in 1916, production was increased as the conflict went on, and by the end of the war, the Royal Navy had used depth charges to sink 20 submarines, limiting the ability of the German Navy to halt Allied shipping. And that’s THIS Weeks, WWI War Tech. Read more about depth charges during WW1 at the links in the podcast notes. Links: http://online.wsj.com/ww1/depth-charges http://mentalfloss.com/article/31882/12-technological-advancements-world-war-i https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_charge https://www.ussslater.org/tour/weapons/dpthchrg/dpthchrg.html Articles and Posts African American Nurses in WW1 In articles and posts-- from our rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org -- this week, we are featuring an article about the African American women who served in the Army Nurse Corps during WW1. Eighteen African American women served stateside -- and their story is not well known. Their courage in overcoming the discrimination and segregation barriers still resonates today. The story of one of these Nurses, Frances Reed Elliott Davis of North Carolina, is particularly poignant. She was the orphaned, illegitimate daughter of a white woman and a half-Cherokee, half-black sharecropper. She faced enormous challenges in her life, overcoming them to become the first officially registered African American Nurse in the Red Cross. Read more about her, and other African American nurses, at the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4047-world-war-i-nurse-frances-reed-elliott-davis.html http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4046-honoring-african-american-women-who-served-in-the-army-nurse-corps-in-wwi.html WWrite blog In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post also helps us wrap up February’s theme as African American History month. The posts title comes from a poster that reads: This Colored Man Is No Slacker - “Slacker” was a WWI terms for those who avoided the draft. In 1919, the slogan on this WWI-era poster inspired two young African American sisters from West Virginia to write and publish a book of poems whose intention was to “show the Negro’s loyalty to the stars and stripes in the war with Germany and to show the need of unity of all men in the fight for democracy." Read the story about these young women’s literary work supporting the patriotism of African Americans in WW1-- at ww1cc.org/wwrite or by following the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/4058-the-colored-man-is-no-slacker-wwi-poems-by-the-peters-sisters.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts 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? Hi Theo! Flu Flu Flu This week’s most popular posts on Social Media were all about one thing: the flu. With this year’s flu season proving long and deadly, it’s no surprise that people are drawing parallels to the great flu of 1918. Against the backdrop of this year’s flu season, WWI Centennial Commissioner Dr. Libby O’Connell discussed the deadly “Spanish Flu” pandemic at the Museum of American Armor in New York. Dr O'Connell observed that 20 to 50 million people died from “The Spanish Flu” Pandemic, far more than all those who perished during World War I. An estimated 43,000 American Doughboys died of the disease out of a total of 675,000 American who would succumb. A third of all Americans would become infected with the “Spanish Flu” which would ravage the world for an entire year. You can find links to some photographs and an article from Newsday of Dr. O’Connell’s talk in the podcast links. I’ve also included a link to an article we shared from The Wichita Eagle, a newspaper out of Kansas, outlining the spread of the so-called Spanish Flu from it’s epicenter: that’s right, it seems that Kansas, not Spain, was the ground-zero for the deadly, world-changing flu of 1918. Read more about the flu’s origins in Kansas 100 years ago, and how they tried, in vain, to stop its spread, by visiting the link in the podcast notes. That’s it this week for the buzz. link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/posts/930053607169938 https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.311069102401728.1073741832.185589304949709/930363853805580/?type=3&theater http://www.kansas.com/news/local/article200880539.html Outro Thank you for listening to this week’s episode of WW1 Centennial News. We also want to thank our guests... Dr. Edward Lengel, Military historian and author Mike Shuster, Curator for the great war project blog Colonel Eugene Scott, US Army Retired and former publisher of the Chicago Daily Defender newspaper Taylor Gibbs and Lyvia Bartoli, students at St. John the Evangelist Middle School Katherine Akey, the commission’s social media director and line producer for the podcast Thanks also to our intern John Morreale for his 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; this podcast is a part of that…. Thank you! 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 or the other places you get your podcast and even on your smart speaker.. Just say “Play W W One Centennial News Podcast.” 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] Can you see me… I wearing my camouflage - Oh wait - this is audio only. Never mind! So long!
Highlights The Role of Coal in WWI America - Dr. Sean Adams | @ 03:00 Coming Attractions - Preview of podcasts | @ 09:50 The Halifax Explosion - Mike Shuster | @ 11:10 Commissioner Zoe Dunning is sworn in | @ 16 :00 Gold Star Mothers special tour - Candy Martin | @ 16:55 Speaking WWI - Chatting - A lousy deal | @ 23:50 New issue “Understanding The Great War” education Newsletter | @ 25:00 100C/100M - Portland, Maine - Brandon Mazer | @ 25:50 Sgt. Stubby new trailer | @ 30:40 Horse Heroes - BrookeUSA - Jo Ellen Hayden | @ 32:25 WWrite Blog - What if there had been no Balfour Declaration | @ 39:30 Buzz - Signal Corp & Drip Rifles - Katherine Akey | @ 40:15 & More.... ----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - 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 December 15th, 2017. This is episode #50 and our guests this week include: Dr. Sean Adams, on the role of coal in America during WW1 Mike Shuster with the story of the disastrous Halifax explosion Candy Martin from Gold Star Mothers telling us about an upcoming European tour Brandon Mazer from the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Portland, Maine Jo Ellen Hayden introducing our newest site at ww1cc.org, Horse Heroes from Brooke USA And Katherine Akey, with the Buzz - The centennial commemoration in social media 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. Welcome to the show. [MUSIC] Preface The Official Bulletin is the government daily War Gazette - which you can read yourself on our website like a daily paper at ww1cc.org/bulletin - with each issue being re-published on the centennial of its original publication date…. It is an awesome primary information resource for you nerds, history buffs and teachers… and of course for us at WW1 Centennial news! Well ever since it started publishing in May, we have been seeing nearly daily and certainly weekly articles about COAL… Yes.. COAL. The availability, the industry, the pricing, the mining, the transportation, the application… Coal keeps coming up in our editorial meetings. Our instinct says that this is a strategically important WWI subject - like airplanes, suffrage, the draft and food - but as we attack the subject, we keep feeling that the articles we are reading don't really get down to the strategic issues about Coal in WWI. We just keep seeing hints and snippets.. Like the related nationalization of the railroads and the effect on coal mining, or the nationalization of shipbuilding which leads to the decision to build a vast fleet of coal burning instead of oil burning merchant ships… and on and on… What we need… we reasoned… is a coal historian! Well, it turns out the world is NOT full of coal historians! But Katherine, bless her, has found Dr. Sean Adams who is joining us today - as soon as we jump into our wayback machine and roll back to the second week of December, 1917 to see how coal plays into the war that changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] It's the second week of December 1917 - and it’s REALLY cold! This winter of 1917 is still considered one of the coldest on record for most of the Eastern seaboard and beyond. A giant blizzard is whipping through the North East - and as you’ll learn later - it has some pretty harsh effects on the Halifax Harbor explosion. One of the main sources for staying warm in this bitterly cold winter is…. Well - COAL! And it is being rationed. We are being joined here in 1917 by Dr. Sean Adams, Professor of History and Chair at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Welcome Dr. Adams! [exchange greetings] Dr. Adams - as we mentioned in our setup - it seems like coal, it’s mining, transportation and use in this moment in American history is seen as a pretty strategically important issue… what IS coal’s role in WW1 America? [Dr. Adams talks - 5-8 minutes] Dr. Sean Adams, Professor of History and Chair at the University of Florida in Gainesville. His most recent book is - Home Fires: How Americans Kept Warm in 19th Century America. [SOUND EFFECT] Coming Attractions Before we move on with the show, we want to give you a little heads up on our episodes for the next few week. Next week - for our Holiday Episode #51, we have a special treat for you. We are producing a 1917 vintage Holiday Mixtape! The entire episode is designed to provide you a wonderful “period holiday mood ambiance” - featuring the popular holiday music from 1917 and a special message from the 26th chief of Chaplains of the US Navy - Rear Admiral Margaret Grun Kibben (delivered from today to all Americans in uniform in 1917!) The following week is our New Year’s Episode #52, can you believe it!! 52 episodes in the can! - anyway - we will be replaying our favorite segments from 2017/1917 in a content collage that should be a lot of fun! January 2018: Then we roll into January with our first episode of 2018 coming out around January 5th - We are going to kick off the year by putting 1917 into perspective and taking a high level look forward into what to expect through 1918. It is going to be a very dynamic year and we will be keeping you up to date on WW1 Centenial News Then - what was happening 100 years ago - and WW1 Centennial News NOW - what is happening today to commemorate the war the changed the world. [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project [Mike Shuster] In Nova scotia two ships collide resulting in one of the largest man-made explosions in human history - devastating the city with damage and loss of life on a terrible scale. Her to tell us the story is Mike shuster former NPR correspondent and curator of the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/12/10/a-tremendous-explosion-in-canadian-harbor/ [SOUND EFFECT] GO TO REMEMBERING VETERANS SECTION The Great War Channel The Great War Channel on Youtube have been producing videos about WW1 since 2014.. And from a more european perspective. Here is Indy Nidel - the host of the Great War Channel. Great War Recording of Indy: Hi WW1 Centennial News Listeners - I’m Indy Neidell, host of the Great War Channel on Youtube. Fighting continues as 1917 comes to a close, marking the end of another year of mass devastation. Follow the action as we enter 1918, the fourth and final year of the war by subscribing to The Great War on Youtube and follow us on Facebook. This week’s new episodes include: Halifax Explosion and Peace in the EastAnd Father Victory - George ClemenceauAnd finally The Road to Independence - Finland in WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW It is time to fast forward into the present to WW1 Centennial News NOW - this section is not about history, but rather - it explores what is happening to commemorate the centennial of the War that changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] Commission News: In commission news, yesterday Commander Zoe Dunning, USN (Ret.) was sworn in as the newest member of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission. The swearing in ceremony took place at the commission’s headquarter in Washington DC. So how are these commissioners picked anyhow? Well Commissioner Dunning for example, was nominated by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. The law that established the commission provided that the twelve members of the Centennial Commission - who serve without pay - by the way - are nominated by the President of the United States, the members of the U.S. Senate, the members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and by the nation's two largest veteran service organizations, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Thank you for taking on the challenge - and welcome Commissioner Dunning! link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3721-dunning-named-to-u-s-world-war-i-centennial-commission.html Remembering Veterans This week in our Remembering Veterans segment -- Gold Star Mothers are women who have lost a child in the service to our nation. The name comes from the WWI custom of families hanging a banner called a service flag in the windows of their homes. The service flag had a star for each family member serving with each member represented by a blue star, except those who had lost their lives in service - who are represented by a gold star. More than a decade after the war ended, a unique and incredible event took place: Gold Star mothers and wives traveled across the Atlantic to visit the battlefields of Europe and the graves of their fallen family members. Next summer, that journey will be retraced by a special cruise and tour, and here to tell us more about it is Candy Martin, the Immediate Past National President of American Gold Star Mothers --- who is herself a Gold Star Mother, having lost her son 1st Lieutenant Thomas Martin, US Army, on October 14, 2007 in Iraq and herself served 38 years in the Army. Welcome, Candy [greetings] [Candy - First off, What is the mission of the American Gold Star Mothers organization?] [So in the 1930’a there was the Gold Star Pilgrimage… Who organized it and what was it?] [Alright - so now you are organizing a centennial tour to revisit europe and retrace that journey.. Tell us about it please.] [If I am interested in participating in the tour or learning more - what should I do?] Candy Martin - a Gold Star mother, serving the organization and organizing the 2018 Gold Star Pilgrimages and Poppies Tour - learn more by following the links in the podcast notes. Link: https://www.facebook.com/PilgrimagesAndPoppies/ African American Gold Star Mothers in WWI There is also a poignant article about African American Gold Star mothers in the archives of our WWrite blog, titled “On a Boat Alone: African American Wives Post WWI”. Head to ww1cc.org/wwrite to read about the experience of African American families as they participated -- segregated -- in the Gold Star pilgrimages. The link is in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/1699-on-a-boat-alone-african-american-wives-post-wwi.html Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1” - Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- Getting on instant messenger, sending a text or simply meeting up with a friend at a coffee shop-- there are many ways to have a chat with a friend, a quick and light catch up conversation. But chatting with friends has its origins in a darker, and definitely less comfortable, place than you may think-- A chat in the trenches of WWI was another name for a louse, These horrid and itchy pests filled your clothes and got all over you including into your hair --- and chatting was the act of picking lice off yourself --- and in a very socially companionable - very monkey - ape -Jane Goodall reminiscent vision - helping to groom your companions. This was a really important daily task that could fill hours of the day-- something soldier’s could do to pass the time as they helped comrades pick lice - was to engage in small talk - Hence to the term chatting! - Who knew!!! So today chatting live or online, chat rooms, and social chats continue with great vigor but -- with fewer lice. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Doughboy-Fritz-Soldier-Slang/dp/144563 7839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508848013&sr=8-1&keywords=tommy+doughboy+fritz Education In Education news - This week a new issue of Understanding the Great War newsletter came it. This is our official Education Resource newsletter, published every two months. Each issue focuses on a particular theme, providing educators and students with a robust selection of resources from a wide range of sources. Issue # 10 addresses “Political Consequences & Revolutions“ The issue includes articles about the Russian Revolution, the Arab Revolt, the French Mutinies of 1917 and the Easter RIsing in Ireland. The publication is put together by the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Follow the link in the podcast notes to subscribe to a great WW1 educational resource and to read past editions! Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/educate-home.html 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT Portland, ME 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. As you listen to our guest tell us about the project, remember that we are taking grant applications for the second round of awards - the deadline to submit the applications is January 15, 2018 - go to ww1cc.org/100Memorials to learn all about it.’ This week we are profiling the Jacob Cousins Memorial Renovation Project in Portland, Maine -- One of the first 50 grant awardees. With us tell us about the project is Brandon Mazer, the project coordinator for the Jacob Cousins Memorial Renovation Project and President of the Friends of the Eastern Promenade Welcome Brandon! [exchange greetings] [Brandon in your grant application you list the memorial as - quote - The Jacob Cousins Memorial is a key WWI artifact in the history of the Jewish community in southern Maine.. Which leads to the question - who is Jacob?] [Brandon - can you tell us about the memorial and the restoration plans for it?] [What has been your community and Veteran service organization involvement in the project?] [Brandon - Are you planning a rededication this coming year?] Thank you so much for taking on this project for your community - congratulations on being selected as a WW1 Centennial Memorial! Brandon Mazer, the project coordinator for the Jacob Cousins Memorial Renovation Project and President of the Friends of the Eastern Promenade. If YOU have a local WWI memorial project you want to submit for a grant - go to ww1cc.org/100 memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes to learn more about how to participate in this program! Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials https://easternpromenade.org/jacob-cousin-renovation-project [SOUND EFFECT] Spotlight in the Media Sgt Stubby For our Spotlight in the Media segment this week, we’re excited to announce the release of a new teaser trailer for the upcoming film SGT Stubby: An American Hero. The animated film is based on the remarkable true story of the 26th "Yankee" Division's legendary mascot, SGT Stubby, a stray dog who became a hero of World War I. The film features the voices of actors Helena Bonham Carter, Gerard Depardieu, and Logan Lerman, among others. The movie will be in theaters nationwide on April 13th 2018. I’m really looking forward to it - it’s a great opportunity to tell a wonderful WWI story to our younger generation - but like all great animated films today - it promises to be a genuine treat for the grownups too! Follow the link in the podcast notes to watch the trailer and to read an interview with the film's writer/producer, Richard Lanni on our website. Link:https://www.facebook.com/StubbyMovie/videos/1951793608403549/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3840-new-trailer-released-for-the-sgt-stubby-movie.html Articles and Posts Horse Heroes web site by BrookeUSA In articles and posts - this week we have launched a wonderful new web section all about HORSE HEROES! It is the new site from Brooke USA at ww1cc.org/horses - easy to remember - With us to tell us more about it is Jo Ellen Hayden, Special Project Volunteer for BrookeUSA Horse Heroes Welcome, Jo Ellen! [greetings] [Joe Ellen - we have had Brooke USA on the show earlier this year in episode #13, but could you quickly remind our listeners about the origins of Brooke USA? ] [The new website at ww1cc.org/horses is one of the most in-dept publishing partner sites we have -- what kinds of content can people find there?] [You have put untold hours into it - What surprised you the most as you were putting the site together?] Jo Ellen Hayden is a Special Project Volunteer for BrookeUSA Horse Heroes, check out the new site about horses and mules in WWI at ww1cc.org/horses. We also put in a link to our previous interview with Brooke USA’s Cindy Rullman in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/horses https://www.brookeusa.org/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/weekly-sync-call/2106-ww1-centennial-news-episode-13-3-29-2017.html US Army Nurse's WWI bracelet is returned More from our Articles and posts segment - in our rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - from the news section there is a story of a bracelet’s amazing journey over the last century. The bracelet belonged to an Irish woman serving with the US Army Nurse Corps in France during World War I It was recently returned to her relatives in Ireland. The bracelet was found fifteen years ago by an eight-year-old boy in a schoolyard in northeastern France. Returning the bracelet led to a long, and ultimately successful search for the descendants of its original owner. Click here to read more about the quest, whose story is so interesting that it spawned a documentary film in France. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3839-army-nurse-s-wwi-bracelet-returned-after-long-search.html Wwrite Blog This week In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week’s posts reads “The Balfour Declaration: An Alternative History” If you love “alternate history” contemplations - you’ll like this a lot… What if there had been no Balfour Declaration? What would the alternative history look like? These are questions that writer, Simone Zelitch, author of the novel, Judenstaat, explores in this week's WWrite blog. Don't miss this fascinating glimpse at an alternate past and different future... Read the post at ww1cc.org/WWRITE or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3844-the-balfour-declaration-an-alternative-history.html www.ww1cc.org/wwrite The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what did you pick to tell us about this week? Hi Theo! Signal Corps Photographers We had some great content come through our Twitter feed this week, which you can follow at the handle @ww1cc. I particularly enjoyed an image from the twitter account 100ans US en Haute Marne-- a photograph of some US Signal Corps photographers. Not only is their equipment very cool -- especially if youre a camera enthusiast-- but their service produced some of the most incredible images of the war. During World War I the Signal Corps was responsible for communications. However, the Signal Corps had other responsibilities during the war, such as army aviation (until May 1918) and photography. The Photographic Section of the Signal Corps was established in June 1917, and it was responsible for the U.S. Army’s official ground and aerial photography of World War I. You can view a collection of the Signal Corps’ ww1 photography, and the photo from twitter, by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://twitter.com/100ansHM/status/940523627807756288 http://cdm16635.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p16635coll16!p16635coll22/order/title/page/1 Aussie Rifles Also from Twitter, an image of an interesting invention -- and a great example of necessity breeding innovation -- the drip rifle. During the evacuation from Gallipoli, the Allied forces had to keep up the appearance of fully inhabited trenches, despite their numbers dwindling with each passing night as soldiers were evacuated under the cover of darkness. In order to keep up the ruse, ANZAC soldiers developed the drip rifle -- a rifle that would self-fire, thereby keeping the turks convinced that the abandoned trenches were still occupied. In this particular image, two kerosene tins were placed one above the other, the top one full of water and the bottom one with the trigger string attached to it, empty. At the last minute, small holes would be punched in the upper tin; water would trickle into the lower one, and the rifle would fire as soon as the lower tin had become sufficiently heavy. Visit the links in the podcast notes to learn more about variations of drip rifles--and how they saved the allied retreat at Gallipoli. And that’s it this week for the Buzz! link:https://twitter.com/AWMemorial/status/938604024647028736 https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/gallipoli/drip_rifle Outro Thank you for joining us again for-- WW1 Centennial News for the second `week of December, 1917 and 2017 We want to thank our guests... Dr. Sean Adams, Professor of History and Chair at the University of Florida in Gainesville Mike Shuster from the Great War Project Candy Martin, Gold Star Mother and Immediate Past National President of American Gold Star Mothers Brandon Mazer from the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Portland, Maine Jo Ellen Hayden, Special Project Volunteer for BrookeUSA Horse Heroes And Katherine Akey, the shows line producer… Thanks to Eric Marr for his great help on our story research… 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; Your listening to this podcast is a part of that…. Thank you! 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. This week’s featured web page is ww1cc.org/horses - discover the legacy of our horse heroes from WWI courtesy of Brooke USA. 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, 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. 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] Well - now we've done it! I was sitting there chatting with some of my friends who kept slapping my hand away and looking at me funny while I was trying to pick through their hair! - clearly they are not listeners. So long!
Highlights The African American saga in WW1 @ | 01:30 11th Engineers Cambrai follow up @ | 08:55 Brits capture Jerusalem from Turks - Mike Shuster @ | 09:40 Millionaire’s Unit & Lafayette Escadrille documentary film producer - Darroch Greer @ | 13:55 AmazonSmile for the holidays @ | 21:35 Speaking WW1- Foxhole, Dugout and Cubbyhole @ | 22:35 100C/100M profile - Carmel By The Sea memorial arch - Ian Martin @ | 23:25 The American in Paris documentary - Antony Easton @ | 30:05 Mexican born, illegal immigrant most decorated Texan soldier in WW1 @ | 38:15 WWrite Blog - German songwriter/soldier found from rediscovering his music @ | 39:05 The Buzz - Katherine Akey @ | 40:20----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - 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. Before we get going - we’d like to send our thoughts and warm wishes to all the people of southern california who are experiencing the devastation of fires raging through your communities. Our thoughts are with you. Today is December 6th, 2017. Our guests this week include: Mike Shuster, updating us on events in the middle east Darroch Greer telling us about his films, The Millionaire’s Unit and The Lafayette Escadrille Ian Martin from the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Carmel-by-the-sea California Antony Easton sharing his experience making the film The American in Paris And Katherine Akey, the shows line producer and the commission's social media director... 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. Welcome to the show. [MUSIC] Preface The African American saga in World War 1 is both inspiring and terrible … Less than a generation after the civil war, this is a time where black american men and women are considered second class citizens at best. Chad Williams is the chair of the African & Afro-American Studies Department at Brandeis University and author of “Torchbearers of Democracy: African-American Soldiers in the World War I Era,”. quote: "In many ways, World War I marked the beginning of the modern civil rights movement for African-Americans. Their service in the military had dramatic implications for African-Americans. Black soldiers faced systemic racial discrimination in the army and endured virulent hostility on returning to their homes at the end of the war. At the same time, service in the army empowered soldiers to demand their individual rights as American citizens and laid the groundwork for the future movement for racial justice." So… let's jump into our wayback machine and learn more about the African American experience in the war that changed the world! World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] It's the first week of December 1917 - Just a note to our audience - that the language of the times, which we have kept in our reports, refers to African Americans as negroes and colored. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: December 4, 197 A headline in the New York times reads ARMY IS FAIR TO NEGROES - Policy of War Department is to discourage race discrimination. The article reads - Secretary of War Baker today announced that he had ordered an investigation of the allegation that there had been discrimination against negro Draftees. Quote: "As you know, it has been my policy to discourage discrimination against any persons by reason of their race. This policy has been adopted not merely as an act of justice to safeguard the institution which we are now enagaged in defending - and which any racial disorder must endanger. The charges stem from accusations that the military is not allowing negro units into combat roles, but relegating them to Service Battalions for labor jobs. And there is a lot of truth to it. Racism is as endemic in the armed forces as it is in the rest of America at this time. Southern Democrats try to block negroes from inclusion in the draft, few colored men served in the Navy and none in the Marine Corps, and the Army’s four segregated units—the 24th and 25th Infantry and the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments are assigned guard duty on the Mexican border and never go abroad. African Americans comprised 13 percent of active-duty military manpower, but make up only seven-tenths of 1 percent of the officers. Around 200,000 African Americans are deployed to Europe and serve with distinction in the AEF - the American Expeditionary Forces - as well as with the French Army. While, as per the complaints, the vast majority of these troops are relegated to Services of Supplies (SOS) units and labor battalions, some 40,000 soldiers see combat in two new black units, the Ninety-second and Ninety-third Divisions. Fighting alongside the French, the Ninety-third serves heroically throughout the war and experiences greater acceptance and more equal treatment than that found in the U.S. Army. The division's 369th Infantry Regiment, "the Harlem Hellfighters," spend more than six months on the front lines — longer than any other American unit — in part because General Pershing, contrary to his policy of having American soldiers under American Command, gives the 369th to French commanders who take them to the front immediately - bypassing much of the training the other combat soldiers undergo... Regardless.. the 369th distinguishes itself as an awesome fighting force that never surrenders an inch of Allied territory nor loses a single soldier through capture. From this regiment alone, 171 officers and men receive either Croix de Guerre or Legions of Merit from the French government. The sacrifice of African American soldiers such as these certainly did not end racism at home or abroad, but it showed the world that their patriotism and heroism unquestioningly matches that of their white counterparts in the war that changed the world! Links: Sources: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02EFDD1E3AE433A25756C0A9649D946696D6CF https://armyhistory.org/fighting-for-respect-african-american-soldiers-in-wwi/ http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-world-war-i.html http://time.com/4681227/great-war-clip-black-history-month/ https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart7.html http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2014/july/worldwar.html http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/archive/0508/index.jsp http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/african-americans-in-combat/ [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline December 7 The headline in the NY Times reads: PRESIDENT SIGNS DECLARATION OF WAR ON AUSTRIA-HUNGARY AFTER CONGRESS ACTS WITH ONLY ONE DISSENTING VOTE The story reads: The United States went to war against Austria-Hungary at 5:03 this afternoon when President Wilson approved a joint resolution, adopted by congress, declaring a state of war exists! Wait a minute… I thought we did that on April 6!?? Well that is what makes this such an interesting event. On April 6, 2017 we declared war on Germany… but not the other axis powers. Though we declared Austria Hungary an ENEMY through the “Trading with the enemy act of 1917” which we told you about in episode 42… we did not formally declare war on them until 100 years ago this week. Links:http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9906E4DD1E3AE433A25757C0A9649D946696D6CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9903E1DD1E3AE433A25756C0A9649D946696D6CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A02E1DD1E3AE433A25756C0A9649D946696D6CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940DE0DC1E3AE433A2575BC0A9649D946696D6CF [SOUND EFFECT] Do you remember the story from last week about the 11th engineers who were caught in a German counter attack during the battle of Cambrai - and went at it with shovels, pick axes and wrenches because they were engineers not set up as combatants - well - this week the story has some interesting fallout as the French, the Engineers and the combat troops each are featured in an article in the NY times with a Rashomon style point of view on the issue. First the French… Dateline December 3, 1917 Headline: France gives high praise to our engineers at cambrai The story reads: “There is not a single person who saw them at work who does not render warm praise to the coolness, discipline, and courage of these improvised combatants” From the seemingly - slightly jealous Pershing troops still waiting and ready to fight…. [SOUND EFFECT] Headline: Pershing’s troops envy the Engineers And the story includes: An infantry Sergeant remarked: ‘We stay in these muddy trenches for a spell and let Fritz shoot his artillery at us and have never really had a chance to use our rifles except to snipe and pot at Fritz out in No Man’s Land on dark nights. Meanwhile - These railroaders managed to run their trains right into a good, thick scrap, and if this isn’t luck, I don’t know what it is.’” And from the somewhat still astounded engineers [SOUND EFFECT] Headline: Engineers jest over first battle In the story they describe the chaos of sudden, unexpected action, “‘I hadn’t a steel hat handy” ‘so i picked up a petrol tin and put that on my head, and thought it might be better than nothing.” The journalist writes, “They are a splendid body of men,” “Hard, keen and good humored, who made a joke of their thrilling adventure and of their present danger.” And from another soldier, “‘It was the doggonedest experience I ever had, and a mighty close call!’ And that’s how it was this week, one hundred years ago in the war that changed the world! Links http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9806E4DD1E3AE433A25757C0A9649D946696D6CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9907E0DD1E3AE433A25756C0A9649D946696D6CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B04E3DD1E3AE433A25757C0A9649D946696D6CF [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Jerusalem is a city with massive significance to all the major religions of the world - Christians, Jews and Muslims. So as 1917 comes to a close, the British determine that they want to - even need to - win the city from the Ottoman Turks - and they wanted to do it before Christmas! They felt that the psychological impact was desperately needed in these otherwise dark days. Here to tell us about the campaign is Mike Shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator of the Great War Project blog. [Mike Shuster] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. We also came across a very good 7 minute documentary clip about these event in the middle east 100 years ago this week - you’ll find it on Youtube called “Blood & Oil: Jerusalem Falls” by Janson Media. We have included the link to it in the podcast notes LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/12/03/ottomans-surrender-jerusalem/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qApUFVHREo [SOUND EFFECT] War in the Sky The Millionaire’s Unit FILM And speaking of documentaries - in a special War in the Sky segment this week, we are speaking with Darroch Greer, co-producer and director of multiple films on aviation in World War One, including the recently released The Millionaire’s Unit and the upcoming documentary The Lafayette Escadrille. Welcome, Darroch! [greetings] [Darroch, we recently had the author of the Millionaire’s Unit book on the show - Marc Wortman. How did you translate the book into a documentary?] [We had a lot of interest from our listeners after Marc was on - how can people see the documentary? [the dvd is being released shortly and includes special other shorts] [Your next project sounds great - the Lafayette Escadrille… Probably one of the most interesting pack of adventurers and daredevils of the 20th century - can you give out an overview?] [So this week, is the in fact, the centennial of the Lafayette Escadrille getting its orders releasing its American pilots from the French Military - in preparation for transferring them to the US forces-- how did that transition go and what role did these guys play in the new US Army Air Service?] [Darroch - When can we see a trailer and when does the film come out? ] [Will you come back and visit us here when the film publishes?] [goodbyes/thanks] Darroch Greer is the producer and director on documentary films about the WWI air war. You can find links to his documentaries -- The Millionaire’s Unit and The Lafayette Escadrille in the podcast notes. Links:http://www.millionairesunit.org/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/darroch-greer-the-millionaires-unit.html http://humanusdocumentaryfilms.org/portfolio/the-lafayette-escadrille/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOtGBfAMotE http://thelafayetteescadrille.org The Great War Channel For weekly videos about WWI - join host Indy Neidell at the Great War Channel on Youtube. The episodes this week include: Invasions, Naval Battles and German Raiders - WW1 in the Pacific All Quiet on the Eastern Front Shell Recycling And finally - Origins of the German Alpenkorps Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW It is time to fast forward into the present to WW1 Centennial News NOW - this section is not about history, but rather - it explores what is happening to commemorate the centennial of the War that changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] Commission News: The holiday shopping season is here and as you shop to bring cheer to you and yours --- you can also bring a little cheer to us with AmazonSmile.What is AmazonSmile?It’s an easy, simple and automatic way to support our many activities, including this Podcast, the national WWI memorial, our education programs and more… If you designate United States Foundation for the Commemoration of the World Wars (USFCWW) as your charity on smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate ½ a percent of everything you spend on Amazon to us. It costs you nothing and it helps us a lot! So thank you… just go to Smile.Amazon.com and remember the US Foundation for the Commemoration of the World Wars or even easier -- just follow the link in the podcast notes! link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/3723 http://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-3321814 Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1” - Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- When people think WWI the image that comes to mind for many is barb wire and trenches. Life at ground level generally toxic and lethal. So, soldiers spent much of their time living in the ground. Besides the word Trenches, other related words also came into common use - several of which are still with us today. Fox hole, Dug Out and Cubby Hole are three of them! The history of Fox Hole and Dug Out are pretty obvious and the term Cubby was probably derived from the old english word cub - for shed, coop or hutch Today we still have dugouts in baseball and cubbyholes in the office - terms that got popular 100 years ago when the motto was “get down, dig in and stash yourself in a hole”. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Doughboy-Fritz-Soldier-Slang/dp/144563 7839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508848013&sr=8-1&keywords=tommy+doughboy+fritz 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT Carmel-by-the-sea, CA 100 cities 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. As you listen to our guest tell us about the project, remember that we are taking grant applications for the second round of awards - the deadline to submit the applications is January 15, 2018 - go to ww1cc.org/100Memorials to learn all about it.’ This week we are profiling the World War I Memorial Arch in Carmel-by-the-sea California-- One of the first 50 grant awardees. with us tell us about the project is Ian Martin, a resident of Carmel and a member of the Carmel Patriots, the American Legion Post 512's non-veteran volunteer organization. Welcome Ian! [exchange greetings] [Ian, the Carmel By the Sea memorial was designed by a renown resident of the city Charles Greene - can you tell us a little about him and his decision to build this really beautiful arch?] [The arch is made out of sandstone - instead of granite - and I understand that this has posed some challenges in restoration. Why and What are those? ] [How did you Patriots and American Legion Post 512 get involved in this restoration?] [Are you planning a rededication?] Ian - Thank you and congratulation to your team for getting this incredible WWI memorial designated as a WWI Centennial Memorial! Ian Martin, a resident of Carmel-by-the-Sea and a member of the Carmel Patriots, the American Legion Post 512's non-veteran volunteer organization If you have a local WWI memorial project you want to submit for a grant - go to ww1cc.org/100 memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes to learn more about how to participate in this program! Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials https://www.facebook.com/events/438048213017354/ [SOUND EFFECT] Spotlight in the Media The American in Paris For our Spotlight in the Media segment this week, we are speaking with Antony Easton, director of the documentary film The American in Paris-- which tells the story of the L’hopital Americain during the course of the great war. Welcome Antony! [greetings] [So Antony, can you give us a brief introduction to the American Hospital in Paris - which got involved in the war in 1914, three years before America declared war?] [Antony - give us an overview of the film and how you got involved in it?] [Here is a clip from the trailer…] [Run clip] [In the trailer, it mentions that the French are recognizing the service of the hospital more and more in recent years-- Why is that? ] [You recently premiered the documentary in both the US and in France? Do you think it is seen differently in each country?] [So how can I see the film?] Thank you Antony. [thanks and goodbye] That was Antony Easton--director of the documentary film The American in Paris. Learn more at the links in the podcast notes. Link:https://vimeo.com/231687152 http://frenchculture.org/events/6473-americans-paris Articles and Posts Our website at WW1cc.org is the home and archive for lots of things WW1 - with over 3700 articles on WWI, 2,000 locations listed in our map database and nearly 1400 WWI related events in our national events register - its a great place to explore and new articles are published weekly. This week we will highly a few of them for you. Brooke Kroeger interview First from ww1cc.org/news-- A remarkable new book has appeared on the World War I scene, one that traces the origins of the Women's Suffrage movement in America to the war effort 100 years ago. It explores why, a group of prominent and influential men in New York City, and beyond, came together to help women gain the right to vote. Brooke Kroeger is the author. She is a journalist, author of five books, a professor of journalism at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and director of the Global and Joint Program Studies, which she founded in 2007. You can read the interview where she speaks about this book, and what she found in writing it, by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3772-four-questions-for-brooke-kroeger.html Marcelino Serna Next is a story about Mexican-born Marcelino Serna. When the U.S. entered World War One in 1917, it is estimated that roughly 500,000 people who joined the United States armed services were immigrants. According to the National Park Service, this amounted to 18 percent of U.S. troops. One of these was a Mexican-born, illegal immigrant named Marcelino Serna, who volunteered to join the US Army and was the first Mexican American to collect a Distinguished Service Cross. Read more about the heroism and the man who returned from ‘Over There” as the most highly-decorated Texan soldier to serve in World War I by visiting ww1cc.org/news or following the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3779-marcelino-serna-most-decorated-texan-of-world-war-one.html Wwrite Blog In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week’s posts reads “Soon, All Too Soon” When British musicians Patricia Hammond and Matt Redman found and performed German sheet music written by a soldier killed in Verdun, they had no idea the song, "Soon, Too Soon," would also lead to the discovery of the composer's body, which had been buried in an unmarked grave in France's Meuse-Argonne region. Read about the captivating hunt for a man behind a melody. Here is a clip from the song performed by Patricia Hammond and Matt Redman [run clip] The post including a video are at ww1cc.org/WWRITE or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3783-soon-all-too-soon.html www.ww1cc.org/wwrite The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what did you pick to tell us about? Hi Theo! Iron Harvest This week, we shared an article from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the Iron Harvest. It is estimated that more than a billion shells were fired during the First World War, and that as many as 30 percent of those failed to explode. Specialty bomb-disposal units in France and Belgium collect and defuse the unexploded ordinances, which are often found by farmers as they do their work. These local farmers are the ones who coined the name Iron Harvest, as they come across literal tonnes of shells every year. It’s estimated that it will take another 500 years of the Iron Harvest before the area is fully safe again. Read more about this constant reminder of the war, and watch a video of the disposal units in action, by following the link in the podcast notes. link:https://www.cwgc.org/learn/news-and-events/news/2017/11/28/16/47/the-iron-harvest-a-warning-from-history Women Photographers Finally this week, a story close to my heart. Hyperallergic put out a piece this week which we shared on facebook featuring and reviewing a new exhibition at Impressions Gallery in Bradford, England. The show is titled No Man’s Land: Women’s Photography and the First World War and features the work of some very talented and brave women photographers who served during the conflict. Some of the artists included served as official photographers, while others photographed while serving as nurses or in other auxiliary roles. One photographer was a motorcycle and ambulance driver who volunteered at 18 and whose photos range from graphic and distressing to coy and humorous. Three contemporary artists’ work is shown as well, complimenting the work done by the women a century ago. Follow the link in the podcast notes to see some of the images and to read the stories of the photographers. And that’s it this week for the Buzz! link:https://hyperallergic.com/410238/no-mans-land-women-photographers-wwi-impressions-gallery/ Thank you for having listened to WW1 Centennial News for the first week of December, 1917 and 2017 We want to thank our guests... Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Director and Producer Darroch Greer Ian Martin from the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Carmel-by-the-sea California Director Antony Easton Katherine Akey the shows line producer and the commission's social media director... Thanks to Eric Marr for his great help on our story research… 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; Your listening to this podcast is a part of that…. Thank you! 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. This week’s featured web page is ww1cc.org/subscribe - where you can subscribe to our various communications products including our weekly newsletter - the Dispatch, the Education newsletter and of course this podcast if you happen not to be a regular subscriber. 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, 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. 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] I am going to climb into my cubby and pull the blankets over my head! So long!
Highlights Thanksgiving reflections from 1917 @ | 01:15 Tank warfare in the battle of Cambrai - Mike Shuster @ | 11:35 Introducing WW1 Centennial Commissioner Zoe Dunning @ | 15:55 Ceremonial Coin Strike at Philly mint @ | 16:15 Trench Coat and Wristwatch - Speaking WW1 @ | 17:20 100C / 100M project in Springfield, MA @ | 19:55 WWrite Blog article by WW1CC intern Sarah Biegelsen @ | 25:15 Yurok Native Americans in WW1 - Chag Lowry & Rahsan Ekedal @ | 26:15 Memoire - An adventure in 1914 - Christopher Kelly @ | 32:00 DH4 WW1 Aircraft restoration progresses @ | 37:50 The Buzz - Katherine Akey @ | 38:30 Image Credit: A work-in-progress image of a Yurok Native Army soldier drawn by Rahsan Ekedal for the upcoming Graphic Novel "Soldiers Unknown" by Chag Lowry ----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - 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 November 29th, 2017. Our guests this week include: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Jacqueline Farrow and Eddie Boulrice [bowl-reece] from the Godfrey Triangle Restoration Committee, in Springfield, Massachusetts Graphic novel team Chag (ChAIg) Lowry and Rahsan [Ruh-SAN] Ekedal [ek-uh-dhal] Author and historian Christopher Kelly And Katherine Akey the shows line producer and the commissions social media director... 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. Welcome to the show. [MUSIC] Preface It is sometimes difficult in our media overloaded, multi-faceted, social and general media inundated world --- not be cynical - but in 1917 many people genuinely believed that they were answering a higher calling. That makes Thanksgiving 1917, 100 years ago this past week an interesting moment of reflection for millions of Americans both within our nation and those who find themselves “over there”. We are going look at this - plus a series of other stories that occur as the American Military finds itself on the precipice of major battle action. So let’s jump into our wayback machine and see what was happening 100 years ago this week in the War that Changed the World. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] Thanksgiving 1917 - at home, President Wilson uses the Official Bulletin - the government’s daily war gazette published by George Creel the head of America’s propaganda machine - to get a short statement from each member of his cabinet - [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline, November 28, 1917 The masthead of the Official Bulletin reads: Cheering Thanksgiving Messages to Americans at Home And Fighting Forces Abroad From the President’s Cabinet Are in This Issue It starts with an excerpt from President Wilson’s Thanksgiving Proclamation! On this day of the revelation of our duty not only to defend our own rights as a nation but to defend also the rights of free men throughout the world, we are filled with the resolution and spirit of united action. We should especially thank God that in such circumstances, in the midst of the greatest enterprise the spirits of men have ever entered upon, we have, if we but observe a reasonable and practicable economy, abundance with which to supply the needs of those associated with us as well as our own.— From Robert Lansing - Secretary of State If we measured our national blessings by the materialistic standard of physical comfort and prosperity, which has been in recent years so potent in our thought as a people, the observance of Thanksgiving Day this year might seem almost a mockery, for we are engaged in the most destructive and terrible war of all times. But a new conception of national blessings has come to the American people, a conception in which the spiritual is exalted above the material, in which the life of the Nation is placed above the life of the individual. No greater blessing could have come to the Republic than this awakening to the fact that patriotism is more to be prized than wealth. From William McAdoo Secretary of the Treasury For the first time in more than fifty years Thanksgiving Day finds America at war. In this chaos of civilization the power of America was needed to tip the scales in favor of freedom and democracy as against the enslavement of the world which would inevitably follow the triumph of military despotism. Terrible as war is, and fearful as are the sacrifices it entails, nothing is comparable to freedom and liberty. From Newton D. Baker - Secretary of War I am glad to take advantage of the opportunity which the OFFICIAL BULLETIN gives to send a word of appreciation and good cheer from the men of the War Department who are in this country to the men who are now in France. We are striving our hardest to send them, promptly and plentifully, the material things they need - as they take their stand by the side of the gallant men who, for so long, have been holding the battle front for a world - that shall look forward and not look backward. From Thomas Gregory - the Attorney General Nearly a century and a half ago our forefathers, hungry and poorly fed, clothed, disciplined, and armed, --- gave, when needed, their all --- for liberty to live undefiled by license that men are free and self governed. They dreamed and labored, so that real freedom and free institutions were born. To-day you battle that these principles do not die --- but may live on and reach untold millions - who now live under the blight of despots. From Albert Burleson - Postmaster General Our Thanksgiving holiday is like many other good things—of New England origin. It came into national use during the Civil War. The people of the United States in the celebration of this festival now have special cause for returning thanks to the Almighty Ruler of the universe for the many blessings He has showered upon us. While Europe, Asia, and Africa are ravaged by war, no foe has invaded our country --- our cities have not been destroyed, and our people go about their business and live in peace, in plenty, and in security. After every honorable effort had been exhausted to avoid it --- we were thrust into the world's war. In the name of allied nations we have entered into the contest. We have met the crisis unselfishly, patriotically, and nobly. Today, our sons, true to the traditions, ideals, and standards of their heroic fathers are mustering on the battlefields of Europe. From Josephus Daniels - Secretary of the Navy We are grateful to have discovered what some doubted before the war: That we have many youthful Nathan Hales in this generation --- who regret that they have only one life to give for their country. - That the spirit of “Don't give up the ship” actuating men in the Navy to-day gives us many Lawrences who meet death with little thought of self but deep concern for their country. That the people of the United States are justified in their faith in the soldiers and sailors and marines who are of the same stuff as the men whose courage made Bunker Hill and King's Mountain and Yorktown and Lake Champlain meccas of patriotism. That all America is mobilized and all true Americans have highly resolved to make every sacrifice that may be demanded for the sway of liberty and freedom in the world, where neither the autocracy of crowned heads nor entrenched privilege can deny the right of all men to govern themselves. From Franklin Lane - Secretary of the interior I cannot give thanks for war, nor for the method that men make war, nor for the turning of the minds of men from things constructive to things destructive; but I can give thanks that this is a Nation unashamed; that the spirit of Bunker Hill and Santiago is still quick and aggressive; that men are willing to die that liberty and justice may live; that we are not to see the free peoples of the earth humiliated or crushed; and that Fear is not to master the world. From William Wilson Secretary of Labor I have traveled through the most diverse parts of the country and come in contact with every variety of our citizenship —the rich and the poor, those who have sprung from old English stock, as well as naturalized citizens who have come to us from the different lands of Europe, including the central powers. In the midst of all this diversity of place and people, behind all differences, I find a common and complete devotion to this country and an unquestioning devotion to the aims of freedom and democracy which are the purposes of this country going to war. [SOUND EFFECT] Meanwhile in Europe, the US Army tries to bring a bit of home to the boys. Dateline: November 29, 1917 Headline: A story from the NY times… Cooks Prepare Feast For Pershing’s Men - Thanksgiving Dinner Expected to be the Best Ever Service to Army on Foreign Soil. The story reads: In every village in France where American troops are stationed, the company cooks started to make cranberry sauce and to lay out great piles of plump turkey, sweet potatoes and everything else that goes to make a real thanksgiving Dinner. Thanksgiving Day for the American forces will be one of resting, eating and recovering. After the dinner settles there will be real american doings such as football games, in which some american stars who are there will play. But back to the fighting front... [SOUND EFFECT] Early in this month, in Episode 45 we told you the story of a company of American Soldiers who were the first to contact the enemy - they were training in bunkers in a quiet part of the western front. Suddenly Germans attacked, over-ran the positions and took 12 prisoners of war. They also killed 5 and wounded others. This week, the incident is in the news again as the French Government endeavors to decorate 15 men of this unit. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline November 27th 1917 Headline: From the pages of the New York Times “French Decorate 15 of our troops… “French War Crosses” conferred on men who met German Trench Raid on November 2… but TOLD NOT TO WEAR MEDALS - Recipients must wait until Congress authorizes them to accept honors from a foreign nation. Now I see that the follow on of this story offers great insight into the situation on the ground… After months of waiting - American soldiers finally head to the front early in the month. It’s a quiet area but in the actual war zone… The Americans are essentially still training when suddenly themselves in an unintended engagement as the Germans attack. The story in the times includes: The French General, in referring to the actions of this american company said: “On the night of November second, this company, which was in the line for the first time, met an extremely violent bombardment, despite which it seized arms and offered such stubborn resistance that the enemy, though numerically superior, was obliged to retire” [Sound effect] Also this week -- another group of Yankee Doughboys find themselves “In the Fight” - somewhat unintentionally - during the battle of Cambrai. The 11th engineers are helping to build the rail system that has been transporting a new power weapon to the front - in preparation for the british Cambrai campaign that was, for the first time make major use of the tank! Suddenly near the town of Gouzeaucout, ( GUZ- Oh - COO) the germans counter-attack and the engineers suddenly find themselves in combat. The following is from an article printed in a UK magazine called "I was there". The author is Major General Seely of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade as he describes the German counter attack at Cambrai around November 30th. “I have to say that a good many stragglers from the battle gallantly came forward with me. Amongst others we found a curious and most interesting party, American engineers whom we had seen 12 days before, engaged in making a light railway some five miles behind the front line. They were pursuing their peaceful avocations near to Gouzeaucourt ( GUZ- Oh - COO) , which had been close to the front line before our advance on November 21. They belonged to the American 11th Engineers. Colonel Hoffman was the Regimental Commander and I think Captain Hulsant was commanding the party, when the German advance fell on upon them. Some had rifles with them, in the case of others the rifles were far away, but that made no difference to these gallant Yankees. With spades and pickaxes they fell upon the advancing Germans and although many were knocked out, I am assured that they got the best of it in a hand to hand combat. It was a brave thing to do, for surrender would have been easy and for once justifiable. When I came home on leave a month later, I gave some account of this at a luncheon, given by Lord Beaverbrook. I do not know if this account has reached America from other sources, but I am glad to put it on record now. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline December 1, 1917 Headline from the story in the New York times reads Every State now has Militia in France - Not a man lost of those who have sailed from America to the Front So by November of 1917 - the Americans are mobilized - sent the troops “over there” - have been busy training and helping to build infrastructure - and are beginning to engage the enemy - though not intentionally yet. None of this is deemed fast enough or big enough by the British who warn that the pace and power projection of the Americans is crucial but lacking 100 years ago this month - in the War that changed the world . [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Tanks were to be a major strategic shift in the planning for the Battle of Cambrai - Nearly 500 were deployed for the campaign - but with some mixed results… Here to tell us about it is Mike Shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator of the Great War Project blog. The tank is to be the new super weapon in the war - the game changer - but apparently did not come out of the gate quite as planned - tell us about it Mike: [Mike Shuster] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/11/19/where-are-the-americans-2/ http://greatwarproject.org/2017/11/26/are-tanks-the-answer/ [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel For video about this week in WWI 100 years ago - from a more European perspective - we recommend the Great War Channel on Youtube hosted by Indy Neidell. Their episodes this week include: The End Of Passchendaele and Jagdkommandos - Austria Hungary’s Special Forces and Tank Corps Unleashed - The battle of Cambrai And finally Dropping Bombs on Germany - Indy takes audience questions in an episode of “Out of the Trenches” Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW It is time to fast forward into the present to WW1 Centennial News NOW - this section is not about history, but rather - it explores what is happening to commemorate the centennial of the War that changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] Commission News: Coin Strike and Zoe Dunning When Commission Chair Robert Dallesandro retired from the US World War One Centennial Commission it left a seat open for a new commissioner. So last week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi filled that seat with Commander Zoe Dunning, USN (Ret.) of San Francisco. We welcome Commissioner Dunning who is our first commissioner from the west coast. Read more about Commissioner Dunning by visiting the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/3721 Philadelphia Mint Ceremonial Coin Strike In more commission news - on Tuesday, November 28th in Philadelphia-- the US Mint hosted a ceremonial coin strike event for the new 2018 World War I Centennial Silver Dollar. A distinguished group who were involved with the coin project were on hand, including Congressional sponsors of the legislation that authorized the coin; Don Everhardt, legendary US Mint coin engraver; Terry Hamby, the Chair of our WWI Centennial Commission; and Gerald York, grandson of WWI hero Sergeant Alvin York. This commemorative coin -- which will be produced in limited quantities and will be available for purchase from the Mint beginning in January 2018 -- will support our endeavors with surcharge on the sale of each coin that will go directly to help us honor, educate and commemorate the centennial of WWI. You can learn more about it by going to ww1cc.org/coin or by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/3208 Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1” - Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- Fashion was not exactly top of mind when you were dodging shells, machine guns and sleeping with rats in the trenches... But those very conditions lead to some pretty iconic and common contemporary fashion items. Two of these - that are very much with us today - were created to solve very practical issues: first, of course, mud, mud, mud everywhere! So get yourself a trenchcoat! Mud clung to clothes in the trenches, caking and weighing men down. The traditional serge greatcoats of the French and British armies were impractical in such conditions, so the lighter, more water resistant trench coat was developed. Secondly, how the heck are you supposed to begin an attack on time - everyone going “over the top” simultaneously when your units are strung out over the horizontal miles of trenches? Audio doesn’t work very far because there are big guns and shells exploding all over the place - There’s no internet or chat - radio and telephone are large clunky things... The answer: create a fashion forward, trench adapted wrist watch for every officer and commander.. No fumbling with devices in pockets - it’s right there and available - hey wait a minute - that’s apples new pitch for their generation 3 apple watch… Well - in any case - 100 years ago - specially with the development of tactics like the creeping barrages, the precise synchronization between the artillery gunners and the infantry advancing just behind the barrage - coordinated timing became essential to a successful campaign. Though wristwatches existed in some fashion since the 1500s, the watches produced during the War were specially designed for the rigours of trench warfare, with luminous dials and unbreakable glass. Those luminous dials have a whole horror story attached to them as well… check out The Buzz in episode #19 for the story of the Radium Girls. With a watch on nearly every commander, whole divisions could synchronize their timepieces and be sure to “jump off” all together. By the end of the war, almost all enlisted men wore a wristwatch, and after they were demobilized, the fashion soon caught on. Wristwatch and trenchcoat -- words for items with their roots in the trenches! See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Doughboy-Fritz-Soldier-Slang/dp/144563 7839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508848013&sr=8-1&keywords=tommy+doughboy+fritz 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT Springfield, MA 100 cities 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. As you listen to our guest tell us about the project, remember that we are taking grant applications for the second round of awards - the deadline to submit the applications is January 15, 2018 - go to ww1cc.org/100Memorials to learn all about it.’ This week we are profiling the Indian Orchard Godfrey Triangle Project in Springfield, Massachusetts-- with us tell us about the project are Jacqueline Farrow and Eddie Boulrice [bowl-reece] from the Godfrey Triangle Restoration Committee. Welcome! [exchange greetings] Eddie - Tell us a little about your Indian Orchard Heroes of WWI memorial - it’s past, current and future role in your community. Eddie - Like so many other 100 year old memorials, your memorial is both a weather worn and unfortunately it was vandalized - tell us about the eagle! So the memorial is in the city of Springfield Massachusetts - Is Indian Orchard a neighborhood? Jacqueline-- In March you held a fund raiser with The Indian Orchard American Legion Post 277 Ladies Auxiliary - how did that go? Your project was submitted in Round 1 and has continued on to Round 2 of the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project. What would you say to the selection committee about why THIS project should be selected specifically? Thank you both! Jacqueline Farrow and Eddie Boulrice are from the the Indian Orchard Citizen’s Council in Springfield Massachusetts. If you have a local project you want to submit for a grant - go to ww1cc.org/100 memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes to learn more about how to participate in this program! Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials https://www.facebook.com/events/438048213017354/ Wwrite Blog In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week’s post is a perfect dovetail to our weekly 100 Cities/100 Memorials segment-- The title reads “Forgetting to Remember: Making America's Great War Monumental Again” As the new national WWI Memorial materializes in D.C., we want to look at other war memorials and the narrative of their construction. Reading the "story" of the ways memorials are conceived plays an important role in the understanding of public, cultural memory. You can delve into the subject with this week’s blog post by WW1CC intern, Sarah Biegelsen. Read the fascinating tour of some of America's interesting WWI monuments and their stories by visiting ww1cc.org/wwrite Link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3738-forgetting-to-remember.html www.ww1cc.org/wwrite [SOUND EFFECT] Spotlight in the Media Soldiers Unknown Interview For our Spotlight in the Media segment this week, we are speaking with Chag Lowry (ChAIg) and Rahsan Ekedal (rah-SAN Ek-uh-dhal) --the author and artist for a Graphic Novel ---- Soldiers Unknown ---- which tells the story of Yurok soldiers - native americans - who were part of the 91st Infantry Division in WW1. Welcome gentlemen! [greetings] This question is to you Chag - To start, can you tell us a bit about the Yurok peoples? And what drew you to the story of the 91st Infantry division? So you have a great subject here - how did the two of you come together and decide that a graphic novel was the best way to tell the story? The native american commitment to serving is huge - probably as a community the large % veterancy. When it comes to being a graphic novel, have you found any challenges particular to this story during illustration? Chag you have experts on your side that you consult with? If you were going to do a companion book to this one, about another WW1 story -- what would you each choose to focus on? [thanks and goodbye] Chag Lowry and Rahsan Ekedal - creators of the Graphic Novel - Soldiers Unknown. Learn more at the links in the podcast notes. Link:https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/veterans/soldiers-unknown-graphic-novelist-chag-lowry-on-world-war-is-native-warriors/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/1890-four-questions-for-chag-lowry.html http://www.rahsanekedal.com/news/ Chris Kelly Interview In another Spotlight in the Media segment this week, we are speaking with Christopher Kelly, an American history writer based in Seattle and London, and editor of An Adventure in 1914: The True Story of an American Family’s Journey on the Brink of World War I. Welcome, Chris! [greetings] Chris, this book is in fact a memoir that you edited. Can you tell us a bit about the man whose memoir it is, Thomas Tileston [Tile-ston] Wells? You’ve written and co-written a number of other books, but came to this one as an editor; what kind of work is done by the editor of a pre-existing text like this one? So what is the story about? The story is just incredible-- made for the movies almost! Just for fun, if a film version of this story were to be made, who would you cast as as your great grandfather - Mr. Wells? There So I understand there is a romance side of the story… tell us about that… Where do i find the book, and how can i get it? [goodbyes/thanks] Christopher Kelly is an American history writer based in Seattle and London. You can find links to the website for the book, An Adventure in 1914 in the podcast notes. Links:http://anadventurein1914.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Adventure-1914-American-Familys-Journey-ebook/dp/B01LXD1KHQ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christopher-kelly/adventure-1914/ https://americanconservativeinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/ Articles and Posts Our website at WW1cc.org is the home and archive for lots of things WW1 - with over 3700 articles on WWI, 2,000 locations listed in our map database and nearly 1400 WWI related events in our national events register - its a great place to explore and new articles are published weekly. This week we will highly a few of them for you. Pow-wow honors Wisconsin Pow-wow honors Wisconsin World War I Native American vets First from the Badger State -- Wisconsin-- it’s an update from the states, an event and an article. About 200 people gathered on Veterans Day to commemorate 28 Ho-Chunk men – known as the Winnebago Indians in 1917 — from the area surrounding Volk Field National Guard training base in Wisconsin. The families of these warriors — known as Descendants of Red Arrow — have met at Volk Field since 1977 to celebrate their service, their memory, and the 32nd “Red Arrow” Division, which continues today as the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Read the story about the ceremony and its World War One origins by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3704-pow-wow-honors-wisconsin-wwi-native-american-veterans.html Historic WWI DH4 aircraft will fly again For all the aviation buffs out there, some exciting news coming out of Kentucky. There, a team of enthusiasts is hard at work restoring the first warplane built in America — the Dayton-Wright DH4. The group members hope to remind the public of the plane’s importance by restoring the DH4 in time for test flights this coming spring with plans for airshows across the country and even a trip to France. Read more about the ongoing efforts to get the so-called Liberty Plane flying again by visiting ww1cc.org/news or following the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3709-historic-wwi-dh-4-aircraft-will-fly-again.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what’s going on in the world of social media this week? Hi Theo! Canadian Tragedy This week, we shared the story of one of the worst accidents of the war, certainly the worst in North America. In the port city of Halifax, Nova Scotia on December 6th, 1917, a ship carrying aid collided with a ship carrying high-explosives, causing an explosion and tsunami wave that destroyed the north end of the city, and killed some 2,000 people and injured a further 9000. At the time, the explosion was the largest human-made blast that the world had experienced, reaching a measured height of 2.25 miles Sadly, the explosion was followed by a blizzard that severely restricted efforts to help the city for days. Commemorations of this disaster are to take place soon, and you can read more about both the explosion and the upcoming commemorations at the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2017/11/commemorations-mark-centenary-of-wwi-explosion-that-killed-2000-canadians.aspx Cello from the Trenches Finally, let’s end on a lighter note, with some music! [MUSIC] An article shared on Facebook this week comes from ClassicFm.Com and features a video of a very special, and special looking, cello being played. The cello is a long, narrow rectangle, rather than the large, curvaceous instrument we’re used to calling cello. This is a “holiday cello” – an instrument you can pack up and take away with you so you can still practise when you’re away from home. And, indeed, it went very far from home as its British owner, Harold Triggs, was sent to the trenches and took the cello with him. He played it in the trenches of Ypres and he wasn’t the only one – there were reportedly other instruments in the trenches, some made from ammunition boxes and pipes. In that bleak place, people needed music. Decades and decades later, it found its way into the hands of a stringed instrument expert. In the video, cellist Steven Isserlis plays it for us so we can all hear the music that once filled the war torn landscape 100 years ago. And that’s it this week for the Buzz! link:http://www.classicfm.com/artists/steven-isserlis/trench-cello-first-world-war/ And that’s WW1 Centennial News for the end of November, 1917 and 2017 Our guests this week.. Mike Shuster, explaining the growing role of tanks in the war Jacqueline Farrow and Eddie Boulrice [bowl-reece] from the Godfrey Triangle Project in Springfield, Massachusetts Chag Lowry and Rahsan Ekedal telling us all about their graphic novel Soldiers Unknown Christopher Kelly sharing the story behind the memoir An Adventure in 1914 Katherine Akey the shows line producer and the commissions social media director... Thanks to Eric Marr for his great help on our story research… 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; Your listening to this podcast is a part of that…. Thank you! 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. This week’s featured web page is ww1cc.org/coin - where you can learn about the US Mint’s 2018 commemorative WWI coin 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, 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. 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] So I’m putting on my Matrix trench coat - snapping on my third generation dick tracy apple watch - in costume and all set to take in a special showing of “All quiet on the western front” at my local movie house - So long! So long!
Highlights POWs in WW1 | @01:30 The war on the eastern front is over - Mike Shuster | @11:15 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Gavin McIlvenna | @15:50 Speaking WW1 “Dingbat” | @22:40 100C/100M, Wheaton IL - Nancy Flannery & Rob Sperl | @24:15 The Millionaire’s Unit - Dr. Marc Wortman | @30:50 North Dakota WW1 Centennial Committee - Darrell Dorgan | @38:00 Warrior in Khaki - Native American Warriors - Michael and Ann Knudson | @44:15 WWrite Blog - Pierre Lemaitre’s, The Great Swindle | @51:20 The Buzz - Native American History Month | @52:25 More...----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - 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 November 8th, 2017. We have a big lineup of guests for you this week… 9 in all! including: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Gavin Mcilvenna, President of the Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Nancy Flannery and Rob Sperl from the 100 cities/100 memorials project in Wheaton, Illinois Marc Wortman, author, historian and journalist Darrell Dorgan, Chairman of the North Dakota WW1 Centennial Committee Michael and Ann Knudson, authors of Warriors in Khaki And Katherine Akey the shows line producer and the commissions social media director... 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. Welcome to the show. [MUSIC] World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] This week 100 years ago in both the Official Bulletin, the US government's daily war gazette and the New York Times, there are stories about the first American Prisoners-of-war captured by the Germans. This got us thinking about the subject of POWs in WWI. What were the rules? I mean, the Geneva convention that we usually think of, when we think of prisoner of war “treatment” today generally refers to treaties from 1949 after WWII. Those were updates from 2 treaties pulled together in 1929 - And prior to the 20th century, the treatment and rights for combatants was pretty harsh - There were attempts to develop some kind of humanitarian standards through much of the second half of the 1800’s after the Crimena war. What WAS the story with POWs in WWI? How many were there? Did the Red Cross play a role? What about American POWs? So that’s the theme we are going to explore in today’s WW1 Centennial News THEN… what was happening this week 100 years ago.. in the war that changed the world. [SOUND EFFECT AND TRANSITION] It’s the first week of November, 1917. The Europeans have been at war for over three years, but early this week, as they are training in a relatively quiet area of the western front, a company of American Soldiers gets raided by a German force. 3 are killed , 5 are wounded and 12 Americans get captured by the enemy. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline Sunday November 4, 1917 The headline in the New York Times reads: Attack Before Daylight Forces in Training Held Small Salient of the Front Line Trenches Pershing tells of loss And the story reads: Armed forces under the American flag have had their first clash with German soldiers--- in an attack which the Germans made on first line trenches, which the United States troops had taken for instruction --- three Americans were killed, five wounded and twelve captured. The Germans respond to the incident with a taunting article in Berlin’s Lokal Anzeiger newspaper [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline Sunday November 4, 1917 Another headline in the New York Times reads: Berlin Rejoices Over American Prisoners; Lokal Anzeiger newspaper extends a “Welcome” The story goes on to read: The Berlin newspaper played up the capture of the Americans in their headlines under the captions: “Good Morning Boys” and goes on to include: Three Cheers for the Americans. Clever chaps they are! It cannot be denied. Scarcely have they touched the soil of this putrified Europe when they are already forcing their way into Germany! It is our good fortune that we are equipped to receive and entertain numerous guests and that we shall be able to provide quarters for these gentlemen. However, we cannot promise them doughnuts and jam, and to this extent they will be obliged to receed from their former standard of living. Above all they will find comfort in the thought that they are rendering their almighty president, Mr. Wilson, valuable services in as much as it is asserted that he is anxious to obtain reliable information concerning conditions and sentiments in belligerent countries. As Americans are accustomed to travel in luxury and comfort, we assume that these advance arrivals merely represent couriers for larger numbers to come. We are sure the latter will come and be gathered in by us. And the propaganda war is in full swing from all sides as exemplified in an article published in the US Government’s Official Bulletin. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline Tuesday November 6, 1917 Headline: German Soldiers, Forced to murder their helpless foes and prisoners. Germans tell terrifying details in letters In the story it reads: The Committee on Public Information makes public herewith three letters taken from one of its forthcoming pamphlets “ German War Practices” Here is the protest of a German soldier, an eye-witness to the slaughter of Russian soldiers in the Masurian lakes and swamps: “ It was frightful, heart-rending, as those masses of human beings were driven to destruction. Above the terrible thunder of the cannon could be heard the heart-rending cries of the Russians… But there was no mercy. Our captain had ordered: ‘The whole lot must die; so rapid fire.’ As I have heard…. five men and one officer on our side went mad from those heart-wrenching cries. But most of my comrades and the officers joked as helpless Russians shrieked for mercy while they were being suffocated in the swamps and shot down. The order was: ‘ Close up and at it harder!’ For days afterwards those yells followed me, and I dare not think of them or I shall go mad. There is no God; there is no morality and' no ethics any more. There are no human beings any more, but only beasts. I say Down with militarism. This was from a letter by a Prussian soldier as reported by the US government. From a wikipedia entry entitled: World War I prisoners of war in Germany, it states From the beginning of the war, the German authorities find themselves confronted with an unexpected influx of prisoners. In September 1914, at the beginning of the war, 125,000 French soldiers and 94,000 Russians are made captive. Early the following year in, 1915, the number of prisoners being held captive in Germany reaches 652,000 and then rises even more quickly. From February to August 1915, it goes from 652,000 to 1,045,000. One year later, in August 1916, it reaches 1.6 million, and then reaches just over 2.4 million prisoners of war by October 1918. This experience gives Germany a strong foundation in the implementation, operation and exploitation of large POW and labor camps, know-how they will employ again in the future. Preparing to deal with American POWs, the US government makes plans with the US Red Cross to help care for our captured doughboys. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Wednesday November 7, 1917 The headline of the Official Bulletin reads: RED CROSS PLANS TO FEED U. S. PRISONERS lN GERMANY The story reads: Arrangements for supplying food and clothing to American prisoners of war in Germany have been worked out in detail by the War and Navy Departments and the American Red Cross. Since the beginning of the war, England and France have met Germany’s inadequate care of its prisoners by sending supplies of their own, and in the main the system has operated successfully. To support American soldiers and sailors who may be captured and confined in German prison camps, the disbursing agent of the Red Cross at Berne, Switzerland, will be supplied with 4,500 tons of food immediately. This will comprise 1,800,000 individual rations, or enough to feed 10,000 men adequately for six months. Now… Surprisingly, these preparations are over specified. The fact is, that the US POW count winds up being pretty low at just above 4,100 soldiers - even with over 2 million soldiers in the field. This may speak to the nature of the American Expeditionary Force’s campaign style and few battles where the forces are captured wholesale. Contrast this with the currently on-going Battle of Caporetto - where 265,000 italian soldiers are captured by the Prussians. And speaking of the Battle of Caporetto - Two names pop up connected to that battle --- that our listeners may be familiar with. Supporting the Austrians is a young German Captain - who will emerge in WWII as a major military strategist - Field Marshal Erwin Rommel - the Desert Fox. On the US side, there is a young ambulance driver who will emerge after the war as one of the giant figures of literature - Ernest Hemingway, who was wounded in this battle and used his experiences as a basis for his 1929 novel, A Farewell to Arms. These notes on the battle of Caporetto were sent in to me by my cousin Michael who is a military cryptologist and who wanted to point out that the use of SIGINT or signal intelligence - strategic decoding of battlefield radio communications - played a key part in Caporetto - used by the Austrians to wipe out and capture Italy’s artillery! Links: www.ww1cc.org/bulletin http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/history/official-bulletin/2883-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-1-issue-153-november-7-1917.html http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/history/official-bulletin/2882-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-1-issue-152-november-6-1917.html http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/history/official-bulletin/2881-ww1-official-bulletin-volume-1-issue-151-november-5-1917.html http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9401EEDB123FE433A25756C0A9679D946696D6CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D00EEDB123FE433A25756C0A9679D946696D6CF [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project But perhaps the biggest and most impactful story 100 years ago this week is the end of the war on the eastern front --- as Russia formally drops out of the fight! Mike Shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog is here to tell us about it. Welcome Mike. [Mike Shuster] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/11/05/the-bolsheviks-seize-power-in-russia/ [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel If you need a little WWI video action - we recommend the Great War Channel on Youtube hosted by Indy Neidell. This week’s new episodes are: Battle of Beersheba and Canadian Frustration Breakthroughs and Setbacks - Fall 1917 And as we covered last week - Zionism during WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW Now we are going to fast forward into the present to WW1 Centennial News NOW - and explore what is happening to commemorate the centennial of the War that changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] Events: Veterans Day Interview with Gavin McIlvenna - Tomb of the Unknown Soldier On this veterans day weekend, we are going to start with a special guest, Retired Sergeant Major Gavin Mcilvenna, President of the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. One of the most iconic images of remembrance during any Memorial or Veterans Day is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guards at attention, rain or shine, honoring our fallen with the serious, heartfelt solemnity and devotion to the duty that they are performing. Gavin has been one of those guards and it is our privilege to have him here today to give us some insight into those men and women, that life and the job they do. Welcome Gavin! [greetings] [Gavin, how did the tradition of honoring an Unknown Soldier begin - and what is the idea behind it? ] [For those who stand guard over the unknown soldier - what does it mean to them?] [Are there unknowns from multiple conflicts, or just World War One?] [So You’re the president of the Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. What is the Society’s mission?] [The Society is preparing for the centennial of the very first Unknown Soldier selected in 1921 -- can you tell us a bit about what those commemoration plans look like?] Thank you so much for being here with us today! [goodbyes/thanks] Gavin McIlvenna is the President of the Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We have links for you in the podcast notes to learn more... Link: http://tombguard.org/ http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- In ww1, Australian soldiers earned an outstanding reputation. They fought in many of the great theatres of war: Gallipoli, Damascus, Gaza, the Somme, Ypres and Passchendaele. Right from the beginning, though, they were seen as trouble by the English Officers… They were brash, boisterous, undisciplined, they dressed improperly -- some didn't even shave everyday. But they fought like tasmanian devils and if you ever hung out with australians you’ll know that they were just being their very cool and very natural Aussie selves - considering the English officers as uptight arses. The Australians were also masters of slang, in their gruff-but-goofy style, so it’s no surprise that they came up with a wonderfully nonsensical yet descriptive term for an uptight arse: A dingbat! A bit of an insult: A bit of a description… The word itself - Dingbat - has earlier origins, being used since the early 19th century much like the word thingamajig, a placeholder for when you don’t quite know what to call something. Today, the word’s main use is as a computer type font filled not with letters but with symbols, shapes and objects - So if you always thought of Dingbat as a fancy asterisk... in world war 1 it was simply a different kind of arse... Terisk. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Doughboy-Fritz-Soldier-Slang/dp/144563 7839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508848013&sr=8-1&keywords=tommy+doughboy+fritz http://mentalfloss.com/article/58233/21-slang-terms-world-war-i 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT Wheaton IL 100 cities 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. To start - we just have to plug the fact that we are taking grant applications for the second round - we have matching grants to give away but you need to submit the application before January 15, 2018 - go to ww1cc.org/100Memorials to learn all about it.’ Now this week we are profiling the WWI Obelisk in Wheaton Illinois-- one of the first 50 awardees of the 100 available grants --- with us tell us about their project are Nancy Flannery, Chair of the City of Wheaton Historic Commission, and Rob Sperl, Director of Parks and Planning, Wheaton Park District. Welcome to both of you! [exchange greetings] [Nancy, in your grant application for 100 Cities / 100 memorials you said - Quote” The US participation in World War I not only changed the population of Wheaton, Illinois; it defined Wheaton as a community willing to fight for its beliefs.Unquote What did you mean by that?] [Nancy - how did the obelisk come about?] [Rob, I noted that your project is scaled well over $50,000 - and that the park board of commissioners committed to covering the rest - how did the city decide evolve?] [ Is the project finished? Do you have plans for a rededication?] [exchange thanks] Nancy Flannery, is the Chair of the City of Wheaton Historic Commission, and Rob Sperl, is the Director of Parks and Planning Wheaton Park District. We are going to continue to profile 100 Cities / 100 Memorials projects - not only awardees but also teams that are continuing on to round #2 which is now open for submissions. We are very proud of this program that is stimulating communities all over America to rediscover and re-address their heritage. A HUGE thank you to all participants! You can go to ww1cc.org/100 memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes to learn more about participating in this program! Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials [SOUND EFFECT] Spotlight in the Media Marc Wortman - The Millionaire’s Unit Today, we are combining our Spotlight in the Media and our War in the Sky segments by speaking with Dr. Marc Wortman, historian, journalist and author, about his book The Millionaires' Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power. The book inspired a recently released award winning documentary. Welcome, Marc! [greetings] [So Marc, The Millionaire’s Unit recounts the history of the First Yale Unit. Can you give us an introduction to who this unit was and what they did during the war?] [Katherine wanted to put in this question --- How did this group end up in the Navy Air Service rather than in the Army Air Service?] [We’ve provided a link for our listeners to learn more about your books and your audiobook on audible… but let’s talk about the documentary, tell us about it…] [here is a clip from the film’s trailer that just came out last week] [Marc - it’s a fascinating story about young men who used their privileged position in life to do - what they clearly believed - was the right thing - their duty - and they had an impact that still echoes today. Thanks so much for bringing us the story! ] [goodbyes/thanks] Dr. Marc Wortman is a historian, journalist and author. The Millionaire’s Unit and accompanying documentary are linked in the podcast notes. Links: marcwortmanbooks.com http://www.millionairesunit.org/home.php https://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=the%20millionaire%27s%20unit&filterby=field-keywords https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nceHuM0oZCM&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nceHuM0oZCM&feature=youtu.be Updates from the States North Dakota WW1 Centennial Committee This week in our Updates from the States, We want to congratulate the WWI Centennial Committee from the Roughrider State, North Dakota. They have just launched their website at ww1cc.org/northdakota all on word and lower case! We invited North Dakota WWI Centennial Committee chairman Darrell Dorgan to join us. Welcome, Darrell! [greetings] [Darrell, tell us about your state WWI Committee. How did it get established in North Dakota?] [Because as chief technologist, I helped support the process, I was interested to learn that the North Dakota website was built by a Microsoft website hackathon -- that’s unique among our state publishing partners - how did that come about? ] [What was the North Dakotan WWI experience? How did the war affect the state? ] [What are some of the Committee key projects in the coming year?] [Thank you Darrell!] [goodbye/thanks] Darrell Dorgan is the Chairman of the North Dakota World War One Centennial Committee. Follow the North Dakota Committee by heading over to ww1cc.org/northdakota or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/northdakota Warriors in Khaki For our next story, we are going to stay in the Dakotas… and look more into the service of the state, and specifically the WWI service by the Native American population. Michael J. Knudson and Ann G. Knudson are a husband and wife writing team, and authors of multiple books on local World War 1 history in North Dakota. [Welcome Knudsons!!] [Michael, how did you two end up writing books about the service of North Dakotans in World War One? ] [Ann, how does your latest book, Warriors in Khaki, differ from your earlier book, Ransom County’s Loyal Defenders?] [Did you attend the UTTC Powow? How were you welcomed by the different tribal nations?] [What kinds of challenges do you encounter when doing this kind of very detailed, very local research?] [Do you have any upcoming work? [this lets them plug their upcoming book on South Dakota] [Michael, Ann -- thank you for your time, and your books!] [goodbye/thanks] Michael J. Knudson and Ann G. Knudson write books about the Dakotas and the history of the region. You can find links to their website as well as their books in the links in the podcast notes. link:http://www.rp-author.com/knudson/ https://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Khaki-Michael-J-Knudson/dp/1611701015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510063689&sr=8-1&keywords=warriors+in+khaki Articles and Posts Shout out to the Bi-Centennial of WW1 As we were prepping this week’s section on articles and posts, I decided to take a quick look to see HOW MANY articles and posts we now have on our website at ww1cc.org - and just at that very moment, one of our interns, Eric Squazzin hit enter on article number 3 thousand 6 hundred!!! Now everything that is published on our website is mandated to be preserved in perpetuity by the US Government as a document of interest to the American People - and I am proud to report - we got a LOT OF STUFF ABOUT WW1 gathered there!!! And since we travel freely in time and space on this show - a little shout out to our friend in the future who are going to be running the bi-centennial of WWI - from all of us here in 2017 and 2018 - who have been contributing to the website - You are welcome! Wwrite Blog In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week the post title is “Pierre Lemaître's The Great Swindle: A Prize-Winning WWI Novel Hits the Screen During France's Great War Centennial” The book, with the english title “the great swindle”, is not only about a post-war traumatic experience; it is also about the art, and, yes, the money that could be made by making a business out of the millions of dead bodies that had a hard time finding proper graves after the combat ended. French director, Albert Dupontel, released the film adaptation of Lemaître’s pathbreaking book early in 2017. Read more about the award winning book and its accompanying film adaptation by visiting the Wwrite blog at ww1cc.org/wwrite or by following the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3533-the-great-swindle.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what’s going on in the world of social media this week? [Hi Theo! Native American History Month It’s Native American History Month and this week we started to see a swell in posts and articles about the service of Native Americans in the war. I wanted to highlight a few really great facebook pages to follow if you’re interested in learning more about the history and commemorations of Native American service. The Facebook page “WW1 Native American Warriors” is a fabulous resource, connecting tribes from all across the country and sharing their events, articles and the stories of individuals all in one place. Additionally, the Choctaw Code Talkers Association has a great facebook page, and you can follow the progress of the Muskogee Doughboy statue restoration at the statue’s official facebook page too. There’s also the Native American Indian Veterans Page, and of course the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is sharing a ton of amazing stories, photographs and resources over the month. Check the podcast notes for links to all of these pages, and that’s it this week for the Buzz! ] link:https://www.facebook.com/NativeAmericanWarriorsWWI/ https://www.facebook.com/choctawcodetalkers https://www.facebook.com/RevJohnRobinson https://www.facebook.com/NAIV-National-American-Indian-Veterans-311444758503 https://www.facebook.com/NationalMuseumoftheAmericanIndian And that’s WW1 Centennial News for November 8, 1917 and 2017 Our guests this week were: Mike Shuster with a look at Russia’s revolution 100 years ago this week Gavin Mcilvenna with insight into the service of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Nancy Flannery and Rob Sperl for the 100 cities/100 memorials project in Wheaton, Illinois Marc Wortman with the story of The Millionaire’s Unit Darrell Dorgan from the North Dakota WW1 Centennial Committee Michael and Ann Knudson writers with a great tolerance for cold weather and huge expertise on Native American WW1 Warriors from North and South Dakota Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. Thanks to Eric Marr for his help on our story research. 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; This program is a part of that…. 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. This week’s featured web page is ww1cc.org/memorial - check it out! Big news there. 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, 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. 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] Right mate - That’s a fair dinkum show this week - time to belt up and crack a tinnie - ya dingbat! (with apologies to my Aussie buds for my truly terrible accent) So long!
Highlight: US troops quietly begin deployment to the western front | @01:15 British troops near mutiny - Mike Shuster | @06:55 Zeppelin L-49 captured intact - War in The Sky | @10:50 Announcing Ceremonial groundbreaking for America’s WWI Memorial in Washington DC -Facebook Live stream coming | @15:30 All about America’s WWI Memorial in DC - Edwin Fountain | @16:15 Junior Master Gardener Poppy Program update - Lisa Whittlesey | @24:10 Speaking WWI - the word is Nark! | @29:35 100C/100M project profile - Borough of Danville, PA - Jamie Shrawder | @31:00 International Caparetto, Kobarid and Karfreit - Commemoration | @36:10 First three American combat casualties - from 16th infantry | @37:35 The Franco-American links - US Centennial Commissioner Seifried | @39 :00 About Aline Kilmer’s poetry - Peter Molin on WWRITE blog | @39:35 Buzz on Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome and selection of the Unknown Soldier | @40:45 more...----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - 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 October 25th, 2017 and our guests this week are: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Edwin Fountain, Vice Chair at the US WW1 Centennial Commission Lisa Whittlesey, Director of the International Junior Master Gardener Program And Jamie Shrawder, the Administrator of Governmental Affairs for the Borough of Danville, Pennsylvania 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. Welcome to the show. [MUSIC] This was a big week 100 years ago in the War that changed the world. Looking back - --- America declares war 6 months ago and the first American troops arrive in Europe 4 months ago. This week 100 years ago, the Army’s 1st division quietly deploys to Sommervillier - in france - a village near the western front almost directly between Belgium and Switzerland. We put a link in the podcast notes to some National Archive footage showing the the soldiers of the 1st division moving their horse drawn wagons, mechanised trucks, artillery and men to the fighting front. This is in the midst of a lots of controversy, conflicting agendas… opinions, and a very dire situation in the war “over there”. So let’s jump into our wayback machine to see what going on and how things play out 100 years ago this week. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] We are nearing the end of November 1917 and in the US, speculation is high about “Our Boys” getting into the fight. The official bulletin says NOTHING about this, the Wilson administration is being obscure, but the public press is sensing that something is up. [Sound Effect] Dateline: October 22, 1917 The headline in the New York Times reads: Hints Our Army is Near Action…. Secretary Baker’s guarded review is taken to mean that soldiers soon will be in the trenches. In the story it reads: In his review to press, Secretary of War Baker emphasized the status of the Pershing expedition by giving it the most prominent position in his analysis of the military equation. He declares that “our men in France, after three months of intensive training, are in splendid physical condition and efficient fighting trim” and that they “Now feel at home in the war zone”. The Secretary had no comment to make on the statement, but the interpretation placed on his words, when carefully weighed here tonight, is that they mark the verge of the actual entrance of the American Troops into the fighting line. Now Over in Europe, the situation is both complex and dire. We are going to zoom out for an overview of the situation. The troops on all sides are deeply war weary from the intense multi-year carnage of this unprecedented conflict. The Russians are effectively falling out of the fight with internal revolution and mass mutinies within their ranks. Everyone is clear that Russia is dropping out. This will free up a massive resources for the Germans for an expected major spring offensive. Although the Americans have come to join the fight, and despite having been technically at war since April, the United States has just four infantry divisions in France. These are not seasoned troops. These are young civilians short on training, equipment, modern staff techniques and without combat experience. This raises a contentious concept called Amalgamation. Amalgamation would have the United States insert its men directly into existing British and French units at the company level. This, argue the europeans, would compensate for the American officers and NCOs lack of familiarity with modern staff arrangements and technologies like aviation, armor, machine guns and heavy artillery. American troops would thereby be commanded at the tactical level by American junior officers, but the operational and strategic direction of American forces would be handled by more experienced Europeans. Though this sounds practical, many Americans including General Pershing look at the enormous casualty levels on the western front and recoil against the thought of our young men being used as cannon fodder by European generals. Pershing believes that the Europeans have become too tied to trench warfare. He has a different concept embodied in his "open warfare" doctrine, which, he argues, will restore mobility to warfare by emphasizing American aggressiveness and marksmanship. Politically, Wilson and his advisors also recognized that amalgamation of American forces will not allow for a distinctive American presence on the western front. Wilson believes that he will need to be able to point to an American contribution to victory if he is to represent American interests in any post-war peace conference. Yet it is obvious that the Americans are not yet ready to fight on their own. Americans have virtually no experience in this new modern warfare. They need time to learn about it, trench warfare and modern tactics. They also need time to build relationships with their French and British allies and to overcome the crazy inefficiencies of their own mobilization. There is great confidence that we can do it. The question is whether we can be trained, blooded, and effective in time to stop the German spring offensive. So on October 21, the first of the doughboys pack up, and General John J. Pershing leads the 1st Division to Sommervillier - a relatively quiet part of the western front to take the men of the American Expeditionary force to the fight 100 years ago this week! We want to thank Michael s. Neiberg and Harold K. Johnson professors of Military history at the US Army War College for their great and insightful article on the subject. That link and other sources are in the podcast notes. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfeHCj7yQa4 http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A0CE5D6103AE433A25750C2A9669D946696D6CF http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/166656659468/first-americans-enter-the-front-line http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/162357733133/first-american-division-arrives-in-france http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ww1/aef-wwi.htm [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project From the Great War Project Blog - we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project. The endless carnage, devastating conditions and futile progress at Passchendaele is taking its toll on men and morale - especially with the British troops under a seemingly uncaring British commander - General Douglas Haig. Discontent is boiling up in the ranks. Mike - please tell us the story… [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/10/22/british-soldiers-threaten-mutiny/ War in the Sky This week in the great war in the sky we go to Bourbonne - les- bains - in France - interestingly not too far from Sommerviller where the 1st Division is heading. The Associated press has a reporter that gets to see a intact captured german Zeppelin. [Sound Effect] Dateline: Sunday October 21, 1917 The Headline in the NY times reads: “Americans Inspect Captive Zeppelin” “French also throng to see the great airship that was brought down intact! Germans Tried to wreck it… Prevented by victorious French Aviator who showed great pluck!” In this illustrative story we learn many things about these giants of the sky what were sometimes referred to as Baby Killers or Pirates because of their bombing of civilian areas. The story reads: The crews of the Super-Zeppelins L49 and L50 have been interrogated and their replies confirm the supposition that they made up part of a single expedition against England. The Pirate fleet numbered twelve and left their stations separately. The prisoners say that when they reached the English coast, they were much bothered by anti-aircraft guns and even more by searchlights. L-50 quickly dropped its bombs and then rose to a height of three miles where they were caught by strong winds. Zeppelin L-49 came down near Bourbonne-Les-Bains--- intact, as were its machinery and its instruments. When the Zeppelin’s commander saw that it was impossible to save his ship, he destroyed the wireless apparatus and tried to explode the airship by firing his pistol into it. An opportunity was given to some American Officers to inspect the craft with French flying men. The whole body of the Zeppelin is painted black except the top, which is silvered. There is a small German Cross on each side amidships. The German airmen seemed surprised to see the Americans who had an opportunity to talk with some of them, and also with the Zeppelin commander, a slight blonde Lieutenant, speaking excellent english. A young French aviator told how he flew in pursuit of the Zeppelin to such an altitude that his cheeks froze and how he succeeded finally in forcing the craft down with his machine gun. When he saw they were about to land, he dived to earth. Other french aviators landed near. At the point of his pistol, the germans were prevented from damaging the craft further and were made prisoner. This is from an Associated Press report and a newspaper article published in the New York Times - and it is a story that unfold in the great war in the sky one hundred years ago this week. The link to the original article in the New York Times is in the podcast notes. link:http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A05E4D6103AE433A25750C2A9669D946696D6CF [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel We are really happy that you listen to our podcast - but If you’d like to watch some videos about WW1, we’d like to recommend that you see our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube - New episodes for this week include: Operation Albion Concludes - Allied Failures in Belgium Their second episode is a bit unique -- it is Interview is with rocker Pär Sundström from the hard metal band Sabaton who write and perform a lot of WWI themed songs. Here is a clip of the interview. The third video is called: German defense strategy and tactics at Passchendaele Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] We have moved forward in time to the present… Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the program is not about history but how the centennial of the War that changed the world is being commemorated today. Commission News Interview with Edwin Fountain In Commission News we want to invite you to a very special live streaming event on November 9 at 11am Eastern. You’ll be able to tune in to Facebook live to watch the ceremonial groundbreaking for the National World War I Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington DC. It may surprise our listeners to learn that in Washington DC there is no national WWI memorial honoring our doughboys, their sacrifice and their victory in WWI. It’s true! There is a memorial for WWII, for Korea and for Vietnam but none for WWI. With is today is a man who has passionately been addressing this issue for the better part of a decade - maybe longer. He is also the Vice Chair of the World War One Centennial Commission - Edwin Fountain. Edwin welcome to WW1 Centennial News! [Edwin - Why is it important that we build a national WW1 Memorial in our nation’s capital.] [Edwin - tell us about America’s WWI Memorial in Pershing Park what is it going to be like?] [We will post a link to that sculpture design in the podcast notes.] [How can our listeners help build this memorial for our doughboys?] Thank you Commissioner Edwin Fountain. That was Edwin Fountain - the vice-chair of the US World War One Centennial Commission. Education [Sound Effect] Junior Master Gardener Follow Up with Lisa Whittlesey In Episode #28, we introduced you to the Junior Master Gardener Program a 4H project. It’s an international youth gardening program that engages children in novel, “hands-on” learning experiences that provide a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and cultivates not just the earth but young minds. This Fall, the Junior Master Gardener program partnered with the US World War One Centennial Commission’s Poppy Seed Program to raise money for the program and America’s World War I Memorial in Washington DC. So as a reminder to our listeners, the WWI Poppy Program lets you Raise money for your organization, While helping us build the National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. The red poppy is an internationally recognized symbol of rememmbrance for veteran sacrifice. It works like this... for a donation of around 60 dollars, we send you a box of 60 Red Poppy seed packets in a kit. Your organization sells the poppy seed packets for $2 (or anything you want) and you keep the second dollar. So you can raise money for your local veterans organization, school, church, scout troop or master junior gardener team - learn more about WWI and help us build the memorial in DC all at the same time - With us to give us an update is Lisa Whittelsey, Director of the International Junior Master Gardener Program. Hi Lisa - good to have you with us again! [Say hello] [Lisa: how are our gardeners doing?] [Lisa, what are some of the reasons the kids and their schools should get involved with the poppy program?] [some of your kids really got into it -- even making their own video commercials. Let me play a clip from a group of enterprising junior master gardeners from the lone star state of Texas!] [what are some of the stories you’ve heard about the program?] [So flowers and poppy growing seems like a springtime activity - What happens now? Does the program go through the winter?] Thank you Lisa! That was Lisa Whittlesey, Director of the International Junior Master Gardener Program. Learn more about the Program and the collaboration with the Commission by following the links in the podcast notes. Update/Reminder on how the poppy program works link:http://ww1cc.org/poppy http://ww1cc.org/jmg http://jmgkids.us http://jmgkids.us/poppy/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3115-junior-master-gardener-program-works-to-honor-world-war-i-veterans.html [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- There were many things you didn’t want to be called in the trenches -- a coward, a deserter, a “client for Rouen”, aka a man with a venereal disease -- but one of the worst possible things to be called in the trenches was: a Nark! Really… So was there a drug culture in the trenches and informants to the military narcotics vice squad?? - well no - Contrary to popular belief, the word “nark” -- spelled n-a-r-k -- doesn’t come from the word “narcotics” at all. In fact, it’s origin comes from the word for nose, “Nak”, N-A-K in Romany, the language of the Romany or Gypsy people. It’s original use in pre-war England was in relation to people who stick their nose in other people’s business - informers, or perhaps because they sniffed out trouble! During the war, the word was brought into the trenches and spread into the American and ANZAC vocabularies. It came to mean a soldier who would reveal other private’s secrets, usually in order to improve his own standing. Nark -- the last kind of soldier you want to be! And this weeks word for speaking World War One! See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Doughboy-Fritz-Soldier-Slang/dp/1445637839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508848013&sr=8-1&keywords=tommy+doughboy+fritz 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT Welcome to our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials segment about the $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue and focus on our local WWI memorials. Last month, we announced the first 50 “WWI Centennial Memorials”. We’ll be awarding another 50 matching grants early next year. If you live in a town that has a WWI memorial that might want a little attention… now is the time to go to ww1cc.org/100memorials and learn what you can do about it, what others have done and how to apply for the matching grants. The 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Danville, Pennsylvania was one of the first 50 awardees - and here to tell us about the project is Jamie Shrawder, the Administrator of Governmental Affairs for the borough of Danville. Welcome, Jamie! [exchange greetings] [Jamie - Danville has a memorial park with several monuments - The four sided WWI monuments is really striking with an eagle atop a four sided granite base. When did it get erected?] [How do you and how does Danville feel about being one of the awardees and your memorial getting designated as a WWI Centennial Memorial?] [I saw in your proposal that you approached various veterans organizations to support the restoration - how did that work out?] [Cleaning up one of these historic memorials isn’t done by grabbing a can of brasso and polishing up the brass (BTW - I just felt 1000 conservators cringe at once) - how do you go about it?] [do you have plans for a rededication?] [exchange thanks] That was Jamie Shrawder, the Administrator of Governmental Affairs for the Borough of Danville. We are going to continue to profile 100 Cities / 100 Memorials projects - not only awardees but also teams that are continuing on to round #2 which is now open for submissions. So listeners - this weekend - if you are in the United States - take a few minutes look around your town and find your local WWI memorial. There WILL be one.. And you’ve probably seen it but did not know what it was. You’ll find it near the county court house, in a municipal park, by the old high school building, at the American Legion or the VFW post, or in an area of your local cemetery. When you DO find it, and if it needs some TLC, please go to WW1CC.org/100Memorials and see how you can start the ball rolling to get that memorial and the doughboys it honors some help. You can follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials [SOUND EFFECT] International Report Kobarid Museum: Commemorations in Slovenia In our International report this week, we head to Slovenia, to the Kobarid [ko-bah-reed] Museum located near the eastern border of Slovenia and Italy - There, from October 20th to November 11th-- historians, soldiers and citizens will gather for a series of events commemorating the Battle of Caporetto, also known as the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit. The Battle was so devastating for the combatant Italian forces that the word Caporetto gained a particular resonance in Italy. It is used to denote a terrible defeat – the failed General Strike of 1922 by the socialists was referred to by Mussolini as the "Caporetto of Italian Socialism". In 1917 - the Italians lost 305,000 men, 265,000 of those as prisoners of war. Though not as devastating, the German and Austro Hungarian lost 70,000 men in that battle. Commemorations at the Kobarid Museum include a new exhibition with the title "Kobarid, Caporetto, Karfreit 1917"; there will also be a ceremony along the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic, lighting candles at the memorials and cemeteries on the way. Many more events are scheduled, including a cross country running event in the region that will join the former combatants as colleagues - You can find out more by heading to the Kobarid Museum’s website and the Walk of Peace website. Follow the link in the podcast notes to learn more. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/slovenia-official-commemoration-web-site.html https://www.kobariski-muzej.si/exhibitions/permanent/ http://www.potmiru.si/eng/ Articles and Posts 16th Division This week in our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - This week we are profiling a great article about the 16th Infantry division -- and how its service in WW1 is being commemorated. On November 3rd 1917, Corporal James Gresham, and Privates Thomas Enright and Merle Hay, were killed in action during a German trench raid near the little village of Bathelémont (baa-tel-ay-mon) in France. These soldiers -- all members of F Company, 16th Infantry -- were the first three American combat casualties in World War I. The 16th Infantry Regiment Association will honor Gresham with the dedication of a plaque at his mother’s home in Evansville, Indiana, at 10:00 am, on November 3rd this year. The article includes a conversation with the Association's President, Steven E. Clay, about about the 16th Infantry's soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. You can read that discussion by following the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3271-four-questions-for-steven-clay-president-of-the-16th-infantry-regiment-association.html Commissioner Seefried Another article reflects on the rededication of the statues of General Pershing and the Marquis de Lafayette in Versailles that we reported over the past weeks . US WWI Centennial commissioner Monique Seefried attended the ceremony at Versailles. This week at ww1cc.org/news -- she talked to us from France about the event, the statues, and what they mean for the future of the French-American legacy. Read this insightful and touching piece from Commissioner Seefried that illuminates the very special link between our two nations by following the link in the podcast news. Link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3270-four-questions-for-commissioner-monique-seefried.html WWrite Blog And now for an update on our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: "Are war wives - war poets, too? " Consider those women who write about the contortions on domestic life and feminine sensibility brought about by war... Author, veteran, and teacher, Peter Molin, explores the idea this week in a post about poet Aline Murray Kilmer, wife of well-known American WWI poet, Joyce Kilmer, who was killed during the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918. Aline's poetry conveys the urgency and nuance of a war wife's uncertainty as she finds her tranquility and self-worth vexingly dependent on her husband, even in his permanent absence. Don't miss this rich, insightful post about the often-overlooked and, yes, war poet, Aline Kilmer! Read it by going to ww1c.org/w-w-r-i-t-e or following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3269-aline-kilmer-when-the-war-poet-s-wife-is-a-poet-too-by-peter-molin.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - Hi Katherine!-- Hi Theo! Old Rhinebeck Aerodome We’ll start with a Facebook post from the Old Rhinebeck Aerodome. They had a WW1 Airshow on October 15th, the last for their season this year, and someone in attendance shared a bunch of really great photos from the event on Facebook. Pilots wore WW1 era uniforms, both Doughboy and German, and there was even an old Ambulance and stretcher bearers in case anyone got hurt. The afternoon included a hero, a heroine (Cheer!), the villainous Black Baron of Rhinebeck (Boo!), and pyrotechnics, as well as some really beautiful aircraft, including a Fokker Triplane and, my personal favorite, a reproduction 1910 Hanriot. See the photos, and visit the Aerodome website, at the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldrhinebeckaerodrome/permalink/1746902505342287/ http://oldrhinebeck.org/ Unknown Soldier Finally this week, I wanted to share an article from History.com that is yet another powerful story as we lead up to Veterans Day: the selection of the Unknown Soldier. On October 24th, 96 years had passed since the first Unknown Soldier was selected by a US Officer in the French town of Chalons-sur-Marne. According to the official records of the Army Graves Registration Service, four bodies were transported to Chalons from the cemeteries of Aisne-Marne, Somme, Meuse-Argonne and Saint-Mihiel. French and American officials then underwent the ceremony of selecting one of the four caskets displayed, each draped with an American flag. Sergeant Edward Younger, the man given the task of making the selection, carried white roses to mark the chosen casket. According to the official account, Younger “entered the chamber in which the bodies of the four Unknown Soldiers lay, circled the caskets three times, then silently placed the flowers on the third casket from the left. He faced the body, stood at attention and saluted.” The “Unknown Soldier” remains in Arlington National Cemetery to this day, honored among and for the approximately 77,000 United States servicemen killed on the Western Front during World War I. And with that, we continue the countdown to veterans day. That’s it this week for the Buzz! link:https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/unknown-soldier-is-selected Thank you Katherine. And that all our stories for you this week on WW1 Centennial News - Now before you flick off your play button - remember - for those of you who listen to end - we always leave you with a special goody or two! Closing So in closing - we want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster and his report on discontent within the British Army Vice Chair Edwin Fountain, speaking with us about the National WW1 Memorial Lisa Whittlesey, updating us on the Junior Master Gardener Poppy Competition Jamie Shrawder, telling us the story of the Danville Pennsylvania 100 Cities 100 Memorials project Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This program is a part of that…. 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 for their support. The 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. Thank you for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here today with someone about the war that changed the world! [music] Hey man… get your nose outta my business dude - you nark! So long!
Highlights America’s youth goes to war |@01:20 Russia stalls - Germany attacks -Mike Shuster |@08:30 Building the DH-4 bomber |@11:55 WW1 Commemoration flags for Veterans Day |@15:15 DHS and WW1 - Allison Finkelstein and Zack Wilske |@16:05 “World War 100” and “1917: America Joins The Fight” symposia |@23:30 Speaking WW1 - Cushie! |@25:40 100C/100M in Trafford, PA - Andrew Capets |@27:00 WW1CC.org/edu goes live |@32:20 The Lost Sketchbooks - Rex Passion |@33:10 Roll of Honor Foundation - Jerry Michaud |@39:40 WWrite Blog: “God Armeth the Patriot” |@46:00----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - 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 October 11th, 2017 and our guests this week are: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Allison S. Finkelstein (STEEN) and Zack Wilske from the USCIS History Office and Library Andrew Capets from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Trafford, Pennsylvania Rex Passion, author of the WW1 book and now website - The Lost Sketchbooks And Jerry Michaud Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation 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. Welcome to the show. Our theme this week is going to focus on the youth of America - how young people were folded into the war effort THEN - 100 years ago and we also want to tell you more about our current education initiatives about ‘The War That Changed The World” today in our WW1 Centennial News NOW section. In an article "WWI: Support from the home front” written by Richard Zuber - a North Carolinian historian, Zuber helps to frame the issue: When most people hear the word war they think of soldiers and sailors, guns and battles, death and destruction. Those are all part of war, but historians also study everything and everyone affected by conflicts. This is especially true of what military historians call a “total war”. In discussing how women and even the elderly aided in the total war effort in 1917, Zuber notes: Children worked just as hard as the adults and contributed a great deal. Boy Scouts participated in patriotic rallies and the Liberty Loan drives. The Woodcraft Girls distributed food pledge cards and enrolled as “Potatriots” entering a competition for growing the largest potato crop. The Camp Fire Girls baby-sat for women working in war plants and helped the Red Cross roll bandages and make dressings for wounds. Girl Scouts were involved in all those activities and sold war bonds, made scrapbooks for hospitals, and wrapped Christmas packages for soldiers. With that as a setup, let’s jump into the wayback machine to see what was happening for America’s youth and education 100 years ago this week. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] Welcome to 1917 It’s the second week of October and the Wilson administration - offers several articles this week in it’s Official Bulletin - about education and teaching patriotism to the youth of America. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline October 9, 1917 Headline: Influence of the War on Teaching History! The article tries to frame America’s entry into the war in terms that teachers might impart. In the article - which is speaking to the teachers - the US Bureau of Educations states: The Nation has finally been drawn into the great War - a war that demands for its successful prosecution not only efficient and courageous service in the Army and Navy but also the loyal cooperation of millions of men and women who are not enrolled in the fighting forces nor directly responsible for the civil administration on which these forces depend. Interestingly - the article goes on the frame the fight as being between free and democratic societies and hereditary monarchies. Quote: We have as clear an interest in international law as individuals have in the laws of society. That was said long before the steam ship, the submarine. and the wireless had broken down our ‘splendid isolation.” No one can take an intelligent part in a great conflict for the safety of democracy -- unless they are really interested in -- and know something about -- nations other than their own—about the difference between a republican government like our own or that of France or the scarcely less democratic constitution of Great Britain on the one side, and, in sharp contrast to all of these, a strongly monarchical government like that of the German Empire, in which the most important measures affecting the national welfare may be practically determined by a single hereditary sovereign or a small group of such sovereigns. In the article there is no reference to the growing socialism in europe and Russia, nor of the powerful dictatorships that would be so prominent in the next generation. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline Oct 13, 1917 Headline: Lesson leaflets on patriotism intended for permanent course in public schools The story reads The plan for Educational Administrators Is to Educate a Rising Generation How to Conduct the Business of Living A Wide Variety of Topics Treated in Pamphlets Prepared to Suit Pupils of the Various Grades Will Be Supplied. The article goes on to read In order to bring the lessons of patriotism and of national and international relations within the comprehension of children, the instruction in conservation which is to be given in American schools this year at the insistence of President Wilson will begin with and emphasize home and local problems. A series of lesson leaflets will be issued monthly by the Food Administration and the Bureau of Education throughout the present school year. The plan is to educate a rising generation that will know better than its predecessors how to conduct the business of living. Now - This “theme” for lessons about the “business of living” comes up a number of times, but is not elaborated on - leaving one to wonder what the Wilson Administration meant. However a panoply of headlines do reveal a theme that the government is thinking about the Nations youth and their role in the war effort. Here is a whole bunch of them: On October 2nd: “American school children to be given lessons in community and natural life” in democracy” requested by president” On October 6th: “Leaflets as guides to school teachers sent by us commissions to teach children democracy's meaning” On October 10th: Work of american boy scouts commended in promoting sale of liberty loan bonds And in earlier months: “President appeals to school children of nation to enroll in red cross service” “War topics at high school commencements recommended by commissioner claxton” may 28 “School Bells to ring out call for liberty loan subscriptions” june11 “Schools with shopwork depts urged to continue during summer to train skilled mechanics and high grade helpers” july 27 And finally “Program of school activity during the war suggested to educational institutions” july 7 So as Richard Zuber points out at the top of the section - WW1 is very much a part of daily life in America - for the men called to service, for the mothers, wives and daughters and even for the children of the nation. It is not some remote and distant foreign policy, everyone is in the fight - in some way - the entire citizenry - and non-citizens alike - as we will discuss a bit later in the show. [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project From the Great War Project Blog - we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project. Mike is going to tell us about the collapsing eastern front as Russia stalls and Germany develops a new naval and Storm Trooper prowess in their baltic sea offensive. Welcome Mike! [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/10/09/russia-collapsing-on-land-and-sea/ [SOUND EFFECT] War in the Sky This week in the Great War in the sky, America begins to mass produce a two seater bomber! Although through all of WWI, America never produced or or fielded a single American fighter plane, we did manufacture a bunch of them - and this week 100 years ago, the US Army Air Service put in an order for thousands of British designed DeHavilland DH-4 planes. The version they ordered were to be delivered with the US made American Liberty 12 cylinder engine - rather than the Rolls Royce engine of the British version. It was slow going at first, but in the end, the Dayton Wright company delivered over 3,100 of them, General Motors 1,600 of them and Standard Aircraft corporation another 160. And it all started 100 years ago this week in the war in the sky. You can follow the War in The sky by checking with our comprehensive timeline, curated by former fighter pilot, air force general and author RG head. Go to ww1cc.org/warinthesky - all lower case or follow the links in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/1181-timeline-of-wwi-aviation-history-demo.htm#1917 [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel To watch videos about WW1, we recommend our friend at the Great War Channel on Youtube - They offer well over 400 episodes about WW1 and from a more European perspective. New episodes for this week include: Sabotage in the Desert Then - Indy Nydel takes viewers’ questions in a “Out of the Trenches” segment which is always popular with their regular viewers - this time: Electricity, the Wright Brothers and Hip Firing MGs -- And finally an episode called Evolution of British Battle Tanks in WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] We have moved forward in time to the present… Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the program is not about history but how the centennial of the War that changed the world is being commemorated today. Commission News In this week’s in Commission news, a follow up on the US Mint’s unveiling of the 2018 WWI Centennial Silver Dollar. The unveiling happened on October 9 and was hosted by the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Army, Ryan McCarthy, during A-USA meeting in Washington DC also known as the National Meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army. This was followed up on October 10 with the unveiling of the designs for five silver medals that will be issued in conjunction with the Centennial Silver Dollar. Each medal, composed of 90 percent silver, pays homage to branches of the U.S. Armed Forces that were active in World War I. We set up a website at ww1cc.org/coin where you’ll find press releases with detail information, the presentations and bios of the speakers, lots of links and images. The coins and medals will be available in early 1918. Follow the links in the podcast notes for more information. Link:https://www.ww1cc.org/Coin https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-unveils-winning-designs-to-be-featured-on-world-war-i-centennial-silver-dollar https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/commemorative-coins/world-war-i-centennial http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3218-us-mint-unveils-design-for-new-congressionally-authorized-coin-honoring-america-s-veterans-of-world-war-i.html [SOUND EFFECT] Update for #CountDownToVeteransDay In an update for #CountDownToVeteransDay we wanted to let you know about the official WW1 Centennial commemoration flags that honor the memory of our WWI doughboys. There is a wonderful full-size 3 foot by 5 foot flag and also small 12” by 8” ground stake flag designed to make an ideal marker for veteran resting places. Both feature the centennial graphics and the doughboy icon. The flags are manufactured out of high quality nylon materials, and of course made in the USA - They are available exclusively at the WWI Centennial Commission’s Official Merchandise shop which you will find under the Commemorate menu or by following the link in the podcast notes. But hurry - don’t wait - supplies are limited and orders are shipped in 7-10 days. Rush orders carry a 20% surcharge. link:https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/memorial-flag-world-war-1-one https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/flag https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php [SOUND EFFECT] US Citizenship and Immigration Services Many individual government agencies are commemorating the first world war and today we’d like to highlight the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Joining us are Allison Finkelstein FinkelSTEEN and Zack Wilske, Historians at the USCIS History Office and Library. Welcome to both of you! [exchange greetings] [Let’s start with you Zack - in 1914 how was this area of the government organized? ] [Allison - Stories abound - about immigrants - not even citizens yet that came to America and found themselves going “back over there” to fight in the countries they immigrated from - like Italy - Are there any specific stories like that come to mind?] [So to both of you - the USCIS has a new web page about the WWI Centennial - What will we find there and how about some of your other WWI Centennial activities ] [Thank you both so much for being here!] That was Allison Finkelstein and Zack Wilske, Historians at the USCIS History Office and Library. Learn more about the USCIS and WW1 by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/agency-history/mass-immigration-and-wwi https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/world-war-i Activities and Events [Sound Effect] World War 100 Symposium Combining events and our Updates from the States - we are going to the Badger state - Wisconsin! Where they are holding The World War 100 Symposium at the University of Wisconsin on the Madison campus October 27th. The symposium was put together by the University and the Wisconsin World War One Centennial Committee - It is a great example of how the State WWI centennial Commissions are nurturing and support WW1 Commemorative events! The World War 100 Symposium will premiere the Documentary film “Dawn of the Red Arrow” which follows the Wisconsin National Guard in 1917 when the iconic 32nd "Red Arrow" Division was born and earned its place in history on the battlefields of France in World War I. The program is filled with great events, experts, subjects and speakers including including participation by Sir Hugh Strachan - considered by many as the pre-eminent historian on WWI and who joined us on here on the podcast In Episode #32. Sir Hugh Strachan in Kansas Then On Nov. 2nd, Sir Hugh will be speaking at the National World War One Museum and Memorial in Kansas City at a free evening public event in advance of the Museum’s second international symposium on WWI “1917: America Joins the Fight” featuring renowned scholars from across the world. Follow the links in the podcast notes for information and access to these symposia and other great WWI commemoration events happening around the country. As a reminder - we invite YOU to add your own event to the National U.S. WW1 Centennial Events Register. Go to ww1cc.org/events, click the big red button and post your WW1 commemoration event for all to discover. And as we mentioned last week - we just added a new category for Social Media Events - so if you are planning a Facebook Live, livestream, WW1 Hackathon or other online WW1 commemoration event - get it posted and let our community of interest know! link: http://ww1cc.org/events https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-war-100-a-centennial-symposium-tickets-35793410053 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/47362/world-war-100-symposium.html https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2017-symposium https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2017-symposium/presentations [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- English, is constantly absorbing new words from other languages. This week’s Word for Speaking WWI comes from working in close quarters with Urdu speaking soldiers from the British Colonial forces. In Urdu kusi means pleasure or convenience and in WWI the word spread amongst soldiers in the trenches transforming as these words always do into a word that means “easy” or “comfortable” - Cushie! And you thought that word came from Cushion… Nawww - Cushion came from latin for hip or thigh... In WWI the troops also used Cushie to describe a wound which was non-fatal but could potentially get them sent home or, at the least, away from the front line. In 1915 an english physician wrote: “When you are in the trenches a cushy wound... seems the most desirable thing in the world.” Cushy, this week’s speaking WW1 word - “A most desirable way to get hit during the war”. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/oxford-english-dictionary/word-origins_b_4904467.html http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26277732 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT] Andrew Capets 100 cities It’s time for a 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project profile. Round #2 is open so you can apply for a matching grant to rescue, restore or build a WWI Memorial in your community - but you have to submit the application before January 15th! Last week, we profiled a project from Ridgewood, NJ. This week, we head to Trafford, PA. Joining us is Andrew Capets, Member of the Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee and Author of a new book “Good War, Great Men” a commemoration to the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I Welcome, Andrew! [exchange greetings] [Andrew, in your application your moto was: Our Memorial, Our Community and Our Project Who all came together to restore this memorial?] [Your WWI Memorial was originally dedicated in 1919 - that is earlier than most - Tell us about its dedication?] [I have seen the before and after images of the memorial and it is really beautiful! Do you have Veterans day plans there?] [You produced a really nice video for the project - tell us about that?] [Andrew congratulations on being a Round #1 awardee and for your group doing such a great job on behalf of our WWI Doughboys! We surely do speak for them!] That was Andrew Capets, Member of the Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee and Author of the new book “Good War, Great Men” a commemoration to the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I We will continue to profile not only awardees but also teams that are continuing on to round #2 which is now open for submissions. Learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3166-first-50-official-wwi-centennial-memorials-to-be-announced.html TraffordHistory.org https://www.amazon.com/Good-War-Great-Men-Battalion/dp/0692951024/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507647838&sr=1-1&keywords=good+men+great+war [SOUND EFFECT] Education Ahoy teachers and learners! With education as our theme we are very happy to announce the launch of the commission’s new EDUCATION WEBSITE at ww1cc.org/edu all lower case. The site is filled with resources for teachers and learners, access to our semi-monthly educator newsletter and more. A brand new idea is that registered educators are eligible to submit information and images about the work they have done with students to teach and commemorate America’s involvement in the First World War. Check out the new website and if you are an educator, register to submit your programs to share with others. We invite you to follow the link in the podcast notes. [SOUND EFFECT] Stories of Service Interview with Rex Passion In our “Remember the veterans” section, today we have with us Rex Passion, author of the book The Lost Sketchbooks: A Young Artist in the Great War. Welcome, Rex! [exchange greetings] [Rex: What is the Lost Sketchbooks about? How did you wind up writing The Lost Sketchbooks] [Rex - it really sounds like a treasure trove of discovery --- the book is really beautiful and the art is amazing - so Is there one sketch that stands out for you in particular?] [From the images I have seen, they really hit me harder than many of the photos I’ve seen!] [You just completed and launched a new website on the WW1 centennial server at WW1CC.org/sketch to support the book - What are we going to find there?] [So we can follow his experience day by day - that’s really great.] Rex - thank you so much for joining us! That was Rex Passion, author of The Lost Sketchbooks and curator of the website at ww1cc.org/sketch. Follow the links in the podcast notes for the website, rex’s facebook page and to order the book. Link: http://ww1cc.org/sketch https://www.facebook.com/thelostsketchbooks/ https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Sketchbooks-Young-Artist-Great/dp/0982821956 [SOUND EFFECT] Interview with Jerry Michaud: Roll of Honor We have a second interview in our Remembering the Veterans segment as we #countdowntoveteransday - With us is Jerry Michaud, Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation. Welcome Jerry! [greetings] [Jerry- tell us a bit about the Roll of Honor foundation and what it does to help remember our veterans?] [This year you set up a WWI section - The World War 1 Centennial Commission and Roll of Honor are working on a unique collaboration; can you tell us about it?] [So if I submit a Story of service on either website, it will be added to my veteran’s profile right?] [When I get a tribute wreath for my veteran, how much money goes to Roll of Honor and how much goes to building the National WWI Memorial in Washington DC?] Thank you so much for being here today and for the Roll of Honor’s great work in profiling those who served! That was Jerry Michaud, Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation Roll of Honor. You can learn more about Roll of Honor and their collaboration with the Commission by following the links in the podcast notes and by going to www.rollofhonor.org/ww1 links:www.rollofhonor.org/ww1 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/submit-a-story-of-service.html http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3187-five-questions-for-jerry-michaud.html [SOUND EFFECT] Articles and Posts This week in our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - And the content really is pouring in! We have now published over 3,200 articles - If you read one article a day it would take you 8 years and 9 months to read the whole site as it sits now. Anna Coleman Ladd A new article this week under WW1cc.org/news, is about Anna Coleman Ladd and her unusual work with WW1 veterans. Ladd was an American sculptor who studied sculpture in Paris and Rome before WWI. After the war broke out, she devoted her time to giving soldiers, whose faces were disfigured by gas, or explosives, or other wounds - artistic prosthetic masks. Cosmetic surgery as we know it today did not exist - but there was relief from disfigurement - See the article featuring before and after photographs that show how WWI soldiers’ horrific facial injuries were surgically repaired, then covered with the sculpted prosthetics that Ladd developed. Follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3222-american-born-sculptor-built-facial-prosthetics-for-wwi-soldiers.html WWrite Blog And now for an update on our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: "God Armeth the Patriot." These words come from Thomas Croft Neibaur NIGH-BOWER, the first Mormon to receive the Medal of Honor during WWI - for his heroism during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. This is know as one of the bloodiest battles in American military history. Writer Benjamin Sonnenberg returns to the WWrite blog this week with another riveting short story, inspired by Neibaur's letters home. Delve into Neibaur's legendary experience in WWI with this captivating, well-researched, fictional narrative by visiting ww1cc.org/wwrite Link: www.ww1cc.org.wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3214-a-pretty-tame-one-thomas-croft-neibaur.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - You have a couple of stories to share with us today! Thanks Theo! Souvernir AEF En Haute Marne Last week we mentioned the rededication of new sculptures of General Pershing and Lafayette in Versaille. The ceremony went very smoothly and now the statues are in their rightful places overlooking the Avenue Des Etats Unis. If you want to see images of the ceremony and the statues, you should check out the facebook page for the Souvenir AEF En Haute Marne, a French-based page commemorating the American Expeditionary Force’s time in the Haute Marne region of France. Find it and view many images and articles from the ceremony at Versaille by following the link in the podcast notes. link:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004218645049&hc_ref=ARRl4MJwZFrnBS67Gn1YtMKpIJvb0xpP3abmRdPkTvN0hXYBWJr7El9Q2h4-XEUp0X0 Buster Keaton Finally this week, we’ll close out by celebrating Buster Keaton, whose birthday was celebrated last week and commemorated by the National WW1 museum and Memorial with a little video clip and a story. Keaton served with the 40th infantry division, and carried his sense of humor and mischievousness with him throughout his service. A little anecdote to close us out: While with his battalion in Camp Upton, Buster observed how the officers, who were allowed to come and go in and out of camp, dressed in just their uniform shirts and ties and saluted the sentries. Buster took off his tunic, hopped into the back of his girlfriend's Packard roadster, and drove past the military police, giving that lazy salute that had them convinced he was like any other officer. He returned that night after a fabulous dinner with his girl and the next day the unit left for France. Learn more at the link in the podcast notes. And that’s it this week for the Buzz! link:https://www.facebook.com/theworldwar/videos/10155710368571241/?hc_ref=ARRMFTxtTgXJEikfHtgnzTuzuZPt-fgfd1UKWKAkCAiEXxmmh2Ym47J2MQvoempnGkU http://www.militarymuseum.org/Keaton.html That’s a really funny story…. Thank you Katherine. [SOUND EFFECT] Closing And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster and his update on the situation in Russia Allison S. Finkelstein and Zack Wilske talking with us about the USCIS commemoration of the war Andrew Capets from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Trafford, Pennsylvania Rex Passion speaking with us about his WW1 book and now website - The Lost Sketchbooks Jerry Michaud telling us about Roll of Honor and their collaboration with the Commission Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This program is a part of that…. 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, and on Amazon Echo or other Ale xa enabled devices. 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 with someone about the war that changed the world! [music] Hey - I’m just here on my tushie sittin’ a cushie, cushie cushion listening to the WW1 Centennial News podcast… life is good! So long!
Highlights America’s youth goes to war |@01:20 Russia stalls - Germany attacks -Mike Shuster |@08:30 Building the DH-4 bomber |@11:55 WW1 Commemoration flags for Veterans Day |@15:15 DHS and WW1 - Allison Finkelstein and Zack Wilske |@16:05 “World War 100” and “1917: America Joins The Fight” symposia |@23:30 Speaking WW1 - Cushie! |@25:40 100C/100M in Trafford, PA - Andrew Capets |@27:00 WW1CC.org/edu goes live |@32:20 The Lost Sketchbooks - Rex Passion |@33:10 Roll of Honor Foundation - Jerry Michaud |@39:40 WWrite Blog: “God Armeth the Patriot” |@46:00----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - 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 October 11th, 2017 and our guests this week are: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Allison S. Finkelstein (STEEN) and Zack Wilske from the USCIS History Office and Library Andrew Capets from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Trafford, Pennsylvania Rex Passion, author of the WW1 book and now website - The Lost Sketchbooks And Jerry Michaud Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation 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. Welcome to the show. Our theme this week is going to focus on the youth of America - how young people were folded into the war effort THEN - 100 years ago and we also want to tell you more about our current education initiatives about ‘The War That Changed The World” today in our WW1 Centennial News NOW section. In an article "WWI: Support from the home front” written by Richard Zuber - a North Carolinian historian, Zuber helps to frame the issue: When most people hear the word war they think of soldiers and sailors, guns and battles, death and destruction. Those are all part of war, but historians also study everything and everyone affected by conflicts. This is especially true of what military historians call a “total war”. In discussing how women and even the elderly aided in the total war effort in 1917, Zuber notes: Children worked just as hard as the adults and contributed a great deal. Boy Scouts participated in patriotic rallies and the Liberty Loan drives. The Woodcraft Girls distributed food pledge cards and enrolled as “Potatriots” entering a competition for growing the largest potato crop. The Camp Fire Girls baby-sat for women working in war plants and helped the Red Cross roll bandages and make dressings for wounds. Girl Scouts were involved in all those activities and sold war bonds, made scrapbooks for hospitals, and wrapped Christmas packages for soldiers. With that as a setup, let’s jump into the wayback machine to see what was happening for America’s youth and education 100 years ago this week. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] Welcome to 1917 It’s the second week of October and the Wilson administration - offers several articles this week in it’s Official Bulletin - about education and teaching patriotism to the youth of America. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline October 9, 1917 Headline: Influence of the War on Teaching History! The article tries to frame America’s entry into the war in terms that teachers might impart. In the article - which is speaking to the teachers - the US Bureau of Educations states: The Nation has finally been drawn into the great War - a war that demands for its successful prosecution not only efficient and courageous service in the Army and Navy but also the loyal cooperation of millions of men and women who are not enrolled in the fighting forces nor directly responsible for the civil administration on which these forces depend. Interestingly - the article goes on the frame the fight as being between free and democratic societies and hereditary monarchies. Quote: We have as clear an interest in international law as individuals have in the laws of society. That was said long before the steam ship, the submarine. and the wireless had broken down our ‘splendid isolation.” No one can take an intelligent part in a great conflict for the safety of democracy -- unless they are really interested in -- and know something about -- nations other than their own—about the difference between a republican government like our own or that of France or the scarcely less democratic constitution of Great Britain on the one side, and, in sharp contrast to all of these, a strongly monarchical government like that of the German Empire, in which the most important measures affecting the national welfare may be practically determined by a single hereditary sovereign or a small group of such sovereigns. In the article there is no reference to the growing socialism in europe and Russia, nor of the powerful dictatorships that would be so prominent in the next generation. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline Oct 13, 1917 Headline: Lesson leaflets on patriotism intended for permanent course in public schools The story reads The plan for Educational Administrators Is to Educate a Rising Generation How to Conduct the Business of Living A Wide Variety of Topics Treated in Pamphlets Prepared to Suit Pupils of the Various Grades Will Be Supplied. The article goes on to read In order to bring the lessons of patriotism and of national and international relations within the comprehension of children, the instruction in conservation which is to be given in American schools this year at the insistence of President Wilson will begin with and emphasize home and local problems. A series of lesson leaflets will be issued monthly by the Food Administration and the Bureau of Education throughout the present school year. The plan is to educate a rising generation that will know better than its predecessors how to conduct the business of living. Now - This “theme” for lessons about the “business of living” comes up a number of times, but is not elaborated on - leaving one to wonder what the Wilson Administration meant. However a panoply of headlines do reveal a theme that the government is thinking about the Nations youth and their role in the war effort. Here is a whole bunch of them: On October 2nd: “American school children to be given lessons in community and natural life” in democracy” requested by president” On October 6th: “Leaflets as guides to school teachers sent by us commissions to teach children democracy's meaning” On October 10th: Work of american boy scouts commended in promoting sale of liberty loan bonds And in earlier months: “President appeals to school children of nation to enroll in red cross service” “War topics at high school commencements recommended by commissioner claxton” may 28 “School Bells to ring out call for liberty loan subscriptions” june11 “Schools with shopwork depts urged to continue during summer to train skilled mechanics and high grade helpers” july 27 And finally “Program of school activity during the war suggested to educational institutions” july 7 So as Richard Zuber points out at the top of the section - WW1 is very much a part of daily life in America - for the men called to service, for the mothers, wives and daughters and even for the children of the nation. It is not some remote and distant foreign policy, everyone is in the fight - in some way - the entire citizenry - and non-citizens alike - as we will discuss a bit later in the show. [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project From the Great War Project Blog - we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War project. Mike is going to tell us about the collapsing eastern front as Russia stalls and Germany develops a new naval and Storm Trooper prowess in their baltic sea offensive. Welcome Mike! [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/10/09/russia-collapsing-on-land-and-sea/ [SOUND EFFECT] War in the Sky This week in the Great War in the sky, America begins to mass produce a two seater bomber! Although through all of WWI, America never produced or or fielded a single American fighter plane, we did manufacture a bunch of them - and this week 100 years ago, the US Army Air Service put in an order for thousands of British designed DeHavilland DH-4 planes. The version they ordered were to be delivered with the US made American Liberty 12 cylinder engine - rather than the Rolls Royce engine of the British version. It was slow going at first, but in the end, the Dayton Wright company delivered over 3,100 of them, General Motors 1,600 of them and Standard Aircraft corporation another 160. And it all started 100 years ago this week in the war in the sky. You can follow the War in The sky by checking with our comprehensive timeline, curated by former fighter pilot, air force general and author RG head. Go to ww1cc.org/warinthesky - all lower case or follow the links in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/1181-timeline-of-wwi-aviation-history-demo.htm#1917 [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel To watch videos about WW1, we recommend our friend at the Great War Channel on Youtube - They offer well over 400 episodes about WW1 and from a more European perspective. New episodes for this week include: Sabotage in the Desert Then - Indy Nydel takes viewers’ questions in a “Out of the Trenches” segment which is always popular with their regular viewers - this time: Electricity, the Wright Brothers and Hip Firing MGs -- And finally an episode called Evolution of British Battle Tanks in WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] We have moved forward in time to the present… Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the program is not about history but how the centennial of the War that changed the world is being commemorated today. Commission News In this week’s in Commission news, a follow up on the US Mint’s unveiling of the 2018 WWI Centennial Silver Dollar. The unveiling happened on October 9 and was hosted by the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Army, Ryan McCarthy, during A-USA meeting in Washington DC also known as the National Meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army. This was followed up on October 10 with the unveiling of the designs for five silver medals that will be issued in conjunction with the Centennial Silver Dollar. Each medal, composed of 90 percent silver, pays homage to branches of the U.S. Armed Forces that were active in World War I. We set up a website at ww1cc.org/coin where you’ll find press releases with detail information, the presentations and bios of the speakers, lots of links and images. The coins and medals will be available in early 1918. Follow the links in the podcast notes for more information. Link:https://www.ww1cc.org/Coin https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-unveils-winning-designs-to-be-featured-on-world-war-i-centennial-silver-dollar https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/commemorative-coins/world-war-i-centennial http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3218-us-mint-unveils-design-for-new-congressionally-authorized-coin-honoring-america-s-veterans-of-world-war-i.html [SOUND EFFECT] Update for #CountDownToVeteransDay In an update for #CountDownToVeteransDay we wanted to let you know about the official WW1 Centennial commemoration flags that honor the memory of our WWI doughboys. There is a wonderful full-size 3 foot by 5 foot flag and also small 12” by 8” ground stake flag designed to make an ideal marker for veteran resting places. Both feature the centennial graphics and the doughboy icon. The flags are manufactured out of high quality nylon materials, and of course made in the USA - They are available exclusively at the WWI Centennial Commission’s Official Merchandise shop which you will find under the Commemorate menu or by following the link in the podcast notes. But hurry - don’t wait - supplies are limited and orders are shipped in 7-10 days. Rush orders carry a 20% surcharge. link:https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/memorial-flag-world-war-1-one https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/merchandise-gifts-awards/flag https://shop.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php [SOUND EFFECT] US Citizenship and Immigration Services Many individual government agencies are commemorating the first world war and today we’d like to highlight the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Joining us are Allison Finkelstein FinkelSTEEN and Zack Wilske, Historians at the USCIS History Office and Library. Welcome to both of you! [exchange greetings] [Let’s start with you Zack - in 1914 how was this area of the government organized? ] [Allison - Stories abound - about immigrants - not even citizens yet that came to America and found themselves going “back over there” to fight in the countries they immigrated from - like Italy - Are there any specific stories like that come to mind?] [So to both of you - the USCIS has a new web page about the WWI Centennial - What will we find there and how about some of your other WWI Centennial activities ] [Thank you both so much for being here!] That was Allison Finkelstein and Zack Wilske, Historians at the USCIS History Office and Library. Learn more about the USCIS and WW1 by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/agency-history/mass-immigration-and-wwi https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/world-war-i Activities and Events [Sound Effect] World War 100 Symposium Combining events and our Updates from the States - we are going to the Badger state - Wisconsin! Where they are holding The World War 100 Symposium at the University of Wisconsin on the Madison campus October 27th. The symposium was put together by the University and the Wisconsin World War One Centennial Committee - It is a great example of how the State WWI centennial Commissions are nurturing and support WW1 Commemorative events! The World War 100 Symposium will premiere the Documentary film “Dawn of the Red Arrow” which follows the Wisconsin National Guard in 1917 when the iconic 32nd "Red Arrow" Division was born and earned its place in history on the battlefields of France in World War I. The program is filled with great events, experts, subjects and speakers including including participation by Sir Hugh Strachan - considered by many as the pre-eminent historian on WWI and who joined us on here on the podcast In Episode #32. Sir Hugh Strachan in Kansas Then On Nov. 2nd, Sir Hugh will be speaking at the National World War One Museum and Memorial in Kansas City at a free evening public event in advance of the Museum’s second international symposium on WWI “1917: America Joins the Fight” featuring renowned scholars from across the world. Follow the links in the podcast notes for information and access to these symposia and other great WWI commemoration events happening around the country. As a reminder - we invite YOU to add your own event to the National U.S. WW1 Centennial Events Register. Go to ww1cc.org/events, click the big red button and post your WW1 commemoration event for all to discover. And as we mentioned last week - we just added a new category for Social Media Events - so if you are planning a Facebook Live, livestream, WW1 Hackathon or other online WW1 commemoration event - get it posted and let our community of interest know! link: http://ww1cc.org/events https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-war-100-a-centennial-symposium-tickets-35793410053 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/47362/world-war-100-symposium.html https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2017-symposium https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2017-symposium/presentations [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- English, is constantly absorbing new words from other languages. This week’s Word for Speaking WWI comes from working in close quarters with Urdu speaking soldiers from the British Colonial forces. In Urdu kusi means pleasure or convenience and in WWI the word spread amongst soldiers in the trenches transforming as these words always do into a word that means “easy” or “comfortable” - Cushie! And you thought that word came from Cushion… Nawww - Cushion came from latin for hip or thigh... In WWI the troops also used Cushie to describe a wound which was non-fatal but could potentially get them sent home or, at the least, away from the front line. In 1915 an english physician wrote: “When you are in the trenches a cushy wound... seems the most desirable thing in the world.” Cushy, this week’s speaking WW1 word - “A most desirable way to get hit during the war”. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/oxford-english-dictionary/word-origins_b_4904467.html http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26277732 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT] Andrew Capets 100 cities It’s time for a 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project profile. Round #2 is open so you can apply for a matching grant to rescue, restore or build a WWI Memorial in your community - but you have to submit the application before January 15th! Last week, we profiled a project from Ridgewood, NJ. This week, we head to Trafford, PA. Joining us is Andrew Capets, Member of the Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee and Author of a new book “Good War, Great Men” a commemoration to the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I Welcome, Andrew! [exchange greetings] [Andrew, in your application your moto was: Our Memorial, Our Community and Our Project Who all came together to restore this memorial?] [Your WWI Memorial was originally dedicated in 1919 - that is earlier than most - Tell us about its dedication?] [I have seen the before and after images of the memorial and it is really beautiful! Do you have Veterans day plans there?] [You produced a really nice video for the project - tell us about that?] [Andrew congratulations on being a Round #1 awardee and for your group doing such a great job on behalf of our WWI Doughboys! We surely do speak for them!] That was Andrew Capets, Member of the Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee and Author of the new book “Good War, Great Men” a commemoration to the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I We will continue to profile not only awardees but also teams that are continuing on to round #2 which is now open for submissions. Learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3166-first-50-official-wwi-centennial-memorials-to-be-announced.html TraffordHistory.org https://www.amazon.com/Good-War-Great-Men-Battalion/dp/0692951024/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507647838&sr=1-1&keywords=good+men+great+war [SOUND EFFECT] Education Ahoy teachers and learners! With education as our theme we are very happy to announce the launch of the commission’s new EDUCATION WEBSITE at ww1cc.org/edu all lower case. The site is filled with resources for teachers and learners, access to our semi-monthly educator newsletter and more. A brand new idea is that registered educators are eligible to submit information and images about the work they have done with students to teach and commemorate America’s involvement in the First World War. Check out the new website and if you are an educator, register to submit your programs to share with others. We invite you to follow the link in the podcast notes. [SOUND EFFECT] Stories of Service Interview with Rex Passion In our “Remember the veterans” section, today we have with us Rex Passion, author of the book The Lost Sketchbooks: A Young Artist in the Great War. Welcome, Rex! [exchange greetings] [Rex: What is the Lost Sketchbooks about? How did you wind up writing The Lost Sketchbooks] [Rex - it really sounds like a treasure trove of discovery --- the book is really beautiful and the art is amazing - so Is there one sketch that stands out for you in particular?] [From the images I have seen, they really hit me harder than many of the photos I’ve seen!] [You just completed and launched a new website on the WW1 centennial server at WW1CC.org/sketch to support the book - What are we going to find there?] [So we can follow his experience day by day - that’s really great.] Rex - thank you so much for joining us! That was Rex Passion, author of The Lost Sketchbooks and curator of the website at ww1cc.org/sketch. Follow the links in the podcast notes for the website, rex’s facebook page and to order the book. Link: http://ww1cc.org/sketch https://www.facebook.com/thelostsketchbooks/ https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Sketchbooks-Young-Artist-Great/dp/0982821956 [SOUND EFFECT] Interview with Jerry Michaud: Roll of Honor We have a second interview in our Remembering the Veterans segment as we #countdowntoveteransday - With us is Jerry Michaud, Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation. Welcome Jerry! [greetings] [Jerry- tell us a bit about the Roll of Honor foundation and what it does to help remember our veterans?] [This year you set up a WWI section - The World War 1 Centennial Commission and Roll of Honor are working on a unique collaboration; can you tell us about it?] [So if I submit a Story of service on either website, it will be added to my veteran’s profile right?] [When I get a tribute wreath for my veteran, how much money goes to Roll of Honor and how much goes to building the National WWI Memorial in Washington DC?] Thank you so much for being here today and for the Roll of Honor’s great work in profiling those who served! That was Jerry Michaud, Executive Director of the Roll of Honor Foundation Roll of Honor. You can learn more about Roll of Honor and their collaboration with the Commission by following the links in the podcast notes and by going to www.rollofhonor.org/ww1 links:www.rollofhonor.org/ww1 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/submit-a-story-of-service.html http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3187-five-questions-for-jerry-michaud.html [SOUND EFFECT] Articles and Posts This week in our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - And the content really is pouring in! We have now published over 3,200 articles - If you read one article a day it would take you 8 years and 9 months to read the whole site as it sits now. Anna Coleman Ladd A new article this week under WW1cc.org/news, is about Anna Coleman Ladd and her unusual work with WW1 veterans. Ladd was an American sculptor who studied sculpture in Paris and Rome before WWI. After the war broke out, she devoted her time to giving soldiers, whose faces were disfigured by gas, or explosives, or other wounds - artistic prosthetic masks. Cosmetic surgery as we know it today did not exist - but there was relief from disfigurement - See the article featuring before and after photographs that show how WWI soldiers’ horrific facial injuries were surgically repaired, then covered with the sculpted prosthetics that Ladd developed. Follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3222-american-born-sculptor-built-facial-prosthetics-for-wwi-soldiers.html WWrite Blog And now for an update on our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: "God Armeth the Patriot." These words come from Thomas Croft Neibaur NIGH-BOWER, the first Mormon to receive the Medal of Honor during WWI - for his heroism during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. This is know as one of the bloodiest battles in American military history. Writer Benjamin Sonnenberg returns to the WWrite blog this week with another riveting short story, inspired by Neibaur's letters home. Delve into Neibaur's legendary experience in WWI with this captivating, well-researched, fictional narrative by visiting ww1cc.org/wwrite Link: www.ww1cc.org.wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3214-a-pretty-tame-one-thomas-croft-neibaur.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - You have a couple of stories to share with us today! Thanks Theo! Souvernir AEF En Haute Marne Last week we mentioned the rededication of new sculptures of General Pershing and Lafayette in Versaille. The ceremony went very smoothly and now the statues are in their rightful places overlooking the Avenue Des Etats Unis. If you want to see images of the ceremony and the statues, you should check out the facebook page for the Souvenir AEF En Haute Marne, a French-based page commemorating the American Expeditionary Force’s time in the Haute Marne region of France. Find it and view many images and articles from the ceremony at Versaille by following the link in the podcast notes. link:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004218645049&hc_ref=ARRl4MJwZFrnBS67Gn1YtMKpIJvb0xpP3abmRdPkTvN0hXYBWJr7El9Q2h4-XEUp0X0 Buster Keaton Finally this week, we’ll close out by celebrating Buster Keaton, whose birthday was celebrated last week and commemorated by the National WW1 museum and Memorial with a little video clip and a story. Keaton served with the 40th infantry division, and carried his sense of humor and mischievousness with him throughout his service. A little anecdote to close us out: While with his battalion in Camp Upton, Buster observed how the officers, who were allowed to come and go in and out of camp, dressed in just their uniform shirts and ties and saluted the sentries. Buster took off his tunic, hopped into the back of his girlfriend's Packard roadster, and drove past the military police, giving that lazy salute that had them convinced he was like any other officer. He returned that night after a fabulous dinner with his girl and the next day the unit left for France. Learn more at the link in the podcast notes. And that’s it this week for the Buzz! link:https://www.facebook.com/theworldwar/videos/10155710368571241/?hc_ref=ARRMFTxtTgXJEikfHtgnzTuzuZPt-fgfd1UKWKAkCAiEXxmmh2Ym47J2MQvoempnGkU http://www.militarymuseum.org/Keaton.html That’s a really funny story…. Thank you Katherine. [SOUND EFFECT] Closing And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster and his update on the situation in Russia Allison S. Finkelstein and Zack Wilske talking with us about the USCIS commemoration of the war Andrew Capets from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Trafford, Pennsylvania Rex Passion speaking with us about his WW1 book and now website - The Lost Sketchbooks Jerry Michaud telling us about Roll of Honor and their collaboration with the Commission Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This program is a part of that…. 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, and on Amazon Echo or other Ale xa enabled devices. 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 with someone about the war that changed the world! [music] Hey - I’m just here on my tushie sittin’ a cushie, cushie cushion listening to the WW1 Centennial News podcast… life is good! So long!
Highlights: Ask Alexa: “Play W W 1 Centennial News Podcast” |@ 01:00 Second Liberty Bond drive launches |@ 02:00 Spy ring in Palestine - Mike Shuster |@ 06:25 War In the Sky - RiesenFlugzeug - behemoths of the sky |@ 10:10 Great War Alliance Forum |@ 13:05 Follow up on Cardines Field rededication |@ 13:55 Holding talks about WWI in communities - Richard Rubin |@ 15:15 Speaking WWI - This week: “Booby Trap” |@ 21:30 100C/100M in Ridgewood, NJ - Chris Stout |@ 23:10 “Rendezvous With Death” - David Hanna |@ 28:30 Pershing/Lafayette statues rededicated in Versaille |@ 34:40 Trek through the Dolomites - WWrtie Blog w Shannon Huffman Polson |@ 36:00 The Buzz on #CountdownToVeteransDay -Katherine Akey |@ 36:55----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - 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 October 4th, 2017 and our guests this week are: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Richard Rubin, author of The Last of the Doughboys and Back Over There Chris Stout from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Ridgewood, New Jersey And David Hanna, author of the WW1 book and now website - Rendezvous with Death 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. Welcome to the show. Preface Before we get going today I wanted to let you know, especially all of you who own Amazon Echo or other Alexa enabled device, Alexa has a new skill. If you say “Alexa, play the “W” “W” one centennial news podcast” she will dutifully find the most current episode on the internet and play it for you. We are excited because that opens up WW1 Centennial News to 20 million new player and all you have to do is ask! Welcome to the future - but right now - let’s jump into our wayback machine and head 100 years into the past! World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] Yes, we’ve gone back in time 100 years to explore the war that changed the world! And It’s the first week of October 1917. What’s on the US government’s mind this week? Raising money to pay for the war! [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline October 1st 1917 Headline: Secretary of the treasury - McAdoo begins Second Liberty Loan Drive... Five Billion Dollars from Ten Million Subscribers fixed as goal! So In 1917, financing a war with deficit spending is not at all the plan. The Wilson administration is determined to raise the money needed for this immense effort, and in part, by issuing of government backed war bonds. This is innovative… and it is interesting to note, that the same 1917 law that authorizes the war bonds will continue to be used to sell US treasury bonds 100 years later! Back in June (during our episode 24), we reported on the Wilson administration touting the first liberty loan drive was an unprecedented and huge success. In fact, they raised $2 billion dollars from five and one half million people! A century later that $2 billion is the equivalent of 38 billion dollars. So - not too bad! This Second Liberty Bond drive is targeting twice as much revenue from two times as many subscribers. Though there is a lot of controversy about how successful the liberty bond program is, with the government claiming HUGE success and other press of the time criticizing lackluster enthusiasm and talking about the discounting of the bonds, anyone who has ever undertaken to raise substantial amounts of money KNOWS, it’s no cake walk! Focusing on participation by the general public as small investors -- Secretary Mcadoo reaches out to the administration’s secret weapon --- their powerhouse of propaganda, their empresario of promo, their master of emotion, their superman of spin - George Creel’s Committee on Public Information! This is the same outfit that publishes the daily Official Bulletin that we use here on the podcast every week to tell you the story of WW1, and whose pages we re-publish daily on the centennial anniversary of their original publication at ww1cc.org/bulletin. Anyway, Creel is probably America’s first marketing genius. He shows up as the man behind the curtain all over the place during this period... And with outrageous but brilliant ideas - like in late May -- as the first Liberty loan drive wraps up, he gets all churches, schools and city halls around the country to ring their bells every night in a countdown to the end of the first drive! Talk about taking your promotion to the grassroots. Last week we reported on the massive national billboard campaign for “Food will win the war” including using electric lights to light up the billboards at night. We have not verified that Creel was the man behind this endeavor, but it has his style written all over it. He is also a multi-media and social media genius… and In 1917 that means the flaming hot new media of the MOVIES and the Phonograph. Before the 4th liberty bond sale is over, and there will be 4 of them - Creel will have recruited the biggest stars of the day including Al jolson, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and his premiere celebrity pitch man - Charlie Chaplin Creel doesn’t just go big, he also goes wide. George puts together a citizen army of 70,000 called “the 4 minute men”. He arms them with 4 minutes speeches - And in this case - on why buying Bonds is the key to Liberty and Freedom for Americans and why it is every citizens patriotic duty to participate He sends this army into every movie theater in the nation, arranging for them to make their presentation just before the features film. And so McAdoo launches his second liberty loan campaign 100 years ago this week! [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Now we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog, to walk us through his fascinating post - A Ring of Spies in Palestine… all about a Jewish Spy ring assisting the british against the turks --- that gets busted by the turkish Secret Police... Welcome Mike! [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/10/01/ring-of-spies-in-palestine/ War in the Sky This week in the Great War in the sky, there are two stories worth noting. The first involves a british Battle cruiser - The HMS Repulse. At the time, she is touted to be the fastest battle ship of the fleet. On October 1st 1917, having built a strange - slightly up-angled - platform on top of the turret of one of the big 15-inch guns - her captain faces the Repulse into the wind --. Sitting atop the platform, Royal Naval Air Service Commander F.J. Rutland fires up the engine on his Sopwith Pup fighter plane. He cranks the RPM, higher, higher and higher still as the battle cruiser pushes into the wind - Finally he lets loose the brakes and his planes takes to the air making it the first fighter plane ever launched from such a ship! He, of course, does NOT attempt a landing on same! And we have a link in the podcast notes showing you a picture of the rig they used. Also this week, on October 5th, after a long period of unfavorable weather, the Germans finally send planes to the UK for a night raid on London. Nineteen Gotha bombers and two Reisenflugzeug bombers come at the brits in several waves causing quite a bit of damage but inflicting no casualties. Now… Reisenflugzeug literally means GIANT AIRPLANE in German… and they were. These multi-engine behemoths had wingspans of 100 feet or more and seemed more like an exercise in the art of the possible instead of the art of war. This was to be the last German raid against the UK until January of 1918 - the Gotha bombers and two of these behemoth flying machines let loose their payloads over the UK during the war in the sky - 100 years ago this week. We also have a link to a picture of a Reisenflugzeug in the podcast notes. Link: http://media.iwm.org.uk/ciim5/331/146/mid_000000.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Riesenflugzeug_Siemens_Schuckert_VIII_1918.jpg/1200px-Riesenflugzeug_Siemens_Schuckert_VIII_1918.jpg [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel If you’d like to watch some videos about WW1, visit our friend at the Great War Channel on Youtube - They have well over 400 episodes about WW1 and from a more European perspective. New episodes for this week include: The Battle of Polygon Wood Recap of Our Trip to Italy and Slovenia And Denmark in WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] We have moved forward in time to the present… Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the program is not about history but how the centennial of the War that changed the world is being commemorated today. Commission News This week in Commission news, we highlight a panel discussion about the Origins of the Trilateral Alliance - The alliance between Britain, America and France during World War One, its difficult birth, and its enduring impact after the war. The event was part of the Great War Alliance Forum at the Meridian International Center, a premier nonprofit global leadership organization headquartered in Washington DC Our own Commissioner Monique Seefried was part of the team that explored the history of the trilateral alliance; societal changes and the future of global conflict. You can read more about the event and watch the videos of this insightful discussion by following the link in the podcast notes. Link:https://www.meridian.org/project/the-great-war-alliance-forum/ [Sound Effect] Activities and Events Cardines Field Next, in our Activities and Events Section, we wanted to follow up on our report about the Rededication of Cardines Baseball Field which took place on September 29th, US Centennial Commissioner Jack Monahan attended the event in Rhode island, that included an Army-Navy baseball game played by students from the U.S. Naval War College dressed in period baseball uniforms. Thanks to Associated Press reporter Jennifer McDermott from Rhode Island, the story about this unique and fun WW1 commemoration event got picked up by newspapers, blogs and posts all around the country This includes the New York Times, the Washington Post and local papers in Washington State, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma and more. Check out the articles from across the country in the podcast notes. We invite YOU to add your own event to the National U.S. WW1 Centennial Events Register. Go to ww1cc.org/events, click the big red button and post your WW1 commemoration event for all to discover. We just added a new category this week for Social Media Events - so if you are planning a Facebook Live, livestream, WW1 Hackathon or other online WW1 commemoration event - get it posted and let our community of interest know! links: http://ww1cc.org/events https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/09/29/us/ap-us-wwi-baseball-game.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/09/28/army-soldiers-and-navy-sailors-to-recreate-world-war-i-era-baseball-game/?utm_term=.aa623b76c64e http://www.thenewportbuzz.com/batter-up-naval-war-college-to-host-wwi-baseball-at-cardines-field-this-friday/12817 http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/article175660656.html http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article175660656.html http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Sailors-and-soldiers-to-recreate-World-War-I-12240885.php http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sports/article_d3a6e966-fb51-5b87-8718-dc03ab061fae.html http://newsok.com/sailors-and-soldiers-to-recreate-world-war-i-baseball-game/article/feed/1435175 https://www.theet.com/web_exclusive/us/sailors-and-soldiers-recreate-world-war-i-baseball-game/article_3da2b656-0e29-5316-845e-0fa637e2e5d2.html http://www.phillytrib.com/news/state_and_region/sailors-and-soldiers-recreate-world-war-i-baseball-game/article_2bc1387a-441a-5107-a1b6-00254a8585a9.html [SOUND EFFECT] Richard Rubin Talks To Towns We are joined by our good friend Richard Rubin - author of the WWI books, The Last of the Doughboys and Back Over There. Richard is joining us today to talk to us about his experiences during speaking engagements across the country about World War One. Welcome, Richard! [exchange greetings] [So Richard, you have gone around the country to speak about your books, the research that went into them and World War 1 at large - tell us a bit about these events?] [Richard, you mentioned that people often come with artifacts, photos, mementos, and family histories. Why do you think people are so eager to share these with you? ] [-Is there one story or artifact that someone brought in that stands out in your mind?] [-If somebody wants to have hold one of these events, how do they get a hold of you?] Richard Rubin - Thank you very much for coming on! That was author Richard Rubin, we have links in the podcast notes to Richard’s website which is also a great way to contact him. link:https://www.richardrubinonline.com/ [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- First some background - In spanish, a bobo is a fool, a clown, or someone who is easily cheated" … in the late 1800’s the term was anglicised into “booby” for terms like Booby Prize - and Booby Trap… then, it signified a prank like a book, or water put atop a door left ajar - so when someone walked in - Sploosh! And a great big guffaw! In WWI the word ‘Booby Trap” this week’s speaking WW1 word - took on a whole new sinister meaning! The English journalist Sir Philip Gibbs wrote in his war memoir From Bapaume to Passchendaele: “the enemy left … slow-working fuses and ‘booby-traps’ to blow a man to bits or blind him for life if he touched a harmless looking stick or opened the lid of a box, or stumbled over an old boot.” So troops picked up the phrase to describe a myriad of explosive devices deliberately disguised as a harmless objects often left behind in territory that exchanged hands, hidden in doorways, set to go off when a curious soldier opened the lid to a box or rifled through abandoned equipment. In modern times with this tactic becoming a major tool in asymmetric warfare the term was updated to IED - Improvised Explosive Device. Booby-trap --- a fool’s trap - one more word that was altered forever during the War that Changed the World. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jun/28/first-world-war-one-soldiers-tommies-common-language-trenches http://joellambert.com/123/history-booby-traps/ [SOUND EFFECT] 100 Cities/100 Memorials Chris Stout - Ridgewood, NJ Next, we are going to profile another 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project. That is our $200,000 matching grant giveaway to rescue ailing WW1 memorials. Last week, we profiled a project from Swanton Ohio. This week, we head to Ridgewood, NJ. Joining us is Chris Stout, a member of Ridgewood’s American Legion Post 53 and a self-appointed amateur local historian. Welcome, Chris! [exchange greetings] [Chris.. The saying is “a man is not dead until he is forgotten” and that frames your 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project. Tell us about it.] [What was your reaction when you learned about being one of the awardees for a Matching Grant by the program?] [Can you tell us about the rededication that took place on Memorial day?] [Chris - What distinguishes your project - for me - is that it is a fairly small project that is righting a large issue… Congratulations to you and your whole post!] Thank you so much for being here with us today! That was Chris Stout, member of American Legion Post 53, local historian and resident of Ridgewood, New Jersey. We will continue to profile the submitting teams and their unique and amazing projects on the show over the coming months. Learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3166-first-50-official-wwi-centennial-memorials-to-be-announced.html [SOUND EFFECT] Stories of Service Rendezvous With death - Interview with David Hanna In our “Remember the veterans” section, today we have David Hanna with us. David is a history teacher at Stuyvesant (Sty-ves-ant) High School in New York City and author of two books, Knights of the Sea about a naval battle that occurred off the coast of Maine in 1813; and Rendezvous with Death, about the original group of American volunteers in the French Army in 1914. Welcome, David! [exchange greetings] [David, how did you come to write a book about the American Volunteers of WW1?] [As you’ve noted, the dozens of Americans that volunteered in 1914 represented a cross-section of American society at the time. What common impulse made them volunteer for the war?] [There are many famous individuals who volunteered early on in the war: Ernest Hemingway, Alan Seeger, e. e. cummings, Walt Disney… but of all the many volunteers you’ve researched, does anyone stand out to you?] [David: How did you decide on the title “Rendezvous with Death”?] [David - put up a website on the Commissions server - what kinds of information can I find there?] Thank you so much for joining us! That was David Hanna, author of Rendezvous with Death and curator of the website at ww1cc.org/rendezvous The links are in the podcast notes. Link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/rendezvous-with-death-home-page.html https://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Death-Americans-Foreign-Civilization/dp/1621573966/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 International Report For our International Report, we head to France, to the town of Versaille for an interesting story about two companion statues one of General Pershing and the other of the Marquis de Lafayette The statues were recently restored and re-dedicated on October 6th 2017. The dual monuments to the generals were originally built in 1937, two equestrian statues of the generals on nine meter tall pedestals on either side of the road leading into the town of Versaille. The two statues were erected to commemorate the friendship between France and the United States and to pay tribute to the Americans troops for their significant contribution to the Allied victory in 1918. The statues were hastily built in plaster with a bronze patina (puh-tee-nuh) so they could be in place and on view for they’re inauguration, which took place with General Pershing present on a European tour. The plaster statues were quickly damaged by exposure and had never been replaced, until now. On October 6th 2017, exactly 80 years after the initial inauguration, permanent versions of the statues were re-dedicated. Read more about the statues and the rededication at the links in the podcast notes. link:http://www.pershing-lafayette-versailles.org/ http://centenaire.org/fr/en-france/versailles-ceremonie-restauration-monument-pershing-la-fayette WWrite Blog It’s time for an update for our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: “What the Mountains Hold: A Writer's Trek Through the Dolomites of Mark Helprin's WWI Italy” The post brings a fresh face to the WWI Italy described in Hemingway's “A Farewell to Arms”. Author and veteran, Shannon Huffman Polson, takes us on a spellbinding trek through the Dolomites, where 689,000 Italians perished during the war. Following the footsteps of characters from Mark Helprin's novel, “A Soldier of the Great War”, Polson leads us through the stark, striking landscape of one of Italian-history's most indelible memories. A stunning narrative not to be missed! Read it by following the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org.wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3190-what-the-mountains-hold.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - You have two stories to share with us today - Take it away! Thanks Theo! Fort Riley and the 1st Division Museum Watch a great video series about the 1st division in WW1! link:https://www.facebook.com/FtRileyMuseums/ https://www.facebook.com/FtRileyMuseums/videos/1217575371721494/ Countdown to Veterans Day Follow us as we #countdowntoveteransday . You can join in, too! link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/845531832288783/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/countdowntoveteransday https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/countdowntoveteransday/?hl=en Closing Well It’s time to wrap things up - and for those who listen through to the very end of the episode you know about the little treats we always put there. We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster and his report on espionage in the middle east Richard Rubin, telling us about his experiences speaking across the country Chris Stout from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Ridgewood, New Jersey David Hanna giving us insight into the Americans who joined the war well before America did Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This program is a part of that…. 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, and on Amazon Echo or other Alexa enabled devices. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here with someone about the war that changed the world! [music - The man behind the hammer and the plow - Arthur Fields - Edison Record] Alexa: Play the W W 1 Centennial News Podcast [Alexa response] So long!
Highlights Food Will Win The War |@01:15 Anti-war sentiment and the IWW Union - Mike Shuster |@05:35 “Those Draftin’ Blues” Maceo Pinkard timely tune |@10:00 Terry Hamby elected Chair of the US WW1 Centennial Commission |@12:50 US Mint to introduce their memorial coin design |@14:00 Re-dedication of the Bernado Cardeens Baseball Field in RI |@14:40 Speaking WWI - OMG! Really!? |@16:15 100C/100M First 50 “WWI Centennial Memorials” announced |@17:40 100C/100M Project Profile - Swanton, OH with Mayor Ann Roth |@18:45 Researching Stories of Service with author Christy Leskovar |@24:00 Underwater Archeology - The WW1 Cruiser the USN San Diego |@29:30 WWrite Blog - Poet James Seamon Cotter Jr. by Connie Ruzich |@31:00 A BIG BUZZ this month |@32:00 ----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is September 27th, 2017 and our guests this week are: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Mayor Ann Roth from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Swanton, Ohio And Christy Leskovar, author of One Night in a Bad Inn and Finding the Bad Inn 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. Welcome to the show. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] We’ve gone back in time 100 years to explore the war that changed the world! It’s the last week of September 1917, let’s take a look at what happened this month: The pages of the Official Bulletin are overflowing with articles about food, the food administration, and their impact on the war effort, with articles about food appearing every day this month. Here are a few of note: [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: September 12th, 1917 Headline: Government not to seize food supplies held in homes There is no truth in a widely circulated statement that the Government expects to take food supplies from any family. Both the Food Administration and the Department of Agriculture join in a statement to counteract, what seems to be deliberate propaganda to the effect that the Government intends to take from every family all canned goods put up, in excess of 100 quarts. TM - Apparently this was only one of many variations of rumors about the government seizing food [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: September 15th, 1917 Headline: Government licenses for manufacturers, refiners and importers of sugar, sirups, and molasses required From time to time, whenever the President shall find it essential to license the importation, manufacture, storage, mining or distribution of any necessaries… The president is authorized to issue such licenses and to prescribe regulations of the issuance of licenses. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: September 17th, 1917 Headline: Slogan “food will win war--don’t waste it” emblazoned on huge signs throughout country Through the cooperation of advertising companies, the Treasury Department, municipal authorities and electric-light companies, the US Food Administration is, without cost, putting on a national outdoor advertising campaign that is probably the biggest thing of the sort ever undertaken. The slogan “Food will win the war -- don't waste it” is being emblazoned in every large city in the country on immense signs on public buildings. These signs are uniform in general design, in paint for daytime display and illuminated by electric light for night. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: September 20th, 1917 Headline: American people can have full diet and still supply pressing needs of allies The supplies in the world’s larder for the next twelve months are now known. They are too short to support our allies unless every man, woman and child enters National service by conserving food and supporting the Food Administration [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: September 20th, 1917 Headline: Big european demand upon america for meat will continue after war The immediate problem is to furnish increased meat supplies to the allies to maintain them during the war… the impact of european demand upon our animal products will be maintained for a long period of years after peace. We must undertake to meet the demand not only during the war, so as to enable our allies to continue to fight, but we must be prepared to meet the demand after the war. TM: So food is a big topic of national discussion during the month of September 100 years ago this week. Also in the news, casualty reports start to trickle into the Bulletin this month. Only a few thousand American soldiers have made it to Europe, and their primary tasks is training, preparing, training and preparing. Despite their small numbers and their relative distance from the front, war is war and casualties start to become an ever more frequent occurrence. Soldiers get killed during a german air raid on a hospital, others in an air raid on an encampment; two aviators die in a mid-air collision during training while a third dies of an undisclosed accident; others die from meningitis or heart disease. Though tragic, these deaths are just a glimpse of what’s to come: life in the trenches, artillery fire, bombings, gas and the 1918 flu epidemic are challenges yet to come. - Go to our website to catch up on all the stories from 100 years ago this month. You can read the full daily issues of the Official Bulletin the government’s war gazette published at the order of President Wilson as the government’s voice of the war - you will find daily issues that we re-publish on the centennial anniversary of their original publish date at ww1cc.org/bulletin. [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Outside of the Official Bulletin, which is essentially the government’s propaganda machine - other reports appear of a continuing and steady rise of anti-war sentiment. We are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog, to tell us more about the on-going and perhaps ever more active anti-war movement in the US. Welcome, Mike! [MIKE SHUSTER] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog with a look at the anti-war sentiment of some Americans 100 years ago this month. LINK: The growing anti-war movement in the US http://greatwarproject.org/2017/09/17/in-the-u-s-a-growing-anti-war-movement/ https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C03E6DA103AE433A25753C2A96F9C946696D6CF&legacy=true “Those Draftin’ Blues” Whether they are pro-war or not, America’s entry into this global conflict is now touching the lives of most every Americans. Reflecting this, On September 24th 1917, composer Maceo Pinkard publishes “Those Draftin’ Blues”, a sorrowful tune with a message that resonates with many across the country . [MUSIC] Count Basie orchestration and re-recording of the song from 1940 Link: http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/movies/music_life_02.html# [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel If you would like to see videos about WW1, we invite you to visit our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube - They have been covering WW1 since the centennial of when war broke in 2014 - and from a more European perspective. Highlights from the last few weeks include: We are coming to Italy and Slovenia! - Which is an announcement of their plans to produce episode on their next road trips through Europe. Inside a British WW1 Airbase - Which comes from their last road trip to the UK. A history and battle story: British Advance at Passchendaele And an interesting episode - The Serbian Uniforms of WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND TRANSITION] We have moved forward in time to the present… Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the program is not about history. Instead it is about how the centennial of “the War that changed the world” is being commemorated today. Commission News We will begin our September 2017 wrapup with some news from the commission… on September 13th, during the Commission's quarterly meeting, in Washington, DC, Commissioner Terry Hamby as elected as the new Chair of the Commission. Commissioner Hamby follow Chair Robert J. Dalessandro, who has led the US World War I Centennial Commission since 2014. "This is a huge honor for me," Commissioner Hamby said during his acceptance. "Both my father and my great uncle served in World War I. My great uncle was lost in the Battle of the Meuse Argonne. I will put my whole heart into this job." Commissioner Hamby is a Vietnam-era veteran, serving in the Navy during that war, and later in the Army Reserve, retiring in 1993, after 26 years of service. Learn more about this great veteran, entrepreneur and the new Chair of the US WW1 Centennial Commission by following the link in the podcast notes. Link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3133-u-s-world-war-i-centennial-commission-elects-hamby-new-chair.html Coin Rollout Early next month on October 9, The United States Mint is going to unveil their design for a WW1 Commemorative Coin - The design was selected by the mint, with a juried competition, resulting in thier selection of a 2018 World War I American Veterans Centennial - silver dollar. The press announcement revealing their design will coincide with the A-USA - the Association of the United States Army - conference in Washington DC. Also coming in 2018 will be five silver medals honoring the individual branches of the U.S. military — the Army, Navy, Marine Corp, Air Force and Coast Guard. link:https://www.usmint.gov/news/design-competitions/world-war-i Activities and Events [SOUND EFFECT] Cardines Field For our Activities and Events Segment, we’re going to profile our pick of the week, selected from the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events where are compiling and recording the WW1 Commemoration events from around the country. Our pick of the week is from Newport, Rhode Island. Here is the story… In 1917, when America declared war on Germany, Bernardo Cardines (cardeens) was a tailor living peacefully in Newport, RI. Cardines was an immigrant from Venafro in Italy, who emigrated alone to America in 1909 at the tender age of only fourteen. Cardines, like many American immigrants, registered for the draft and went on to serve with the 78th Division in the American Expeditionary Forces. He fought at St. Mihiel and was killed in action during a raid on German positions on September of 1918. On month, on Friday, September 29, the Rhode Island World War One Centennial Commission will rededicate the Bernardo Cardines Memorial Baseball Field. The field is one of the oldest baseball fields in the U.S. and was originally dedicated in September of 1936, in memory of Private Cardines. The re-dedication is free to the public and will include a unique commemorative event: namely - an Army-Navy baseball game that will be played by students from the U.S. Naval War College, and they are going to play the game, dressed in period baseball uniforms. That sounds like great fun! Learn more about the ceremony and Private Cardines by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/47181/rededication-of-bernardo-cardines-memorial-field.html http://ww1cc.org/events https://patch.com/rhode-island/newport/private-bernardo-cardines [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in a century ago --- This week the word is not really a word, but an abbreviation that you would not have guessed was birthed during WW1… and that phrase is… “OMG” One hundred years ago this month, on September 9th, 1917, a retired admiral of the British navy, Lord Fisher, fired off a letter to Winston Churchill. The two men often wrote to one another about various naval aspects of the ongoing war, and in this letter --- on this day --- he wrote: My dear sir --- I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis–O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)–Shower it on the Admiralty!!” We are not really sure what he was prattling about - but on that day he did coin the term. And while you may gave always believed that OMG was a texting term from a california 18 year old mall rat - The first ever documented use of term is between two english gentlemen during world war I - OMG-- That is sooo cray cray - and it’s also this week’s word for Speaking World War One! We have a link for you to the article where we found this story in the podcast notes. link: https://www.wsj.com/article_email/omg-it-started-in-1917-with-a-letter-to-churchill-1504882081-lMyQjAxMTA3OTE4MDAxNzA3Wj/ http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/165172940448/first-use-of-omg 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT] This was a big week for the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program. On Wednesday September 27th, the US World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library announced the First 50 official “WWI Centennial Memorials” That is only half of them - because every since the April 6th centennial of the the US declaration of war, the awareness, interest and focus on local WWI memorials around the country has really blossomed. So instead of just extending the submission period to give some of these new projects a chance to participate -, the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program decided name the first 50 awardees now, and then open the grant award competition for a second round staring NOW. Everyone who was part of the first round but didn’t get an award -- automatically goes into round 2 - which is already underway and runs till January 15th, next year in 2018. Meanwhile the first 50 “WWI Centennial Memorials” are officially designated and the grants are awarded.. 100C/100M Profile: Village of Swanton OH We have one of those project with us here today with the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project from from Swanton, OH. Joining us to talk about the project is Ann Roth, the Mayor of the Village of Swanton. Welcome, Mayor Roth! [exchange greetings] [Mayor Roth - how did you react to the announcement?] [So as the Mayor of a community that has undertaken one of these projects, what has been the most memorable effect on your community? ] [What plans you have for a rededication?] [what coalition came together to make this happen?] [were any veterans service organizations involved?] Mayor Roth - Thank you so much for taking on this challenge - and for being here with us here today! [Mayor ROth reply] That was Ann Roth, Mayor of the Village of Swanton, Ohio. We will continue to profile the submitting teams and their unique and amazing projects on the show over the coming months. See the list of awardees, learn more about the program - at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes. Maybe YOUR community should go for it! Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3166-first-50-official-wwi-centennial-memorials-to-be-announced.html [SOUND EFFECT] Stories of Service Interview with Christy Leskovar In our “Remember the veterans” section, today we wanted to feature an incredible story that follows our next guest from a career as a mechanical engineer as she turns into a historical sleuth and author. With us today is Christy Leskovar to tell us more about her books, One Night in a Bad Inn and Finding the Bad Inn: Discovering My Family’s Hidden Past. Welcome, Christy! [exchange greetings] [Christy, your interest in your family history and specifically its involvement during the first world war started when you found out about a murder on your family’s ranch in Montana. Tell us about that!?] [So many people have family ties to the war and find it daunting to conduct detailed research on their own. What advice would you give those who are interested in following in your footsteps?] [That is some great advice Christy Thanks so much for joining us today! ] That was Christy Leskovar, author of the books One Night in a Bad Inn and Finding the Bad Inn: Discovering My Family's Hidden Past, which you can learn more about and purchase at the links in the podcast notes. Link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2993-finding-the-great-war-on-the-way-to-the-bad-inn.html https://www.amazon.com/One-Night-Bad-Inn-Story/dp/1575101424 https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Bad-Inn-Discovering-Abridged/dp/0939872161/ref=pd_sim_14_1/144-1362782-5336769?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WJ4WW11HHTGW8R8TWZ5R Articles and Posts This week in our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org Navy to survey wreck of sunken WWI cruiser From our News section comes an article about an upcoming plan to study a sunken WW1 Cruiser. The Navy has announced plans to survey the wreck of the WWI U.S. Navy cruiser San Diego, on which six American Sailors lost their lives, when she sank as a result of enemy action off the coast of New York on July 19, 1918. The survey's objective is to assess the condition of the wreck site and determine if the ship --- the only major warship lost by the United States, was sunk as a result of a German submarine-launched torpedo or a mine. Ultimately, that data gathered will help inform the management of the sunken craft, which lies only a few miles south of Long Island. The announcement comes just weeks after the 99th anniversary of the sinking, and the survey, which was planned for Sept. 11-15, is timed to allow researchers to conduct a thorough examination of the site and prepare, then release, their findings around the date of the 100th anniversary. Underwater archaeology is always so cool!! Follow the expedition by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.centenarynews.com/article/us-navy-surveys-wreck-of-wwi-cruiser-sunk-in-1918 www.ww1cc.org/news WWrite Blog It’s time for an update about our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: “Their Only Crime: African American WWI Poet James Seamon Cotter, Jr.” "A monster... of war and not of war..." that is how James Seamon Cotter Jr. describes the genocide and racism that make up an important part of WWI's history and memory. You’ll find all this in his poem "O, Little David, Play on Your Harp": the Armenian Genocide, Russian pogroms, the Belgian atrocities, the deadly prejudice against African Americans. This week, WWI poetry-specialist, Connie Ruzich, returns to the WWrite blog to discuss Cotter, a forerunner of the African American cultural renaissance of the 1920s. Don't miss this tribute to a powerful poetic voice at ww1cc.org/wwrite - or go to the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org.wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3170-their-only-crime.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - You have a bunch of articles to tell us about today - Take it away! Thanks Theo! Here are some of the most interesting stories and photos we’ve shared on Facebook and Instagram in the last month! A review we shared highlights a new temporary exhibit at the Met focusing on the impact of World War 1 on visual artist. A photograph we posted on Instagram shows soldiers learning to handle and fire pistols at Camp Upton on Long Island, NY An article from War History Online outlines technologies first developed during WW1 that are still in use by the Armed Forces today We shared the story of Arlington Cemetery holding its first ever service honoring military members who have died by suicide. Another link talks about an exhibit at Bangkok’s National Library explores the Kingdom of Siam’s role in WW1 A piece from the Washington Post sheds light on the often overlooked contributions of African American Army Doctors in WW1 We also shared some really great photos from the Camp Doughboy festivities on Governors Island as well as a remarkable image of the WW1 Memorial in Memorial Park in Jacksonville Florida during the height of Irma's impact And last but not least, we posted recently the story of a Belgian marine archaeologist begins the long work of excavating a newly discovered WW1 uboat off the shores of Belgium-- a submarine that contains an estimated 23 German bodies. Check out these stories by following the links in the podcast notes, or go to ww1cc.org/social to view all the great content we’ve been sharing in the last few weeks. And that’s it for the Buzz! link:http://www.metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2017/wwi-and-the-visual-arts https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/839216799586953/?type=3&theater https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-i/five-military-technologies-invented-wwi-still-use-today-m.html http://www.wusa9.com/news/nation/military/in-a-first-arlington-national-cemetery-honors-service-members-lost-by-suicide/470157278 http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/art/30326790 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-overlooked-story-of-104-african-american-doctors-who-fought-in-world-war-i/2017/09/22/ff2fda1e-9e0a-11e7-9c8d-cf053ff30921_story.html?utm_term=.84fd6d33b106 https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/posts/839831606192139 https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/844768992365067/?type=3&theater https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/world/europe/german-submarine-belgium.html Closing And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog with a look at anti-war sentiment in the US Mayor Ann Roth telling us about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Swanton, Ohio Christy Leskovar, giving us insight into her journey to learn more about her family’s service Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This program is a part of that…. 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 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. Thank you for joining us again this week. And don’t forget to share- the stories you are hearing here- with someone- about the war that changed the world! [music] OMG My dear fellow - I think it’s time to tip a pint or two! - Don’t you? So long!
Highlights Life inside German Occupied Belgium |@ 03:15 Some memorable stories from the front - Mike Shuster |@ 13:3 0 Preview of Camp Doughboy - Governors Island, NY 9/16-9/17 |@ 19:00 Preview of Pershing Days - Laclede, MO, 9/15-9/17 with Alicyn Ehrich and Denzil Heaney |@ 20:15 $10,000 WWI academic competition |@ 24:55 Speaking WWI - Cooties! Yuk! |@ 26:00 100C/100M with Jim Yocum on Santa Monica CA project |@ 27:15 CBS Radio ConnectingVets.com |@ 33:15 Phil Eaton - Coast Guard Winged Warrior of WW1 |@ 34:40 WWrite Blog on Champagne |@ 35:35 And more...----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is September 6th, 2017 and our guests this week are: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Jim Yocum from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Santa Monica, California Alicyn Ehrich, Secretary of the Pershing Park Memorial Association, and Denzil Heaney, the administrator of the General Pershing Boyhood Home Site. 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. Welcome to the show. Before we get started today, we wanted to let you know that next week and the week following, we will be presenting a WW1 Centennial News 2-part Special - “In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace”. Part 1 examines the great debate in America about getting into the war, and Part 2, which will publish the following week is about how events overtook the debate and brought us to a declaration of war. But for today, we are in our regular format and ready to jump into episode #36. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] We’ve gone back in time 100 years to explore the war that changed the world! It’s the first week of September 1917. On the last day of August New York Deputy Attorney General Roscoe Conkling certifies that New York City has fulfilled its quota of 38,572 soldiers for the draft. This is notable because the last time there was a draft in New York - for the civil war - it ended in the deadly Draft Riots of 1863. The 1917 draft, however, goes smoothly - mostly! Turns out that one of the local boards is selling exemptions- which was permitted in the Civil War draft AND coincidentally - one the flash points for Draft Riots. In any case, in 1917 - it is seriously NOT OK. The first draftees are scheduled to leave for training at Camp Upton (now the site of Brookhaven National Laboratory) on September 10th - the camp is so new that the first men to arrive are going to get to help finish building it. The men trained at Camp Upton starting September 1917, will become the 77th Division, which will be the first division of draftees to arrive in France. Link: http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/164847897103/new-york-city-fulfills-draft-quota [SOUND EFFECT - WHOOSH] Moving to the headlines and stories from the Official Bulletin - America’s War Gazette published daily by the Committee on Public Information, the US government propaganda ministry headed by George Creel - this week we have pulled a variety of stories that mark what was happening this week 100 years ago. [SOUND EFFECT - TRANSITION - ] The Official Bulletin Dateline: September 9th, 1917 Headline: LIFE UNBEARABLE lN BELGIUM, SAYS WORKMAN WHO ESCAPED The following story provides some insight into life inside German occupied Belgium: The story reads: I had to leave the seaside place where I had lived since my childhood, because life became unbearable. It was slavery. “The Germans announced, at the beginning of January last, that every man or woman from 15 to 60 would be compelled to work for them. They did not take everybody at once, but once you had begun to work for them, you were never left free again. In order to avoid people escaping to an other parts of the country, they obliged us all to go to the command center, where our identity cards and passports were confiscated. As you can not walk a mile in the army zone without showing your papers we were practically prisoners. “Every week an officer with two soldiers went from house to house requisitioning more laborers. They had taken 300 already from my village when I left; I have no doubt that the whole village is forced to work by now. The work was done either on the spot, where you had to repair and clean buildings, cut wood, and so on., or along the Dutch frontier, where we had to build trenches and concrete works, or behind the German llnes in the region of Westende, where we were mainly employed in building roads and railway lines. This was by far the worst place since we were frequently exposed to shell fire and to gas attacks. Having no masks we were obliged- to take shelter when a bell rang to warn us. We were paid 1 mark per day, but as the food was very scarce we had practically to spend our wages to appease our hunger, so that, when we came back home for one day every three weeks, we had practically nothing left to bring back to our families. “ It was no use trying to protest. It only meant more trouble and misery, prison and blows. One of my friends who struggled to escape was nearly killed by a bayonet thrust. “Besides, the Germans are only too glad if you resist. They have made a rule to send any man or woman who gets more than three months’ imprisonment back to Germany . And none of those who have been deported have ever come back. Six months ago one of my neighbors, a widow, who had to protect her daughter against a German officer, received four months for having shouted that all Germans were pigs. She was sent to Germany and we have heard since that she is obliged to work in a labor camp and has no hope of returning. This is only one case among hundreds. The German tribunals have provided many Belgian workers for the Fatherland This next story is a lot lighter - and truly a story of the times. With the airplane providing the enemy with a level of unprecedented intel, a new military assignment surfaced as a key man role - that of “magician” - Sort of…. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Sept 5th 1917 Headline: Ingenious men who can cast magic veil of invisibility over military works wanted for service with army in france The story reads: The first American Camouflage company is now being organized for service. In official English, the camoufleure“ practices the art of military concealment," but a more literal translation of the French music-hall phrase, for that is what it is, proves him to be a “ fakir.” Now this has developed to a point where specialists in all manner of devices for concealing the whereabouts and designs of our troops from the eyes of the enemy are grouped together in military units. Therefore, the Chief of Engineers in the War Department is looking for handy and ingenious men who are ready to fight one minute and practice their trade the next. Wherever a machine is set up, or a trench is taken and reversed, or a battery of artillery goes into action, or a new road is opened. or a new bridge is built, or a sniper climbs an old building, or an officer creeps out into an advanced post to hear and to observe, there... must go the camouflage man to spread his best imitation of the magic veil of invisibility. There is in store for our camoufleurs, plenty of excitement and no end of opportunity to use their wits. The article goes on to tell about some examples including pappier-Mache steel line counterfeits of dead horses serving as observing posts - or of a river-painted canvas pulled over a bridge by day - and used as a crossing by dead of night. The article closes with: Though this work has long been organized abroad, in this land it is only beginning, so wherever ingenious young men are longing for special entertainment in the way of fooling Germans, they should waste no time in getting in touch with the Chief of Engineers, War Department, Washington, D.C. Our next story will be particularly interesting to our regular listeners - If you heard last week’s episode # 35, we profiled the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Muscle Shoals Alabama, where you heard all about the giant Ammonium Nitrate plants they built there. This week - 100 years ago, there is a story in the Official Bulletin that precedes what you learned last week. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: September 6, 1917 Headline: PREPARATIONS FOR PRODUCTION OF NITRATES BY GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED BY WAR DEPARTMENT; LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED PLANT IS WITHHELD The story goes on to explain how the creation of the plants is a priority project for the government war effort, but the location is still secret. But YOU know where they are going to put it!! You even know about the giant Hydro-electric plant they are going to build as a part of it! Isn’t history fun... [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: September 8, 1917 Headline: Red Cross to Communicate Messages About Persons in Central Powers’ Territory The Red Cross plays an ever more important and diverse role in the complexity of this global crisis. In this case, it is not nursing the wounded but helping acquaintances, families and loved ones torn apart and separated by the ravages of war. The article goes on to read: Individuals wishing to make inquiries concerning the welfare and whereabouts of friends or relatives in territory ‘belonging to or occupied by the central powers, may communicate with the Bureau of Communication, American Red Cross, Washington, D. C. Proper inquiries and messages will be transmitted on a special form to the International Red Cross in Geneva. From Geneva, they will be forwarded to the individuals for whom they are intended. Answers will be returned to the International Red Cross and by them will be sent to Washington. The American Red Cross will then communicate the information received to writers of the original letters. Two 2-cent stamps must be enclosed for postage. A similar method is being devised for the transmission of inquiries from the central powers to America. This will also be handled by the Red Cross. The articles concludes with a number of details and safeguards to assure that the communication network will not be used to send covert messages. And our last story this week from the Official Bulletin harkens back to a story we told you in episode #26 about Chautauqua - The word "chautauqua" is Iroquois and means "two moccasins tied together" - At the turn of the previous century the term was aptly used to signify a unique American “gathering” that brought entertainment and culture into far flung regional communities of the time, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is "the most American thing in America." [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: September 8, 1917 Headline: Chautauqua entertainers to be sent to cantonments TM Voice: The war Department can't complete the theaters they had planned for the tens of thousands of men being sent to the training camps - RIGHT NOW! So instead - they are going to create an entertainment system using the traditional American Chautauqua! The article goes on to explain: Entertainment for the soldiers will Begin September 10. In four days 10 tents, each with a seating capacity of over 3,000, will be moved to cantonments and programs will be given beginning Monday, The week following, the entire 32 cantonments will be equipped with similar tent auditoriums - in which programs will be given. The new project involves the mobilization of a force of over 2,000 lyceum [LYCEEUM] and chautauqua~entertainers and the creation of tents with an aggregate seating capacity of more than 100,000 people in the short space of less than two weeks. The economics affected by pursuing the chautauqua method of circuiting attractions makes it possible to give the best entertainment to soldier: at motion picture prices. And those are some of the stories we selected from the nearly 100 stories published in this week’s issues of the Official Bulletin. You’ll find the official bulletin on the Commission’s website at ww1cc.org/bulletin where we are re-publishing this amazing resource on the centennial anniversary of each issue’s publication date. So If this podcast just isn’t enough weekly WW1 history for you - dig in daily - Go to our website and read the full daily issues of the Official Bulletin at ww1cc.org/bulletin. I sometimes do… and it makes me feel a whole lot better about the chaos in our modern world by tapping into the even more chaotic world 100 years ago this week! [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Next we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog. Today Mike’s post highlights the beginning of American actions “over there” with a series of memorable incidents and stories including the sinking of submarine U-88 whose captain sank the Lusitania in 1915. Welcome Mike! [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog with an interesting collection of anecdotes from the front 100 years ago this week.. LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/09/03/first-americans-killed-in-france/ The Great War Channel For videos about WW1, visit our friend at the Great War Channel on Youtube - They have well over 400 episodes about WW1 - covering the conflict since 2014 - and from a more European perspective. This week’s new episodes include: The Moscow State Conference Another video is Battlefield 1 Historical Analysis - where Indy Nydel the shows host - takes the new game-additions and puts them into historical context. And finally a new episode on Georges Guynemer (gee-nuh-may), the flying icon of France Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] We have moved forward in time to the present… Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the program is not about history but how the centennial of the War that changed the world is being commemorated today. Activities and Events [Sound Effect] For our Activities and Events Section, we are going profile 2 events - selected from the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events where are compiling and recording the WW1 Commemoration events from around the country- not just from major metros but also local events from the heart of the country- showing how the WW1 Centennial Commemoration is playing out everywhere. Camp Doughboy Our Major Metro pick of the week is Camp Doughboy, the Second Annual WWI History Weekend - this is an immersive, weekend-long, Living History experience on Governors Island in New York City happening on September 16th and 17th. According to Kevin Fitzpatrick - Author and citizen historian who helped put the event together - it promises to be the largest WW1 themed event on the East Coast this year. It all starts with a ferry ride to historic Fort Jay at Governors Island National Monument in New York Harbor. Entry to the event is free and open to the public. There will be more than fifty reenactors, vintage WWI-era vehicles, free talks by leading authorities of the Great War and much more. It is a family oriented event that is sure to create a memorable experience all about the war that changed the world — and gave birth to modern America. A link to register to participate is included in the podcast notes along with all the information you need to have a great time at Camp Doughboy. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3005-governors-island-to-host-camp-doughboy-wwi-weekend-sept-16-17.html https://www.facebook.com/events/102616516879089/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/47016/camp-doughboy-world-war-one-history-weekend.html https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wwi-history-weekend-tickets-35527041337 http://ww1cc.org/events [SOUND EFFECT] Pershing Days Interview with Alicyn and Denzil Pershing Days and Black Jack Our Second event pick of the week is from Laclede Missouri. We have with us today two guests to tell us about an upcoming annual event celebrating the life and service of General Pershing. Alicyn Ehrich secretary of the Pershing Park Memorial Association, and Denzil Heaney, the administrator of the Gen. Pershing Boyhood Home site - which is part of the missouri state parks system. They are here to tell us more about Pershing Days, an annual event in Laclede, Missouri, hometown of the General of the Armies, John J. Pershing. The event will be celebrated this year on Sept. 13th, the weekend closest to the general’s birthday. Additionally, this year, a new documentary, Black Jack, will be making its debut on Sunday, Sept. 17th following activities on the 15th & 16th. Welcome, Alicyn, Denzil! [exchange greetings] [Alicyn, can you give our listeners an overview of what happens during Pershing Days? And how long has it been an annual tradition?] [Denzil, can you tell us a bit about the film Black Jack? A lot of it was filmed in Laclede, right?] Thank you Alicyn, Denzil! That was Alicyn Ehrich and Denzil Heaney talking about Pershing Days in Laclede Missouri and the new Pershing Documentary - Black Jack. Learn more by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.facebook.com/events/1028019170662151 https://theprgroup.org/events/event-calendar/#!event/2017/9/15/pershing-days-2017 https://vimeo.com/213096489 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gen-John-J-Pershing-Boyhood-Home-State-Historic-Site/112342615444100 https://mostateparks.com/park/gen-john-j-pershing-boyhood-home-state-historic-site https://www.facebook.com/ThePershingProject/ Education $10,000 Research Grant on WWI science and technology [SOUND EFFECT] This week in our Education section we’ve got something very special for the budding researchers in our audience - a shot at $10,000. There is a new academic competition that was announced for scholars under the age of 30. In this competition you can apply to research and write a paper on a major aspect of how scientists and engineers in the United States were engaged in the World War I effort. You know, this was one of the most vervent times for technology, science, engineering and medicine - ever! And so the Richard Lounsbery Foundation has funded this academic competition. Five scholars will be chosen and awarded $5,000 each to conduct their research. Additionally, the winner of the competition will be awarded a $10,000.00 prize. Proposals are due by November 30th, so spread the word! And check out the link in the podcast notes for how to participate in this program run by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Research Council. link:https://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/ww1/index.htm Speaking WW1 And now for our feature --- “Speaking World War 1 --- Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in the war --- This week the word is “Cooties” You might remember the taunting chants of your classmates as a child, accusing you of having cooties. Or maybe cooties were the reason you gave for why you didn’t like girls - or boys - or whatever. Personally, as a kid my english was pretty bad and had no idea why everyone laughed at me when I asked for chocolate chip cooties. Just kidding. The term cooties goes back to World War 1, when soldiers lived in horrific conditions that included being covered with lice. Indeed, using a lighter to burn lice and their eggs out of the seams of clothing was a daily pastime for many. As a nickname for body lice, cooties first appeared in trench slang in 1915. It’s apparently derived from the coot, a species of waterfowl known for being infested with lice and other parasites. I bet you did NOT know that! Cooties-- you don’t want em… and this week’s word for Speaking WW1! See the podcast notes if you really need to know more than that! link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooties http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2015/11/06/where_did_the_word_cooties_come_from.html 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT] Jim Yocum - Santa Monica High School Auditorium Next, we are going to profile another 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project. That is our $200,000 matching grant giveaway to rescue ailing WW1 memorials. Last week we profiled a project from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. This week, we head to Santa Monica, California. Joining us is Jim Yocum, Past Commander of Squadron 283 of the Sons of the American Legion Welcome, Jim! [exchange greetings] [Jim - a lot of our listeners know about the American Legion - but may not know about the Sons of the American Legion - would you please give us a quick heads up on that…] [OK on to your project - you’re team is refurbishing a memorial plaque in Santa Monica, CA - tell us about the project?] Thank you for the great work you and your Squadron are doing Jim! [responds] That was Jim Yocum, Past Commander of Squadron 283 of the Sons of the American Legion. We will continue to profile the submitting teams and their unique and amazing projects on the show over the coming months. Learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials Spotlight in the Media Radio Interview This week for our Spotlight in the Media section, we’d like to direct you to CBS Radio's ConnectingVets.com On their September 5th “The Morning Briefing” they featured a segment on the WW1 Centennial Chris Isleib, the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, and I joined host Eric Dehm for a great conversation about the WW1 Centennial, including upcoming events and this very podcast. Take a listen with the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www1.play.it/audio/connecting-vets/ [SOUND EFFECT] Articles and Posts For our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - now over 3,000 pages of articles, information and stories - our first highlight is a new article about an often overlooked part of our military-- the coast guard. Phil Eaton - US Coast Guard The Coast Guard and its aviators played a vital role in World War I. In 1916, Congress authorized the Coast Guard to develop an aviation branch, including aircraft, air stations and pilots. Historically, the Coast guard was originally with the Treasury Department - you know - to catch pirates and smugglers - For WW1, they get put under the U.S. Navy and today after 9/11 - they are part of Homeland security. We invite you to read the story about a Commanding Officer of a Coast Guard Naval Air Station, Phil Eaton --- who led the first fight between the U.S. coast guard naval aviation and a German U-Boat menace in U.S. waters. Learn more about Phil and his other contributions as one of the Coast Guard first aviators --- by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3068-phil-eaton-the-coast-guard-s-winged-warrior-of-wwi.html www.ww1cc.org/news WWrite Blog OK it’s time for an update for our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: “Champagne, "champagne," and World War I” This article is for literature, history, and, yes, champagne lovers. Motivation for weary WWI soldiers? Champagne. In 1915, the French government voted to send "champagne," the bubbly, celebratory drink, as a morale booster to the troops. Meanwhile, Champagne, the French region and source of the world's most elegant wine symbolizing celebration and peace, amassed severe wounds as a strategic point on Western Front. Don't miss this well-researched, insightful post written by journalist, Marsha Dubrow --- about the region, its signature drink --- and what happened to it during WWI . À votre santé! Link: www.ww1cc.org.wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/3069-champagne-champagne-and-world-war-i.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - You have two articles to tell us about today - Take it away! Camo Man A great example of camouflage from The Great War Channel link:https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatWarYT/photos/a.653030651457682.1073741828.636345056459575/1430994273661312/?type=3&theater The Lost Sketchbook A new book about a young artist who served during WW1 Link:http://www.thelostsketchbooks.com/ Thank you Katherine. Closing And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster from the great war project blog with an interesting series of anecdotes from 100 years ago this week. Jim Yocum from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Santa Monica, California Alicyn Ehrich, and Denzil Heaney, giving us a taste of the annual Pershing Days and the upcoming Black Jack documentary Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This program is a part of that…. 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 joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here with someone about the war that changed the world! [music] Did you know that Cooties were also known as "arithmetic bugs" It true - because "they added to your troubles, subtracted from your pleasures, divided your attention, and multiplied like hell." So long!
Highlights Getting ready for training camp - War Department issues 30 lesson manifesto |@02 :00 RG Head on the War In The Sky - 1917 overview |@06:00 Richard Rubin & Jonathan Bratton on the Storyteller & The Historian on the Naval Reserve Act |@12:40 Mike Shuster on the war in the middle east |@18:45 Speaking WWI: “Thingumyjig” |@25:20 Anne Taylor & Ruth Edmonson Johnson on 100 Cities / 100 Memorials |@26:20 Professor Jeff Jakeman on Penrose Vass Stout: Aviator, architect and artist |@32:15 The eclipse of 1918: What comes around, comes around |@37:00 Susan Werbe on telling the WWI story with the voice of people |@37:50 And more...----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 News NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is August 16th, 2017. We have a big lineup today with six guest joining us. You’ll hear from… RG Head, former Air Force General, fighter pilot, author and historian The Storyteller and the Historian, Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, Ann Taylor and Ruth Edmonson Johnson from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Jackson, California Jeff Jakeman, Professor Emeritus from Auburn University And Susan Werbe (WERBY), independent scholar and artist 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. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week Preface The following section comes from the headlines and pages of the Official Bulletin - the government’s daily war gazette published by George Creel, President Wilson’s Propaganda Chief - We are republishing the daily issues on the centennial anniversary of their original publish dates at ww1cc.org/bulletin. So for those who would like to follow the events of 100 years ago in the words and headlines of the times, as presented by the US government, we offer a unique and powerful way to follow the War That Changed the World. We have the link in the podcast notes. So now let’s jump into our wayback machine and take a look at one of the themes that pervaded the official bulletin 100 years ago this week. link:http://ww1cc.org/bulletin [MUSIC TRANSITION] It’s the week of August 12, 1917. Starting on the Monday of this week the Official Bulletin launches a new series of articles - 30 lessons issued by the War Department over five weeks - written for the benefit of men selected for service. The lessons are informal in tone - and designed to “define” the image and more importantly - the “Self Image” of the American Soldier. It is philosophy, attitude, behavior, morality, personal hygiene and more… It is a manifesto for what it means to be an American Soldier… Listen to a few random excerpts taken from the first 6 lessons… From Lesson 1: Your post of Honor Quote: Other things being equal, an army made up of self-reliant, thinking men has a great advantage over a merely machine like army, and this is especially true in present-day warfare. Quote: The American soldier fights fairly and treats even the enemy with as much humanity as his own conduct will permit. As for slaughtering or enslaving the civilian population of captured territory, attacking prisoners, or assaulting women, American soldiers would as little commit such crimes in time of war as in time of peace. Quote: America has fought always and everywhere in defense of principles and rights—never merely for territory and for power. [DING] From Lesson 2: Making good as a soldier: Quote: Loyalty, obedience, and physical fitness are the three basic qualities essential to the making of a real soldier. [DING] Lesson 3: Soldierly qualities Quote: Intelligence, cleanliness, cheerfulness,confidence, spirit, tenacity, strength and self-reliance are the qualities of an American Soldier [DING] Lesson 4: Getting ready for camp Quote: Don’t take a last fling. It may land you in the hospital. At the best, it will probably bring you into camp in an unfit condition to take up your duties! [DING] From Lesson 5: First day at camp Quote: As the men in the National Army, which must get ready in record-breaking time your training will be more strenuous than that of soldiers in peace. You will find there is plenty of hard work ahead of you. The average energetic young American will be glad of it. [DING] Lesson 6: Cleanliness in camp Quote: The good soldier is almost “fussy” in the care of his person, his clothing, his bedding, and his other belongings. Personal cleanliness includes using only your own linen, toilet articles, cup, and mess kit. And so go the first 6 of 30 1-page lessons defining what it means to be an American Soldier for 10’s of thousands of young men, many of whom have never been away from home One of our listeners who joined us during the live recording of this epsisode commented that these lessons were not only “new” for the recent draftees, but new for the army at large. Bill Betten from California mentioned that, until now, The US Military consisted of a professional career soldiers whose reputation was considered, shall we say - “a bit rough” and so this “rebranding” of what it means to be an American soldier is a seed change in the world view and self image for our military and another key example of the war that changed the world. To learn how to join the live recording of the podcast, go to WW1CC.org/cn - charlie / nancy all lower case. [SOUND EFFECT] War in the Sky Interview with RG Head Moving to our War In The Sky segment, we are joined today by RG Head, retired Air Force Brigadier General, fighter pilot, military historian and author. RG offers us a retrospective of the past 6 months in the Great War in the Sky and a preview of what will happen over the coming months. Welcome RG [greet one another] Q: RG - a lot has happened over the past months in the skies over Europe, how would you characterize it in overview? Q: RG - we have reported a lot about the US and allied belief that overwhelming US air power could be a linchpin in hastening the end of this terrible war. How does that play out over the coming months? Q: So your are saying that the strategy did not work out because we couldn't pull the manufacturing together - Is that right? Q: So just before we wrap up, your book on Oswald Boelcke just came out in German… How did that happen? Thank you RG That was RG Head, Retired Air Force brigadier general, fighter pilot,, military historian and author. His latest book is a biography of Oswald Boelcke, often referred to as the father of combat aviation. RG Head is also the curator a comprehensive - nearly day-by-day “War in the Sky” timeline on the Commission website. We have links to the book, timeline and RG’s facebook page in the podcast notes Link: https://www.facebook.com/rg.head/ www.ww1cc.org/warinthesky https://www.amazon.com/RG-Head/e/B01M59UA64 Storyteller and the Historian From the war in the sky to the war on the water - we are joined by the Storyteller and the Historian - Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten. Today they’re going to explore the Naval Reserve Cct - which creates an unprecedented window of opportunity for women to enlist into the military. [RUN OPENING] [RUN SEGMENT] Thank you gentlemen! That was - the StoryTeller - Richard Rubin and The Historian - Jonathan Bratten The Storyteller and the Historian is now a full hour long monthly podcast. Look for them on iTunes and libsyn or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://storytellerandhistorian.libsyn.com [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Next we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog. When thinking about WW1 - People often focus on the Western Front of France and Belgium, but this world war was truly Global. Today Mike’s post is an update on the Middle East, where the Turks found themselves in a difficult situation. Welcome Mike! [Mike Section] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/08/13/crisis-for-the-turks-in-the-middle-east/ The Great War Channel For videos about WW1, our friend at the Great War Channel on Youtube have been producing great videos about great war since 2014.. This week’s new episodes include: Despair Everywhere - The Great War Week 159 War weariness - the Great War Summary part 10 And a hardware piece - Italian Pistols of WW1 Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar And now we are going to move forward in time to the present! World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] Welcome to WW1 Centennial News NOW - This part of the show is not about history but how the centennial of the War that changed the world is being commemorated today. Activities and Events [Sound Effect] We are going to start with Activities and Events selected from the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events where we are compiling and recording WW1 Commemoration events from around the country. Uniformed Women in WW1 Smithsonian Our pick of the week is from the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC. The exhibit is called: “Uniformed women in World War One”and explores the active and sometimes overlooked role played by women throughout the war. Their roles were seminal both as a part of the preparedness effort before 1917 as well as uniformed members military and civilian organizations. Even If you can’t make it to Washington DC, the Smithsonian offer a wonderfully detailed website featuring American women, their service and their uniforms. Take a virtual visit with the links in the podcast notes. If you are involved with any WW1 centennial events, you are invited to submit them to the National WW1 Centennial Events Register. This not only promotes them to the WW1 community of interest, but also puts them into the permanent national US archival record of the centennial. Go to ww1cc.org/events. Click the big red button and fill out the form. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/37666/smithsonian-s-national-museum-of-american-history-presents-uniformed-women-in-the-great-war.html http://americanhistory.si.edu/uniformed-women-great-war http://ww1cc.org/events [SOUND EFFECT] Education Newsletter Issue #8 is out In our Education Segment, we wanted to let you know that the latest issue of the education newsletter is out - “Understanding the Great War - Issue 8 is all about “Propaganda” with lesson plans, source materials, links to youtube videos and other resources all designed to let educators create memorable learning experiences for their students. Follow the link in the podcast notes to the newsletter archives or to register to receive the semi-monthly publication. Link to view online: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1112454519225&ca=c9cccca5-72a6-4420-bad8-038155085c7a http://ww1cc.org/subscribe [SOUND EFFECT] Speaking WW1 In our newest feature “Speaking World War 1 - Where we explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in world war I --- This week’s selected word is “thingumyjig”. Can you spell it!? T-H-I-N-G (thing) U (uh) M-Y (ma) J-I-G (jig) Thingumygig…. Although it appears to have existed prior to the war, it became cemented in common use during the conflict. Soldiers were confronted with many new objects, parts and things -- and so the word thingumyjig became a quick easy way for soldiers to refer to those new bits and pieces around them. Other words for “that thing I don’t know what to call” include the Canadian’s favored “hoozamakloo”! Read more about the many ways soldiers referred to those things they couldn’t quite remember the names of, by following the link in the podcast notes. link: https://books.google.com/books?id=Vz4uDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT142&dq=thingumyjig&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2uancqNnVAhVF4SYKHRHGDPEQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q=thingumyjig&f=false 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT] Ann Taylor and Ruth Edmonson Johnson 100 cities Every week we are profiling one of the many amazing projects submitted to our $200,000 matching grant giveaway to rescue ailing WW1 memorials. The program is called 100 Cities / 100 Memorials. Last week we profiled the Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A. Monument in Phoenix, Arizona. This week we are heading to Jackson California to profile the Albert Harry Bode Gravesite project. To tell us about it, we’re joined by Ann Taylor, Regent of the Sierra Amador Chapter of the NSDAR, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Ruth Edmonson Johnson, Honorary Regent and National lineage Research Chair - Southwest. Ann and Ruth - Welcome! [exchange greetings] You know - what I love about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials initiative is the range of projects it has drawn. Last week Neil Urban was with us, and he works for the state of Arizona. Today you are here from Jackson, California - a beautiful little hamlet located between Yosemite and Sacramento! And there are only 3500 of you! I have read your grant application and you have a great story, why don’t you share it with us! [interview] Well, you know that was one of the core objectives when we created the program - to act as a catalyst for communities to rediscover their heritage - and it sounds like project is doing exactly that in Jackson California! That was Ann Taylor and Ruth Edmonson Johnson from the Sierra Amador Chapter of the NSDAR telling us about Albert Bode’s military plaque and headstone restoration in Jackson, California We will continue to profile the submitting teams and their projects on the show over the coming months. Learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials Updates from the States Hawaii [SOUND EFFECT] Welcome to our Updates from the States - starting with some exciting news from our friends in the Aloha State! Hawaii Governor David Ige (EEGAY) has signed a letter, pledging state support to Hawaii's World War I Centennial Task Force. This is a great group of people that have been working diligently over the past several years to present and expose Hawaii’s role in the war that changed the world. Visit their website at ww1cc.org/hawaii all lower case - or follow the link in the podcast notes to read the story about this good news.. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/hawaii-wwi-centennial-articles/2971-hawaii-s-world-war-i-centennial-task-force-gains-state-support.html Interview with Jeff Jakeman next, from Heart of Dixie -- Alabama, we are going to be joined by Jeff Jakeman, Professor of History, Emeritus at Auburn University, to talk about a unique WWI aviator who was also quite an accomplished architect and artist - Penrose Vass Stout! Welcome Jeff! [exchange] Q: Jeff what can you tell us about Penrose… Q: Jeff tell us about the exhibit at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art about Vass stout? Jeff - Thank you so much for joining us That was Professor Jeff Jakeman telling us about aviator, architect, artist and alumni of Auburn University - Penrose vass Stout and the exhibit - “Sketching the Skies: Penrose Vass Stout which runs through September 10th. Montgomery Museum of Fine Art Learn more by following the link in the podcast notes. links:http://mmfa.org/events/from-alabama-to-the-skies-of-france-1917-1918-penrose-vass-stouts-improbable-journey/ http://mmfa.org/exhibitions/sketching-the-skies-penrose-vass-stout-alabamas-wwi-artist-aviator/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/47084/sketching-the-skies-penrose-vass-stout-alabama-s-wwi-artist-aviator.html http://digital.archives.alabama.gov Articles and Posts It is time for our Articles and Posts segment - with new posts from our website at ww1cc.org - Eclipse 99 years ago In the news section, you’ll find an article that parallels current events with news from 99 years ago. And the subject is ------ Eclipses! In 1918 newspapers -- across America -- tucked in among reports about U.S. regiments fighting overseas and war bond propaganda,--- were reports about the Total Eclipse casting the moon’s shadow over the country. Just as in 2017, in 1918 the path of the eclipse started south of Japan, went across the Pacific Ocean, and then across the United States. AND, just as in 2017, Americans were avidly interested in the amazing cosmic phenomena. Read more about it by visiting ww1cc.org/news or following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3001-2017-eclipse-across-u-s-recalls-wwi-eclipse-99-years-ago.html Spotlight on the media Interview with Susan Werbe For our spotlight on the media section, we are being joined by Susan Werbe (Werby), an independent scholar and artist with a focus on -- the social and cultural history of World War One. She is the creator and executive producer of The Great War Theatre Project: Messengers of a Bitter Truth, recently performed in Boston, New York, and Letchworth in the UK. Susan wrote about this project in a recent article on our WWrite blog, and is here with us today to tell us more about it and about another project she has been working on. Welcome, Susan! [exchange greetings] [Susan, Could you give our listeners an idea of what your theater project “Messengers of a Bitter Truth” is about?] [Now Susan, your newest project isn’t theater, it is music project called Letters You Will Not Get. What inspired this one?] [Susan I know you haven’t recorded the music for “Letters you will not get” at this time, but you do have the libretto - can you give us a sample..?] Thank you so much Susan! That was Susan Werbe (Werby), an independent scholar and creative artist with a focus on the social and cultural history of World War One -- Learn more about Susan’s work and research by following the links in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/2504-a-journey-of-commemoration-the-great-war-through-the-lens-of-art.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts 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? U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services commemorates the WWI Centennial with new webpages highlighting the history of immigration and naturalization. link:https://www.facebook.com/uscis/photos/a.408896322454927.106414.228759177135310/1632639103413970/?type=3&theater https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/world-war-i Thank you Katherine. Closing And that is also IT for WW1 Centennial News for this week. In closing, we want to thank our guests: RG Head, author and historian giving us a retrospective on the War in the Sky The Storyteller and the Historian, Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten talking to us about the Naval Reserve Act Mike Shuster from the great war project blog highlighting the situation in the Middle East 100 years ago Ann Taylor and Ruth Edmonson Johnson from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Jackson, California Jeff Jakeman, Professor Emeritus from Auburn University talking to us about an Alabaman aviator-architect and artist Penrose Vass Stout Susan Werbe (WERBY), independent scholar and artist telling us about her projects highlighting the voice of people - both men and women - during the war Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This program is a part of that…. 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 joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here with someone about the war that changed the world! [music] Hey Halsey - pass me that thingumyjig! Thanks.
Highlights Launching the Lottery: Feature |@ 01:15 A tale of combat between a merchantman and a U-boat: Feature |@ 03:15 The Russians and the Balkans: Guest Mike Shuster |@ 06:30 The Storyteller & The Historian with Dissent in 1917: Guests Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten |@ 10:35 Wrapup on Bastille Day: Feature |@ 16:30 “The Extraordinary Adventures of Colonel Hughes”: Event |@ 18:30 Governors Island WWI History Weekend: Guest Kevin Fitzpatrick |@ 20:00 “Luck of the Draw”, NZ art projects commemorating WW1: International |@ 24:45 Nieuport 11’s on Vimy Ridge Commemorative flight arrive in London: International |@ 28:15 Youtube history hit channel “Extra Credits”: Guest James Portnow|@ 29:00 Stephanie Trouillard young french journalist on the WWrite Blog |@ 35:15 And more… ----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 News NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is July 19th, 2017 and this week we joined by Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, The Storyteller and the Historian, Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten - Kevin Fitzpatrick - WW1 historian and expert on New York’s Governors Island - and James Portnow whose Extra Credits Youtube channel just crossed a million subscribers - showing that History is not a snooze. 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 - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host. Welcome! World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week Our Wayback machine has moved back in time 100 years. It’s the week of July 16, 1917 and there’s big happenings in Washington DC… [sound effect] Dateline July 20, 1917 Headline: DRAFT OF MEN FOR NEW NATIONAL ARMY IS BEGUN; IT WILL CONTINUE 22 HOURS The scene is a large room in the Senate Office Building - Chalk Board covers the back wall. A double wide table is set in front and on the table - a large glass bowl filled with 10,500 capsules that contain numbers. The room is filled with press. At 9:30 am Newton D. Baker, the US Secretary of war calls the room to order and states: " We are met here to conduct a lottery or draft by which the National Army and such additions as may be necessary to bring the Regular Army and National Guard to war strength are to be selected. " This is an occasion of very great dignity and some solemnity. It represents the first application of the principles believed by many of us to be democratic, equal, and fair in selecting soldiers to defend the national honor abroad and at home." Blindfolded, Baker announces: “let us begin” . He reaches into the large bowl and pulls out a capsule. "I have drawn the first number," says Mr. Baker in a tone of a man who has done an epochal thing. He holds the tiny capsule aloft. An announcer takes it from him and breaks it open, taking out the tiny slip of paper that will change lives forever. "The number is 2-5-8," he cries "Two hundred and fifty-eight," echoes the voice of the tally chief. Another attendant posts the numerals "258" on the blackboard in the rear. This begins a process that lasts for 22 hours with 600 numbers being draw every hour. And so the first men are chosen through the new American selective service system. [sound effect] Dateline July 20, 1917 Headline: Naval Gunners, On Armed American Merchant Ship Battle With German Submarine. After Merchant Crew Takes to the Lifeboats Men Cheered and Congratulated by the U-Boat Sailors for Their Gallant Fight This is a first person account by the chief petty officer in charge of the armed guard aboard the US steamship Moreni: " We were attacked by a submarine at 4.05 a. m. on June 12, She was off the port quarter, about 9,000 yards away. She fired four or five shots before we located her. We swung around until our stern faced the submarine, and returned the fire at range of about 7,000 yards. "After a half-hour fight we were hit in the gasoline tank aft, and a fire started. It was reported to me that the ammunition aft was running low. Immediately I lined up the forward gun's crew - with the merchant crew to pass ammunition from forward to aft. About an hour later fire broke out all over the ship and It became impossible for the men to pass any more ammunition. I reached the bridge, being burned on the way there. About this time our steering gear was shot away and we started to go around in circles. "Coming down off the bridge, I saw the captain and the boat Swain ready to lower the lifeboat. The captain said to come and get In the lifeboat, as it was starting to burn. I asked him to wait. He said he would hold the boat as long as possible for me. I then noticed two of the gun's crew in the lifeboat. I ordered them to get out and come with me. We went forward and manned the forward gun, with which we fired four shots -- but then, the firing pin went out of commission. As we could fire no more and as the captain called that the life boat was burning, we got into the boat. Seeing us in the water the submarine called the boats alongside. They congratulated us, shook hands with the captain, and told us that it was the best fight they had ever seen any merchantman put up. The Germans treated two men who had been wounded and returned us to our boats. The commander of the submarine said he would have towed us toward the beach but for the fact that we had called for assistance. [Sound effect] Both these stories were in the Friday July 20th issue of the Official Bulletin - Volume 1 - Issue 60. The Official Bulletin is the US government war gazette published at the President’s order by George Creel, his propaganda chief. You can read each issue of the Official Bulletin yourself on our web site -- We re-publish each issue of the bulletin on the centennial anniversary of its original publication. This is an amazing resource for historians and history buffs, educators and students, social and media anthropologists, and folks like me who just happen to be deeply interested in the actual words published by the US government 100 years ago this week - in the war that changed the world. The URL is easy to remember - just go to ww1cc.org/bulletin or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/educate/history/official-bulletin.html [sound effect] Great War Project Now we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog. Eastern Europe is still a major aspect of this conflict with Russia disintegrating as an allied power - and with Balkans who started all this - Mike - we look forward to your post. [Mike Shuster] LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/07/16/allied-war-effort-foundering Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. The Great War Channel As we do every week, we want to tell you what is happening on the Great War Channel on Youtube - WW1 100 years ago this week, from a more european perspective. This week’s new episodes include: A new “OUT OF THE TRENCHES” where Indy Niedel the host addresses your feedback and comments. Operation Beach Party - Mustard Gas Unleashed Maria Bochkareva and the First Russian Women's Battalion of Death Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar [Sound Effect] Storyteller and the Historian We have talked about the espionage act and the government crackdown on dissent - a few times this month. We are going to give the last word on this to our intrepid duo - the storyteller and the historian! With us are author and storyteller Richard Rubin and historian Jonathan Bratten: [Audio S&H] That was - the StoryTeller - Richard Rubin and The Historian - Jonathan Bratten talking talking about the crack-down on dissent and the espionage act of 1917. The Storyteller and the Historian is now a full hour-long monthly podcast. Look for it on iTunes or follow the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://storytellerandhistorian.libsyn.com WW1 Centennial News NOW [Sound Transition] We have moved forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - News about the centennial and the commemoration. Commission News Over the past three weeks we been talking about President Trump’s visit to paris, as the guest of French President Macron --- to participate in their July 14th Bastille day ceremonies. This year included the traditional parade of French military might down the Champs Elysee, but with a slight twist: the inclusion of American troops and vehicles. Joining the thousands of French soldiers, 241 horses, 63 airplanes and 29 helicopters were 150 US soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines, including a doughboy clad color guard and American jet fly overs. The inclusion of American Armed Forces was to commemorate the arrival of US troops to France 100 years ago. As President Trump and President Macron stood in review, Macron remarked, "On this day of national celebration, we must not ever forget the price that we paid for winning our freedom and our rights. The price which we are prepared to pay to defend them... because it is “they” [our rights and freedom] which unite us and make France, France and make France what it is today. The United States is one of our friends. Nothing will separate us ever. The presence at my side of Donald Trump and his wife is a sign of our friendship that travels time. I want to thank them here, and thank the United States for the choices made over 100 years." You can access videos, photos and articles about the event by browsing our Social Media Wall at ww1cc.org/social Link: http://ww1cc.org/social Activities and Events [Sound Effect] From the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events - here is our upcoming “event pick” of the week: Topeka: The Extraordinary Adventures of Colonel Hughes This week we focus on Topeka Kansas! The Kansas Historical Society has an exhibit on view at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka which is open through May 2018. It is titled “The Extraordinary Adventures of Colonel Hughes” and features the story of one extraordinary Kansan soldier, James Clark Hughes. Hughes began his service as a member of the Kansas National Guard and was sent to the Texas border with the American Expeditionary Forces in 1916. He joined the U.S. Army where he served from 1917 to 1948 and fought in both world wars, spending a cumulative 41 months as a POW - a Prisoner of War. As a member of the U.S. Army he photographed battlefields and towns in Europe during World War I. These photographs are made public for the first time at the exhibit. During the second world war, Colonel Hughes was captured at Bataan and recorded his daily survival as a Japanese Prisoner of War. The exhibit displays his photographs, his diary excerpts, and many of his belongings from the wars which he donated to the Museum of History. Learn more about Colonel Hughes and preview this unique and special exhibit by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://ww1cc.org/events http://kshs.org/p/kansas-museum-of-history-world-war-i-exhibit/19093 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/21815/the-extraordinary-adventures-of-colonel-hughes-an-exhibit-at-the-kansas-museum-of-history.html Kevin Fitzpatrick - Governors Island WWI History Weekend For our next featured event and for a profile of a 100 Cities /100 Memorials project and just because he is such an interesting guy - we want to welcome our next guest - Kevin Fitzpatrick, author of “World War One New York: A Guide to the City’s Enduring Ties to the great war” and is the program director for the WWI Centennial Committee for New York City. Welcome Kevin! [Kevin - let’s start with Governors Island itself - give us the quick synopsis of what it is and what it was.] [Kevin - You have been an organizing force for a re-enactor event on the island - It’s sounding like quite an event for 2017 - what can you tell us about it?] [Kevin - I first met you in my capacity as the program manager for the 100 Cities / 100 memorials project - you submitted some memorials to program - how do they tie in?] Kevin - it is always a pleasure speaking with you… That was Kevin Fitzpatrick - citizen historian, ww1 centennial advocate, author, event organizer and man about manhattan. Mark you calendars for an extraordinary event taking place on Governors island - a short ferry hop off the tip of Manhattan - coming up this September 16 and 17. Follow the links in the podcast notes. link:https://govisland.com/events/wwi-history-weekend http://www.fitzpatrickauthor.com/about/ International Report New Zealand In our International Report this week, we’ll start by visiting an art project in New Zealand. This ties in directly with our story on the draft picks in Washington DC this week 100 years ago. The project is called “Luck of the Draw” and was commissioned by the New Zealand First World War Centenary programme office. The project reflects on the issue of conscription 100 years ago. The programme office asked several of New Zealand’s young emerging artists aged between 18 and 25 to respond to film footage of the first conscription ballot being drawn from a small, unassuming wooden box, which the Kiwis nicknamed the death box! The artifact is now housed at Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum. Turning to the arts and the young arts community --- for a take on WW1 commemoration strikes us as a really innovative commemoration concept - And it produced some amazing results including a dance, and audio piece, a video and animation, glitch art and more. Learn more and view some of these works by following links in the podcast notes. Links:https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/94714480/ww1-centenary-project-reveals-artists-feelings-about-the-box-that-gambled-with-kiwi-lives http://www.lotd.nz/artists http://ww100.govt.nz/ http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/Object/66765 London Turning our attention to London, this week two replica WW1 planes landed in England to participate in a national tour called “Vimy Flight, a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and Canada's 150th birthday”. The planes will be displayed at the Jet Aircraft Museum at London International Airport through Sunday. The planes, both Nieuport 11’s, are replicas of the fighter planes that helped Canada win the battle at Vimy Ridge 100 years ago. Only two of the thousands of original Nieuport 11’s still exist, and both reside in museums in France. The replicas, though made of metal and non-flammable materials and not wood, are perfect copies of the originals. Learn more about Vimy Flight and the planes’ tour-schedule by following the links in the podcast notes. Canada planes: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/first-world-war-fighter-planes-land-at-london-international-airport-1.4205337 http://www.vimyflight.ca/ Spotlight on the Media Interview with James Portnow from Extra Credits Today in our spotlight on the media section we are going to feature a Youtube channel called Extra Credits. With an interesting mix of content that is based on gaming and somehow folds in history, they recently crossed the 1 million subscriber mark! Joining us is James Portnow - lead writer and co-creator of extra credits, to talk about how they have managed to make history relevant and interesting to the Youtube generation. [James - first of all - congratulations on your million subscriber mark!] [Your youtube channel started… being about games and gaming - and it makes sense that your topical / and to me non-technical approach about gaming would build a following… but how did history sneak into the mix?] [So…. why do you think your viewers are responding to subjects that normally have a pretty bad rep?] [James - You’ve immersed yourself in the subject… Why do YOU think WW1 is relevant today?] Well.. as you publish new episodes on WW1 - be sure to let us know so we can mention them to this audience! Thank you for joining us today! That was James Portnow - co-creator and lead writer for the hit youtube channel Extra Credits. Learn more about James and Extra Credits by following the links in the podcast notes. link:https://www.patreon.com/ExtraCredits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-wSL4WqUws&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5DfJnFBZwz8xd37MA6I16oJ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2783-uploading-history-extra-credit-s-james-portnow.html [Sound Effect] Articles and Posts It is time for our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - New York National Guard reported for World War I duty 100 years ago This week in the news section is the article “New York National Guard reported for World War I duty 100 years ago” The article talks about how on July 12 1917, President Woodrow Wilson had ordered all 112,000 National Guard Soldiers across the country to report for duty as part of the build up of the National Army. New York's guardsmen, along with those in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska were all instructed to report on July 15 to their local armories and begin preparing to ship out. Read the story about the New York National Guard's great mobilization by visiting the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2787-ny-world-war-i-history-new-york-national-guard-reported-for-world-war-i-duty-100-years-ago.html WWrite Blog In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post ties into making history relevant to a digital native generation. The post title is “Journalist Tweets WWI to French Youth. Plus! Her Exclusive Twitter Feed from Bastille Day in Paris“ Stéphanie Trouillard is a young french journalist with a rapidly expanding following on her blog and Twitter feed - as she tries to give a fresh face to WWI using social media. This week on WWrite, France24's Stéphanie Trouillard tells us about her personal and professional passions driving her innovative historical writing project. And a special bonus! She's shared part of her Twitter feed from Bastille Day in Paris, where she covered President Trump meeting French President Emmanuel Macron. Don't miss this alternate up-close look at this historic day on our WWRITE blog at ww1cc.org/w-w-r-i-t-e or follow the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/2798-journalist-tweets-wwi-to-french-youth-plus-exclusive-twitter-feed-from-bastille-day-in-paris.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media 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? A Canadian and an American A photo from 100 years ago inspires comparisons. link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/809444809230819/?type=3&theater The Marines Arrive An informative FB post outlines the first few days in France for the 5th Marines link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/809507142557919/?type=3&theater Thank you Katherine. And we welcome your comments and discussion of this week’s episode on Facebook - the new podcast announcement will be at www.facebook.com/ww1centennial. Drop in and tell us what you think of this episode. Closing And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening! We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog and his post about Russia and the Balkans... Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten with their StoryTeller and the Historian segment on the US government crackdown on dissent in 1917 Kevin Fitzpatrick, author and tour guide speaking to us about Governors Island WW1 History Weekend James Portnow, lead writer and co-creator for youtube’s Extra Credits channel Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; 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 rely entirely on your donations. No government appropriations or taxes are being used. You can support these programs with a tax deductible donation 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 joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here with someone about the war that changed the world! So long. [music]
Highlights History: Pershing’s 4th of July 1917 |@ 01:30 History: Race riots in East St. Louis |@ 03:45 Feature: US Official Bulletin - Logistics |@ 06 :00 Guest: Joe Johnson, Logistics Expert: Defense Acquisition University |@ 10:30 Guest: Mike Shuster, Espionage Act attack on bill of rights |@ 15:50 News: President Donald Trump heading to Paris for WW1 Franco/US commemoration parade |@ 20:30 Event: Commissioner O’Connell “Feeding The Fight” with WWI culinary event in NYC |@ 22:00 Guest: Ellouise Schoettler “Ready to Serve” - one woman show about WWI Nurses |@ 23:15 States: Texas exhibit: “From Cowboy to Doughboy” & Jim Hodgson article |@ 29:15 International: London mail tunnels reopen as museum attraction |@ 30:10 Feature: 16-year-old teenage girl flies 100-year-old Jenny |@ 31:20 WWrite Blog: New post flips on convention with writer exploring redeeming qualities of combat violence!? |@ 34:00 And more….----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 News NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Today is July 5th, 2017 and I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host. Correction First, a quick correction from last week’s episode #26. In support of our article on Harley Davidson in World War 1, we posted a picture of a line of tough looking soldiers, goggles over their eyes, weapons places on thighs, and gas masks at the ready. It’s a great picture - BUT….. It turns out that this image was not actually - from WW1 but a bit later. So… we have replaced that image at ww1cc.org/cn with an equally interesting photo of a Harley - This time definitely from WW1 - and this bad boy is fully equipped with a machine gunner side-car. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [sound transition] We have moved back in time 100 years ago. It is the morning of July 4th 1917. At his residence in Paris, General John J. Pershing comes to his window as he hears the musical peals of the “Star Spangled Banner”. The music being played outside by the 4th mounted band of the French Republican Guard having arrived at the residence with a large crowd of people to honor the General and the members of the 2nd battalion, 16th infantry who had just arrived in Paris from Saint Nazaire the previous day. At a critical time during America’s Revolutionary War against Britain, the French had come to the aid of the United States, and today on the 4th of July, 1917, the French citizens of Paris are showing their gratitude and respect for the alliance renewed and the favor returned. Pershing, with soldiers from the 16th Infantry, begin a full day of events. This includes the descendants of French officers of the American Revolution who present their banners to Pershing. The symbol of Franco-American friendship is not lost on Pershing. He notes that Napoleon declared days of national mourning after the death of George Washington. Pershing will recall this event warmly in his memoire. Quote “No other occasion that I recall was more significant or more clearly indicated the depth of French sentiment and affection for their old ally.” Afterwards, the American and French battalions and a military band march to the Cemetiere de Picpus to visit the grave of the Marquis de Lafayette, a French hero of the American Revolution. On the route, hundreds of thousands throng the parade, giving particular attention to the marching American soldiers. French ladies push into the ranks walking arm in arm with the soldiers. Arriving at the cemetery, Pershing is coaxed into some brief remarks but soon turn it over to Lt. Colonel Charles Stanton who’s remarks include a line that will echo through history - “Lafayette, we are here!” This account of the 4th of July 1917 come from an article published by the American Battle Monuments Commission - the link to the article is in the podcast notes: https://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/july-4th-1917-paris-celebrating-united-states%E2%80%99-arrival-world-war-i [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: July 2nd, 1917 Headline: Race riots in East St. louis There is tension leading to violence in East St. Louis this day. The massive industrial expansion brought on by the war effort in the North and the Midwest, are drawing in new sources of labor including African Americans from the rural south. The newcomers are not universally welcomed by the white population. Certainly there are concerns about job security - but there is also the deep seated and pervasive racisms of the time. On July 2nd, 1917 the situation goes out of control! It begins as several white men in a car shoot into a crowd of black pedestrians and drive off. When an hour later a similar car comes back into the neighborhood, locals fire back and two plainclothes police detectives - inside the car - are killed. The situation escalates as white mobs descend on East St. Louis -- while the police look the other way. Over the next day, reports are that 150 black people are shot, beaten to death or lynched. Rioters torch large section of the neighborhood as over 7,000 people lose their homes. Finally on July 4th, the National Guard arrives in force and the riots are put to an end. People call on President Wilson to address the issue but he stays largely silent. Plans for a 10,000 man march in NY city are being made by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - the NAACP to protest the situation. [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: June 28th 1917 Headline: BAKER TO CENSOR ALL TROOP NEWS Today the New York Times reports that Secretary of War - Newton Baker is very very upset by the publication of dispatches from France telling of troop movements and Pershing’s men arriving. This puts him at direct odds with George Creel, President Wilson’s Propaganda chief and publisher of the Official Bulletin, the government’s daily war gazette. Clearly there is great tension between the desire to “sell the war” and the military needs for secrecy… a tension that is not going away anytime soon. Speaking of the Official Bulletin - This week - we picked another topic to emphasize through the week’s articles in the bulletin - this week we look at LOGISTICS [SOUND EFFECT] Dateline: Thursday July 5, 1917 Headline: HUGE FIGURES SHOWING THE SCALE OF ARMY OPERATIONS AT PRESENT TIME ARE GIVEN Here are some illustrative figures showing the scale of Army operations: Purchases have been authorized as follows : Over five million blankets. Thirty-seven million yards of bobbinette. Two million cots. Forty-five million five hundred thousand yards cotton cloth, olive drab. Twenty-one million three hundred thousand yards unbleached cloth. Six million pairs of shoes. Eleven million one hundred and ninety one thousand pairs light woolen socks. Compared to 1915 In the year 1915, for sustenance for the army personnel $9,800,000; this year, $133,000,000. In the year 1915, $10,000,000 for regular supplies ; this year, almost $110,000,000. In 1915, $13,000,000 for transportation ; this year, almost $222,000,000. “The list goes on… but the scale of change in acquisition and therefore the need to organize that - logistics - is impressive. In terms of construction - three quick stories this week alone [SOUND EFFECT] Headline: SIXTEEN TENTED CITIES WILL BE BUILT FOR THE GUARDSMEN The story reads: The War Department authorizes the following : Construction has begun on 16 wooden cities for our new National Army, but this is only half of the military cities which will soon be ready for our soldiers. Steps are now being taken to build 16 cities of tents to receive the National Guardsmen who will be called to the colors soon. It will not take so long to make them ready for the troops, and for this reason - the work on them has been held back until the wooden cities were planned and put under contract. [SOUND EFFECT] Headline: PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR EACH OF 32 ARMY CANTONMENTS The American Library Association has been asked by the War Department's Commission on Training Camp Activities to furnish public library facilities to the 32 cantonments and National Guard training camps to be opened by the War Department about September 1, and the association has undertaken to render the desired service. [SOUND EFFECT] Headline: PAYMENTS TO CONTRACTORS FOR ARMY CANTONMENTS EXPLAINED The story reads: Col. I. W. Littell, Quartermaster Corps, who is in charge of cantonment construction, in a letter sent to the General Munitions Board in reply to reported delays between the forwarding of invoices for materials shipped on Government order and the date of payment therefor, states : " It is the intention of the cantonment division to pay contractors for the National Army cantonments daily, covering material inspected and accepted and to which the United States takes title; weekly, for the purpose of their payrolls ; and monthly, on the 9th of the month, for all other bills not settled for in the daily payments. [Sound Effect] Headline: SUFFICIENT SUPPLIES FOR NATIONAL GUARD AND NATIONAL ARMY IN GOOD TIME ASSURED In The Last Three Months, More Troops Have Been Outfitted Than During Entire Spanish-American War - U. S. Soldiers in France Have Six Months' Supplies With Them. “The article explains that Secretary Baker went ahead and put in the orders for these massive supplies before there was actually the money to do so - and - the article states “It saved the day! The adjournment of Congress March 4, without passing, the urgent, deficiency bill, left the War Department without money to pay for the supplies for future needs, but the orders were placed and a great saving of time was effected. All this speaks to a level of coordination and process that is unprecedented.. This is called logistics. Guest Joe Johnson, Chief of Staff at the Defense Acquisition University And with us today is an expert on the subject - Joe Johnson, is the Chief of Staff at the Defense Acquisition University. Welcome Joe! [Joe - Let me start by asking about the Defense Acquisition University? What is it?] [Joe: The scale of the war effort ramp up is incredible and actually probably hard for us to fathom today. Was there any precedent to this? ] [Joe: The subject here - logistics - is as big as the war effort - and there really are two giant heads on this hydra - here and Europe - so just for today - I want to focus here in the US. How did this logistics capability change our nation - then - and into the following century - to today?] [what encompasses logistics - for most it’s only a word - but it’s much more than that, isn’t it?] Joe, if we can I would like to have you back over the coming weeks - though this is not the “flag, glory and fight” part of what happened 100 years ago - this really is a major aspect to the war that changed the world - and our country That was Joe Johnson, the Chief of Staff at the Defense Acquisition University - Joe does a full length presentation on logistics - If you woudl like to contact joe, send us a note here at ww1cn@worldwar1centennial.org and we will get you in touch. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/contact.html [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Our next guest is Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog. This week Mike is going to give us some in-depth on a subject we opened a few episodes ago - The 1917 Espionage act. It and the following year’s Sedition Act are probably the most draconian assaults on the bill of rights in our nation’s history. Welcome Mike. LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/07/02/rebel-now-boys/ [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. [SOUND EFFECT] The Great War Channel To watch WW1 videos on what was happening 100 years ago this week, go visit our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube. This week’s new episodes cover a variety of subjects including: A hardware piece on the Armoured trains of WW1 A fascinating story about Russia’s new offensive - The Russian Women’s Battalion of Death AND --- Fighting without a country - the Czechoslovak Legions of WW1 The link is in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW [SOUND EFFECT] We have moved forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - News about the centennial and the commemoration. News The biggest news for the centennial and the commemoration was announced late last week. From Bloomberg the headline reads: President Trump to attend Bastille Day Parade in Paris honoring WWI U.S. soldiers who arrived in France 100 years ago U.S. President Donald Trump has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to attend France’s Bastille day celebrations as the two men put aside differences to pay tribute to the U.S. soldiers who fought in France 100 years ago. Trump will attend the traditional July 14 military parade where American troops will march alongside French soldiers to commemorate the centenary of the U.S. entry into World War I, - the offices of both leaders said. This is a pretty exciting acknowledgement of the centennial by the white house and we will continue to cover the story both here and hopefully with a live stream of the event on July 14th. We are working on it - Stay tuned! Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-28/trump-accepts-macron-invitation-s-to-attend-bastille-day-parade Activities and Events [Sound Effect] From the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events - here is our upcoming “event pick” of the week: Feeding the Fight On July 18th at the Museum of the City of New York - in Manhattan, WW1 Centennial Commissioner Libby O’Connell will delve into American cuisine both at home and abroad during war years. Among her many skills, Dr. O’Connell is also a food historian and author of The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites. The event, inspired by the museum’s exhibition, Posters & Patriotism: Selling World War I in New York, will feature both well known and lesser known foodstuffs for attendees to sample. French 75s, a cocktail popular during the period named for the French 75 mm field gun, will be served courtesy of the new wine cocktail company Pampelonne. Additionally, attendees will receive a copy of an original cake recipe promoted by the Red Cross to send to soldiers overseas. Read more about the event by following the link in the podcast notes, Also look for events happening in your area by searching on our U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register - where you can submit your own upcoming WW1 events by clicking on the big read button - it is all at ww1cc.org/events all lower case - or follow the links in the podcast notes. link:http://www.mcny.org/event/feeding-fight-culinary-history-wwi http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/41704/feeding-the-fight-the-culinary-history-of-wwi.html http://ww1cc.org/events [sound effect] Capital Fringe Performance “ready to serve”: Interview with Ellouise Schoettler Another event we want to let you know about is a one woman show happening as a part of July’s Capital Fringe Festival in Washington DC - called “Ready to Serve”. It is about WW1 nurses. Here with us today is Ellouise Schoettler, spoken word artist, to talk to us about her upcoming performance. Ellouise, thank you for joining us today! [Ellouise - I understand you’ve put two years of work into researching and writing this show, can you tell us about it? [ What was it about the Nurses’ experience during the war that first drew you to the subject?] [Ellouise - What do you do to engage modern day audiences, who may not be familiar with WW1 at all, with stories of individuals from 100 years ago? link:http://ellouiseschoettler.com/ Showtimes at festival: http://wwonenurses.weebly.com/ Updates From The States [sound effect] Now for our updates from the states. Texas From the North Texas World War 1 Centennial Commission -- a new exhibit opens July 9th at the Fort Worth Central Library. The exhibit “From cowboy to doughboy” looks at the impact of WW1 on Texas and Texan life and on the state as the whole. We put a link in the podcast notes to an article written by Jim Hodgson, executive director of the Fort Worth Aviation Museum about life in Texas during the war. Our friends from the North Texas World War 1 Centennial Commission are also has a number of other events, including film screenings like Wings, The Big Parade and All Quiet on the Western Front and lectures about training camps, the Native American and African American experience of the war and much more. Learn more by following the links in the podcast notes. link:http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/news/briefs/from-cowboy-to-doughboy-north-texas-in-wwi-mobilization-for/article_6f4878b2-5e8f-11e7-b54f-53369c294440.html https://www.northtexasworldwar1centennial.org/events/ International Report Tunnels in london In our International Report this week, we’re going to the London Underground, but not to the train tracks you might first think of. Under London’s streets runs 6.5 miles of train tunnels built solely to help the city transport mail. In the years leading up to WW1, the streets of London became clogged with horse and buggies and, increasingly, the speedy automobile. It became difficult and nearly impossible to successfully deliver mail and parcels above ground, so the Postal service circumvented the congestion altogether. In 1914, construction began and the mail moved from the surface to the tunnels. The tunnels also served a special Wartime purpose during WW1, safeguarding art treasures belonging to the National Portrait Gallery and the Tate Gallery, including the Rosetta Stone. In WW2, the tunnels were put back into the war effort as dormitories for troops, and…. flooding a few times during the blitz. London shut the whole thing down well over a decade ago - but it is now re-opening as a postal museum and attraction - where visitors can see replica locomotives, engineer tools, the bag exchange system and more. Learn about the history of this unique mail system and a new place to visit in London by following the link in the podcast notes. Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/22/secret-tunnels-were-hidden-beneath-london-since-wwi-soon-you-can-visit-them Spotlight in the Media High Flying Teen is Awesome For our Spotlight in the Media segment - we spotted an article from the Air Museum Network. The headline of the article reads: “Pennsylvania Teen Makes Solo Flight in 100-Year-Old Curtiss Jenny” Meet Caroline Dougherty, a young lady who turned 16 earlier this year. While many soon-to-be 16 year olds are dreaming of a sweet sixteen party, Caroline had her head firmly in the clouds with dreams of flying her father’s pride and joy, his 100-year-old Curtiss JN-4D “ the flying Jenny”. And she GOT to fly the Curtiss - at a Flying Circus Airshow, impressing all spectators including her visibly proud papa. Paul Daugherty, Caroline’s father, is a bit of an aviation enthusiast, and runs an outfit called Dougherty Airshows with planes he restores. Caroline grew up in the world of aviation and history, with dad serving as the announcer for their family airshows. If her impressive solo-flight is any indication, this high flying lass will continue to be an important part of the US air show circuit for years to come. Read more about her flight in the Curtiss by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://airmuseumnetwork.com/pennsylvania-teen-makes-solo-flight-100-year-old-curtiss-jenny/ http://www.doughertyairshows.com/ Articles and Posts The Bridge arrives in NYC It is time for our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - This week in the news section you will find an article following up on last week’s “Bridge Race” commemorating the arrival of US Troops in France. The Queen Mary II -- the Cunard Cruise Line’s flagship ocean liner -- made port Saturday morning at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, after taking part in The Bridge 2017 -- a trans-Atlantic trip, themed to commemorate the 100th year of World War I, and 100 years of friendship between France and the United States. You’ll find the article and beautiful images of the Queen in NY harbor on her arrival in an article posted at ww1cc.org/news all lower case. The Cunard’s historical connection to WW1 reaches back to May 7th, 1915 when one of their ships - the Lusitania - was sunk by the Germany - beginning the shift of US sentiment against war neutrality in WW1. The US WW1 Commission co-sponsored an event at NY harbor on the centennial of the sinking - you can a link to that story and the video of that commemorative ceremony in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2704-the-bridge-has-arrived-in-new-york-city.html Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/650-lusitania-commemoration-events-in-nyc-and-dc.html WWrite Blog In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: “Ernst Jünger: The Modern War Story“ This week, in an interesting flip on convention, the WWrite post steps out of the current narrative in war literature to explore our culture's allure not to peace, but to violence. Rather than glorifying war, recent memoirs and books have concentrated on its debilitating and destructive effect on the returning soldier. In this post, award-winning veteran writer Elliot Ackerman gives us his take on Ernst Jünger's seminal war memoir, Storm of Steel, and the ways in which it assigns a redeeming quality to combat violence. Don't miss this most interesting post. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/2674-the-modern-war-story-by-elliot-ackerman.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts 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? The Star Spangled Banner and WW1 How did the Star Spangled Banner become a National Anthem -- and an integral part of sporting events? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/ct-wrigley-field-national-anthem-20170703-story.html Polish Americans Signing up Polish Americans volunteer in incredible volumes. https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/800320173476616/?type=3&theater Thank you Katherine. Closing And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening! We want to thank our guests: Joe Johnson, Chief of Staff at the Defense Acquisition University talking to us about LOGISTICS Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog and his post about the 1917 Espionage act Ellouise Schoettler, spoken word artist and her one woman show: “Ready to Serve” about WW1 nurses Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. And I am Theo Mayer - your host. Appeal As you know, we are totally supported by donations, and we want to thank the many of you who contributed during the runup and over the 4th of July holiday. It was, in fact, the most successful donor period we have had to date. Thank you for your great support. We also want to thank the Pritzker Military Museum and Library our founding sponsor! Visit their WW1 website at www.pritzkermilitary/ww1. There is also a link in the podcast notes LINK:www.pritzkermilitary/ww1 Wrapup The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn on iTunes, google play, and tuneIn - search for ww1 Centennial News. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thanks for joining us again this week. So long. [music]
Highlights: Introduction: Espionage and Sedition Acts | @00:45 Guest: Mike Shuster “Where Are The Americans?” | @02:15 Feature: Going big on the air war | @06:45 War In the Sky: the “Flying Circus” | @10:15 Feature: The StoryTeller & The Historian - Americans arrive | @12:45 Commission: Memorial restoration matching grant deadline extension | @18:45 Guest: Courtland Jindra - Victory Memorial Grove project profile | @19:50 Q? Who said: “Lafayette We Are Here!” | @27:00 Feature: National History Day prize winners | @28:40 Media: Cylinder recording archive | @32:30 Media: Wonder Woman - Again? | @34:30 Honors: Capt. James Miller - Distinguished flying cross 99 years after | @35:45 Q? What is the Ghost Fleet? | @36:30 Social Media: The 11 soldier sons of Ike Sims3 | @39:30 And much more…----more---- Opening Welcome to World War One Centennial News. It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Today is June 21st, 2017 and I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [sound transition] We have gone back in time 100 years and in mid June 1917 one of the key events here in the United States is the passing of the “Espionage Act”. The law makes it a crime for any person to convey information intended to interfere with the U.S. armed forces’ prosecution of the war effort. The convicted spy is subject to a fine of $10,000 - that is the equivalent of 200,000 in 2017 dollars, plus a prison sentence of up to 20 years. And within a year, the pendulum swings ever further into autocracy as the espionage act is reinforced by the Sedition act of 1918. It imposed similarly harsh penalties on anyone found guilty of insulting or abusing the U.S. government, the flag, the Constitution or the military; agitating against the production of necessary war materials; or advocating, teaching or just defending any of these acts. Both pieces of legislation are aimed at socialists, pacifists and other anti-war activists and are used to punishing effect in the early years and those immediately following the war - It is a chilling attack on the first amendment - that seems incredibly strong and even excessive in today’s terms. We will be following this story and it’s consequences over the coming months. links about the Espionage act are in the podcast notes: link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-congress-passes-espionage-act http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/espionageact.htm http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/161878079908/espionage-act-passed-emma-goldman-arrested Great War Project Looking over at Europe - we have a running theme for this week, 100 years ago… A theme that is very well set up by our first guest this week We are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog. Mike - “Where ARE the Americans?” LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/06/18/where-are-the-americans/ [Mike Shuster] Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. Let’s continue to explore the question of America’s preparations to enter the fray with some articles selected from the “Official Bulletin”, the government war gazette published by George Creel, America’s propaganda chief, under the orders of President Wilson. We are pulling from Volume 1 - Issues 33-38 We’ll begin with follow up on last week’s Liberty Loan bond stories. By Saturday of this week, the tally is in. [sound effect] Dateline Saturday June 23 Headline: “$3,035,226,850 IS SUBSCRIBED TO LIBERTY LOAN BY MORE THAN 4,000,000 MEN AND WOMEN OF U. S.; Success of this Undertaking, Says Secretary McAdoo, Constitutes An Eloquent Reply to Enemies Who Claimed Heart of America Was Not in the War!” That’s probably quite true - In the propaganda war - the fact that the liberty bond program raises 50% more than was offered is sure to be un-nerving to the Germans whose intelligence tells them that America is not enthusiastic or prepared to enter the war. With the ramp up funding for America’s war effort off and running, the government is stimulated into bold thinking. [sound effect] Dateline Monday June 18, 1917 Headline: GREAT U. S. AIR FLEET URGED BY SECRETARY BAKER; MAY TURN TIDE OF WAR FOR HER ALLIES Secretary of War Baker states: "We can train thousands of aviators and build thousands of machines without interfering in the slightest with the plans for building up our armies and for supplying the allies with food and munitions. To train and equip our armies and send them abroad will take time, however, and in the meanwhile we can be devoted to this most important service with vast quantities of productive machinery and skilled labor. [sound effect] Dateline: Friday June 22, 1917 Headline: U.S. AIRCRAFT BOARD PLANS TO CLEAR AIR OF GERMAN FLYERS In this story - Howard Coffin, the chairman of the aircraft production board comments on a report that Germany plans to bring 3,500 airplanes into the fighting line in the spring of 1918 Coffin believes that the report is probably accurate - going on to state that 3,500 planes next spring might well prove discouraging to the allies. The French and British alone MIGHT (maybe) hold their own against Germany's output. Coffins goes on to state: “Pitted against America's added resources, properly organized, the situation immediately changes. No matter what desperate efforts she makes, it will be a physical Impossibility for Germany to increase her present rate of output to any dangerous extent. If we can carry through our program to produce the thousands of machines planned, the permanent supremacy of the allies in the air is assured. [sound effect] Dateline: Friday June 22, 1917 Headline: CONTRACT FOR NEW FLYING FIELD IN ILLINOIS AWARDED The story reads: The Signal Corps to-day announced the letting of the contract for the fourth new Government flying fields, to be built at Belleville, IL., 23 miles from East St. Louis. It will be a standard, two-squadron field, accommodating 300 student fliers, with the requisite number of officers, instructors, mechanics, and enlisted men, and providing hangers for 72 training planes. Construction of the buildings and the preparation of the field will begin immediately. That’s just focusing on a small slice of the effort - airplanes We did not even touch on the 16 major army training camps or “cantonements” also being built - as one article explains: “It is like building a city with a population of 40,000 from the ground up in weeks.” Meanwhile there is the production of trucks, food, munitions, draft animals, lumber, clothing, shipping and internal infrastructure - this is creating a challenge and an economic boom unlike anything the country has experienced. If you are interested in logistics - defined as the detailed coordination of a complex operation involving many people, facilities, or supplies… you can follow one of history’s greatest logistics efforts by browsing the daily issues of the Official Bulletin at ww1cc.org/bulletin - explore, exploit, and be amazed as you see how the US geared up to enter the war that changed the world. Link: ww1cc.org/bulletin War in the Sky: For our Great War In the Sky segment… We are going back to the fighting front. This week 100 years ago, introduces - [aside] actually “formalizes” - a new German air strategy. Earlier in 1917, it becomes apparent to the German High Command that they will always be outnumbered in air operations over the Western Front. The average Jagdstaffeln or German fighter squadron - could only muster some six or eight aircraft in total for a patrol, and would often face one Allied formation - after another. In order to maintain some impact and “local” command of the air the german fighter wings began - unofficially at first - to fly in larger, composite groups. a new concept in German air strategy. This week, 100 years ago the Germany’s Army Air Force brings together four fighter squadrons – Jastas 4, 6, 10, and 11 – to form Germany's Jagd-geschwader eins or better known as JD1 - their first fighter wing. Manfred von Richthofen - the Red Baron - is promoted from commanding officer of Jasta 11 to the commander of JD1. This unit becomes known as the "Flying Circus," thanks to the colorful paint schemes on its aircraft - It’s also often called “Richhoven’s Circus” and some claim it is so named because the entire wing moves from place to place for its operations like a traveling circus. We put a link in the podcast notes that leads to pictures of this colorful german flying force that came together 100 years ago this week in the great war in the sky. If you are into the air war - we invite you to explore former fighter pilor and author RG head’s detailed timeline of “the war in the sky” by visiting ww1cc.org/warinthesky all lower case. link:http://www.theaerodrome.com/services/germany/jg/jg1.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdgeschwader_1_(World_War_I) Flying Circus Images: https://www.google.com/search?q=richthofen%27s+flying+circus&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfp-zy6M3UAhUN9WMKHURhC2UQ_AUICigB&biw=1680&bih=926 The Great War Channel And if you are into learning more about WW1 by watching videos, go visit our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube. This week’s new episodes cover a variety of subjects including: -Italian Mountain Warfare - The US espionage Act -Ottoman Soldiers in Europe - Naval Tactics - Officer POWs The link is in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar The Storyteller and the Historian We are going to close out “WW1 - 100 years ago this week” with the Storyteller and the Historian - Richard Rubin and Jonathan Braten are going to wrap up that question for us. So where are the Americans?? [run opening] [run segment] That was - the StoryTeller - Richard Rubin and The Historian - Jonathan Bratten talking about the arrival of the first US troops in Europe. Link: richardrubinonline.com ww1cc.org/maine World War One NOW WW1 Centennial News NOW - News about the centennial and the commemoration. Commission News We’ll start with some news from the WW1 Centennial Commission and the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program. This initiative is a $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue ailing WW1 memorials and the deadline for grant applications was last week. We received a number of requests from potential participants for a short extension because some projects just needed a few more days to pull all the pieces together - The projects can involve many parties including city and county bureaus, American Legion posts, VFW posts, DAR chapters, local historical societies and boards and more. So in a meeting of the program’s executive committee, we decided to extends the submission deadline until midnight - July 10. Also - that means that anyone who already submitted their application can update any of the files submitted - by simply contacting the program management and requesting that their submission be made editable. All that is available at ww1cc.org/100memorials. 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project profile We have a guest with us today who knows all about how these projects come together. Courtland Jindra has been working on a 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Los Angeles - the Victory Memorial Grove project, near Dodger Stadium. Welcome Courtland! Courtland - really briefly - can you give us an overview of the project? [courtland reply] A few weeks ago, you had a cleanup event where you brought a bunch of the stakeholders together for some hands-on time - tell us about that. [courtland reply] You held a re-dedication ceremony on Flag day didn’t you? [courtland reply] That was Courtland Jindra - a citizen historian, a long time WW1 commemoration advocate and importantly - the co-director of the managing board for the California WW1 Centennial Commission. Learn all about the program and sign up for the project blog to stay updated on news and events for the 100 cities . 100 memorials project at ww1cc.org/100memorials or by following the links in the podcast notes. link:http://www.ww1cc.org/california http://www.ww1cc.org/100cities Activities and Events From the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events - here is our upcoming “event pick” of the week: “Families on the WW1 Homefront” is a tour offered at the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site in Little Falls, Minnesota - every other Saturday beginning July 1st and ending Sept 2nd. Historical reenactors portraying the Lindbergh family and neighbors create the tour, providing insights into the daily lives of Minnesotans at home during WW1. Visitors will hear inside stories about farming for the war effort, assist a Red Cross volunteer and learn about the ways Minnesotan life changed during this period. Check out U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register for things happening in your area, and while you are there, you’ll find a big red button there so you can submit your own upcoming events - making them part of the national archival record of the WW1 centennial - go to ww1cc.org/events or follow the links in the podcast notes. link:http://www.mnhs.org/event/2399 ww1cc.org/events Lafayette, we are here: And if you happen to be in Paris this coming week - we invite you to join The American Battle Monuments Commission at the Cimetière de Picpus for a ceremony in memory of General John J. Pershing's visit to the grave site of the Marquis de Lafayette. The visit was profound 100 years ago - as it honored the deep ties between the two nations. Lafayette, you may remember, was a key connection with France during the revolutionary war against the British. As Pershing came to the resting place of the french general - It is said that he announced. “Lafayette - We are here!”. Turns out that that’s not actually true. - On the occasion Pershing only made some brief remarks - It was the general’s “designated orator,” Colonel C. E. Stanton. Quote: “What we have of blood and treasure are yours,” Stanton intoned. “In the presence of the illustrious dead, we pledge our hearts and our honor in carrying the war to a successful conclusion.” And then the final line of his speech: “Lafayette, we are here!” This from the pages of “Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing by Frank E. Vandiver. Back to the event - Representatives of the ABMC, the French government and American government will lay a wreath at Lafayette's grave, in recognition of both Pershing's visit in 1917 and the Marquis's own work in cementing the relationship between the two nations from the -seventeen seventies - to his death in 1834. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/5033/100th-anniversary-of-pershing-s-visit-to-lafayette-s-grave.html Education National History Day WW1 Award Winners A few week ago we were joined by Dr. Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day introducing us to their amazing organization and upcoming national event. For our education section - we are pleased to report that Caleb O’Mara, Janelyn Geronimo, Julianne Viernes, and Melissa Takahashi won The World War I History Prizes at the national finals of National History Day. WW1 Centennial Commissioner Dr. Libby O’Connell was on hand in to congratulate these wonderful kids and give them the special award we sponsored. Caleb, a senior student at Keene High School in Keene New Hampshire, was awarded this prize for his paper titled "Eugene Debs and the Fight for Free Speech" - This ties directly into our story today about the first amendment oppression that came with the espionage and Sedition acts. Debs spent 10 years in prison for his opposition to the war - and Caleb’s paper explores the issue. Janelyn Geronimo, Julianne Viernes, and Melissa Takahashi are Middle-Schoolers at Waipahu Intermediate School, on Oahu, in Hawaii. They created a Junior Group Exhibit called "Dada: A Major Modern Art Movement" which won them this award. The beginnings of Dada correspond to the outbreak of World War I. Art is often political and for the Dadaists the birth of the movement was a protest against imperialist, nationalist and colonialist interests, which many Dadaists believed was the root cause of the war. These special World War I History awards are sponsored by The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, and were given in recognition of excellence in the study of World War I and its impact, nationally, internationally and of course as these kids pointed out - socially. We’d like to congratulate these students for their outstanding work, and we thank National History Day for all they do - to bring the study of history to life for our kids! Your are awesome. link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/posts/791000247741942:0 http://nhd.org/winners Updates From The States Battleship Texas Leaks Now for our updates from the states. From Texas - we have an update on last week’s story about flooding aboard the USS Texas. The battleship USS Texas, ONE - of only two - US Navy combat ships remaining intact from World War I, had a scare last week. Leaks forced closure of the museum ship - as she began to sink and list - Emergency repairs and fast action stopped the flooding. She is watertight once more, and the 103 year-old ship is again welcoming visitors aboard. Learn more by following the links in the podcast notes. link: http://www.khou.com/news/local/battleship-texas-to-reopen-saturday-following-more-leak-repairs/449619659 https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/texas/articles/2017-06-16/battleship-texas-leaks-fixed-retired-ship-reopens-saturday International Report Guildhall exhibition This week in our International Report, we want to tell you about an exhibit that approaches WW1 in a wholly unique way. On view at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London is, “Echoes Across the Century”. The show was created by artist and set designer Jane Churchill. Her influence can be seen in the huge wooden structure that weaves its way between the rooms, creating a trench system which houses the artwork made by local artists and over 240 students. The show focuses on the human impact of the First World War by combining personal stories from the war with the interpretations of modern day children. It’s totally immersive, totally unique and very powerful. The “sky” of the installation is full of planes, and cases of paper moths line the walls, acting as a memorial to those who died at the Front. Apothecaries’ cabinets, tobacco tins and cooks’ matchboxes contain war torn landscapes in miniature, and collaborative collages depict scenes from the trenches. See the wonderful images from the exhibit and learn more about it by following the links in the podcast notes. Link:http://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/trench-forms-centrepiece-of-behind-the-scenes-ww1-exhibition/ https://www.warhistoryonline.com/press-releases/new-ww1-exhibition-guildhall-art-gallery-celebrates-human-stories-behind-war-effort.html https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2017/06/01/extraordinary-ww1-exhibition-at-the-guildhall-art-gallery/ Spotlight in the Media An Archive of 10,000 Cylinder Recordings Readied for the Spotify Era! The University of California, Santa Barbara recently launched a new website for its Cylinder Audio Archive that features over 10,000 cylinder recordings — all available to download or to stream online for free. Before MP3s, before CDs, before cassettes and even before vinyl records …When Thomas Edison first invented the ability to record and play back sound, it was on cylinders. First made of tinfoil, then wax and plastic, cylinder recordings, commonly the size and shape of a soda can, were the first commercially produced sound recordings in the decades around the turn of the 20th century.” UCSB has digitized a wonderful collection of these - giving us a real insight into what people heard as they listened to the very influential songs and popular music during WW1. We’ve included a link in the podcast notes that leads you directly to that collection so you can take a listen for yourself. More than 2,000 cylinders still await digitization. UCSB has launched the “Adopt a Cylinder” program, which allows you to make donations toward cylinders - that will then be prioritized for digitization. Learn more by following the link in the podcast notes. I personally own a Edison Cylinder player and have a couple of boxes of cylinders - Now I know what to do with them. Hoorray for the University of California Santa Barbara! Thank you! Link: UCSB - http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/wwi.php https://hyperallergic.com/249190/an-archive-of-10000-cylinder-recordings-readied-for-the-spotify-era/ http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/adopt.php Wonder Woman and Chemical Warfare Also This week in Popular Mechanics - we saw a great discussion of the history of gas and its use in WW1 - The headline reads - The Real Story of the World War I Poison Gas in 'Wonder Woman' The article looks at the use of gas in the new Wonder Woman movie and then compares the film depiction to the actual historical use of the weapon. It’s a great discussion of “truth in filmmaking”, of the role of entertainment in education and of Wonder Woman in general. That aside - What caught our attention was that WW1 is being discussed in Popular Mechanics, that Wonder Woman, much like the video game Battlefield 1, is inspiring conversation about WW1 among and between people who previously had forgotten the war - because after all - it IS the war the changed the world!!. Read the article by visiting Popular Mechanics at the link provided in the podcast notes, but beware of spoilers if you have not seen the movie! link:http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/a26769/world-war-i-poison-gas-wonder-woman/ http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2606-the-real-story-of-wwi-poison-gas-in-wonder-woman.html Articles and Posts Capt. Miller In our Articles and Posts where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - This week in the ww1cc.org/news section is the story of Capt James E Miller, one of the first aviators in the U.S. military and the first U.S. aviation casualty in World War I. Captain Miller was named recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross recently, more than 99 years after his heroic actions over France in 1918. On the 242nd birthday of the U.S. Army, which was June 14th, Miller's great-grandson, Byron Derringer was presented with the Captain’s Distinguished Flying Cross. You can read more about his service during the war by following the link in the podcast notes or by visiting ww1cc.org/news Link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2619-first-fallen-aviator-of-world-war-i-honored-with-distinguished-flying-cross.html ww1cc.org/news Ghost fleet Forty miles south of Washington, DC, off of Maryland’s Charles County shoreline - near a little town named Nanjemoy, the water-beaten remains of more than two hundred ships lie in their final resting places in the shallow waters of the Potomac River’s Mallows Bay. According to Samuel Orlando, Chesapeake Bay Regional Coordinator at NOA “Mallows Bay is the richest marine heritage site in the United States,”. “In addition to being reflective of America’s emergence as a naval superpower during World War I, the Ghost Fleet provides the structure for a unique marine ecosystem.” Read about how the industrial complex and economy that grew out of World War I led to the fleet’s demise by visiting ww1cc.org/news. I never knew about this site - but having seen the picture - it’s on my list of places to go see on the east coast. It looks amazing. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2610-the-history-of-the-ghost-fleet-of-mallows-bay.html WWrite Blog In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: "Echoes of Sassoon: A Conversation with Matti Friedman". The post is written by Brian Castner, co-editor of The Road Ahead - author of - All the Ways We Kill and Die - and the book - The Long Walk. Castner also wrote the foreword for David Chrisinger's book, See Me for Who I Am… Which we featured last week…. In this post, Castner interviews award-winning author and journalist, Matti Friedman, who is both Israeli and Canadian. He wrote and they discuss his memoir, Pumpkinflowers. As Friedman and Castner point out, more Canadian soldiers died in the Great War than in any other conflict, and its influence can be felt throughout Pumpkinflowers. This puts Friedman at odds with many contemporary American veteran-authors, who often reach to other conflicts for comparison when writing about their wars. —Vietnam for Iraq, and Korea for Afghanistan, Don't miss this fascinating post about how and why WWI would color a Canadian’s view of a very different war in Middle East at ww1cc.org/w-w-r-i-t-e and if WW1’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship is of particular interest to you - sign up for the blog at the same link. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/2615-echoes-of-sassoon-a-conversation-with-matti-friedman.html ww1cc.org/wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/articles-posts.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts 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? First to Fight: The 5th Marine Regiment sets sail An image shows the Marines as they set sail for France link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/790571404451493/?type=3&theater Ike Sims A photo from our Instagram feed proves popular Link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/792836804224953/?type=3&theater Closing And That’s WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening! We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog on his post “where are the Americans!?” Richard Rubin, Author, Storyteller and self-proclaimed bon-vivan and Jonathan Bratten, Historian and their StoryTeller and the Historian segment on the US troops arriving in France Courtland Jindra, co-director of the managing board of the California WW1 Centennial Commission and project lead on the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials restoration at Victory Memorial Grove in LA. Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This show is a part of that effort! 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 rely entirely on your donations. No government appropriations or taxes are being used, so please give what you can by going to ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case Or if you are listening to the show on your smart phone you can text us a donation - just text the letters: WW1 to the number 41444. 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, google play, and tuneIn - search for ww1 Centennial News. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share what you are learning here about “The War that Changed the World”. So long. [music]
Highlights 100 Year Ago: Flag Day 1917 like no other |@ 00:45 100 Year Ago: First Liberty Bond drive big success |@ 02:30 Guest: Mike Shuster - Pershing Arrives in Europe |@ 09:15 Guests: Eileen Dumont & Paul Callens on Ralph Talbot |@ 13:00 Feature: The Storyteller and The Historian: on the selective service |@ 19:00 PTSD Month: Charles Whittlesey’s Suicide |@ 26:45 Education: Edu-Newsletter “Animals at War” comes out |@ 28:30 Feature: The Violin of Private Howard |@ 32:15 Media: Wonder Woman - Three theories on why it’s set in WW1 |@ 34:00 Instagram: Pershing Pic hit on social media |@ 39:00 And much more…. ----more---- Opening Welcome to World War One Centennial News. It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Today is June 14th, 2017 and I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week We have gone back in time 100 years and on June 14, 1917 - it’s FLAG Day. And it is a flag day, like no other in history. The Washington Herald writes: “Never has there been such a Flag Day fete before, and it may be centuries before it occurs again, but the deed was accomplished, despite the setting. The President has spoken.” Though America had declared war on Germany, the real enemy on this Flag Day seems to be the weather. Storm gale winds and heavy rain threatens what is supposed to be a major event in the nation’s capital planned with a 600 voice choir, a huge audience including government employees, who have a ½ day off so they can join the festivities - All to frame a rousing speech by President Woodrow Wilson about the war. The herald article captures the moment with: “Nature Allied with the German Autocracy yesterday in a futile effort to block the delivery of the most sensational war statement to the American People ever heard from the lips of a President!” Streets flooded, flags were ripped out of their holders and one man died in the gale while President Wilson braved the storm, shuning an umbrella and delivering a rousing speech against the gale. It all seemed somehow prophetic and appropriate. Then at the end of the day, it was announced that Liberty Loan drive had not only met it’s goal, but had exceeded it! On this Flag day in 1917 it feels like nothing can or will dare stop the Yanks. Link: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jun/13/flag-day-in-1917-was-like-no-other/ Official Bulletin We are going to pick up on the Liberty Loan drive by exploring this week’s pages of the “Official Bulletin”, the government war gazette published by George Creel, America’s propaganda chief, under the orders of President Wilson. We are pulling from Volume 1 - Issues 27-32 The pages of the Bulletin are filled with an all-out - last minute effort - in promoting the Liberty Loan bonds as this first national fund-raising program comes to a close this week: [sound effect] Dateline Monday June 11, 1917 Headline: BELLS TO RING OUT CALL FOR LIBERTY LOAN SUBSCRIPTIONS The story reads: “The US Treasury Department issues the following: The pendulum of time is to swing back to 1776 and once again to the inscription on the old liberty bell : ‘Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto the inhabitants thereof,’ It is - to call Americans to service in the cause of freedom. In every city, town, village, and hamlet "from every mountain side," the summons to every American shall ring. Beginning to-day (Monday) the bells in churches, schools, courthouses, and town halls throughout the Nation will toll every night at 9 o'clock, reminding Americans that the time for patriotic support of the Government through subscription to the liberty loan bonds is drawing to a close. The bells will ring four times to-night, indicating that four days remain in which to buy bonds ; Tuesday they will toll three times; twice on Wednesday; and once Thursday.” That quite a sales campaign! But that’s just a part of it. Listen to some of the other fundraising headlines - just from this week’s issues of the Official Bulletin - We will spare you the stories! [sound effect] Headline: LIBERTY LOAN APPEAL SENT TO EVERY NAVY SHIP AND STATION JUNE BRIDES SHOULD ASK THAT THEIR GIFT BE LIBERTY LOANS LIBERTY LOAN IS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY ARTISTIC LIBERTY LOAN BONDS BEING TURNED OUT BY ENGRAVERS WORKING NIGHT AND DAY SENATE LEADERS URGE PUBLIC TO BUY LIBERTY LOAN BONDS And on Friday - the day after the first subscription period closes - the Official Bulletin pronounced: LIBERTY LOAN OVERSUBSCRIBED ; IT IS A GENUINE TRIUMPH FOR DEMOCRACY" SAYS SECRETARY Mc'ADOO The government bond subscription target is set to raise $1.9 billion - and is said to have raised $2.5 billion- which is over 52 billion in 2017 dollars. It is huge win for the Wilson administration - We’ll continue with a couple of stories about some of the “No holds no barred” methods they used to do it. Dateline: Monday June 11, 1917 Headline: WEALTHY CREEK INDIAN SEEKING TO INVEST HIS GREAT RICHES IN LIBERTY LOAN BONDS Jackson Bamett, a Creek Indian, Has Nearly $800,000 on Deposit In Banks and Treasury, from Rich Oil Lands Once Thought of Little Value, Allotted Him - In Oklahoma. Wow.. Native Americans stepping up to help the nation. Well, maybe not exactly. Now the Native American community DID step up - and step up big - during WW1 - but stepping up financially? - Before indian casinos? - well, that was surprising and we thought there might be an interesting story here - so we sent out of our Commission summer interns - Lorenzo Rodriguez - to dig into the story a little. Here is what we learned. Jackson Barnett, a full blood Creek indian, is given 160 acre of land in 1903 in Oklahoma thanks to the Curtis act of 1898. Well - in 1912 they find oil on the property that earns him between 3 and 4 million dollars over his lifetime! Of course he is an Indian, in his 60’s and illiterate so the Creek County Court and the US Dept. of the interior declares him as “incompetent” and arranges to become the stewards of his estate. It turns out, that it is not actually Mr. Barnett’s idea to buy nearly $700,000 in liberty bonds - OR to donate $50,000 to the Red Cross? The good news is that Barnett is no fool - and later proves himself mentally capable of understanding his own actions and takes back control of his estate. There’s a book about him called: The World's Richest Indian: The Scandal over Jackson Barnett's Oil Fortune. We put a link to it in the podcast notes. https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Richest-Indian-Scandal-Barnetts/dp/0195182987 Apparently, Secretary of the interior, Lane has control over quite a bit more than Mr. Barnett’s estate. This same week… [sound effect] Dateline Wed. June 13, 1917 Headline: SECRETARY LANE SUBSCRIBES TO $10,000,000 LIBERTY LOAN BONDS FOR THE ACCOUNT OF AMERICAN INDIANS Secretary of the Interior Lane has subscribed to $10,000,000 in Liberty Loan Bonds on behalf of the accounts of Indians whose money is in his custody. Secretary lane states: ‘Most of these Indians reside in Oklahoma. They are " incompetents " similar to Jackson Barnett for whose account $640,000 in Liberty Bonds was subscribed yesterday. Most of the funds of these Indians is on deposit either at low rates of interest or in the Treasury Department drawing no interest.’ The implication is that this is a favor because now the funds are in Liberty Bonds drawing 3.5% interest. And maybe it was. So - in summary - about the government getting into the bond business - subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States running up to WW1 - AND it introduced the idea of financial securities to many citizens for the first time. The Act of Congress which authorized the Liberty Bonds is still the same law used TODAY as the authority under which all U.S. Treasury bonds are issued. And speaking of issued... The amazing “Official Bulletin” the government war gazette, is now being re-issued every day - Except Sunday - on our website - on the centennial of its original publish date. If you are an educator, researcher, historian, student of propaganda or just interested in exploring the nuances of America’s transformation in 1917, and the echoes - that still ring in your life today - Like US Treasury Bonds - We offer you this wonderful daily resource at ww1cc.org/bulletin - explore, exploit, Enjoy! It’s kind of an amazing daily read about the war that changed the world. Link: ww1cc.org/bulletin Great War Project Moving on to our first guest - we are joined by former NPR correspondent Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. Mike - Human beings have a tendency to believe what they want to believe - and from my readings, both the French and the Brit’s see America as this powerful juggernaut ready to sweep in and solve the wretched, miserable, wearying war. And now Pershing arrives in Europe - and the news he brings is not exactly what anyone wants to hear - right? “A desperate moment for the allies Pershing in london tells king no aircraft on the way” LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/06/11/a-desperate-moment-for-the-allies/ Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. War in the Sky: Interview with Paul Callens and Eileen Dumont War In the Sky Last week we ran a story about US Marine Corp - medal of Honor recipient aviator Ralph Talbot and about the collaborative research project being done across the atlantic - about him - by two citizen historians. So as a follow up, we have invited Eileen Dumont from Massachusetts and Paul Callens from Pittem, Belgium, also a member of Flemish Genealogical Society in the Tielt region. Welcome to both of you! [interview] That was Eileen Dumont from Massachusetts and Paul Callens from Pittem, Belgium about their trans-continental collaboration in honoring US Marine aviator Ralph Talbot. link:http://www.patriotledger.com/news/20170428/fascinating-new-insight-gained-into-ralph-talbot The Great War Channel Our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube produce videos about WW1 - 100 years ago this week - The show is produced in Europe - so it comes from a more European perspective. This is Indy Niedel - the host of the show. [Indy clip] One of their new clips this week is called the Top 10 Stupid Moves of WW1 from Mid 1915 through 1916. Indy offers a really interesting perspective on some of the strategic blunders of the time - seen through that sharp sharp lens of hindsight. The link is in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar The Storyteller and the Historian We are going to close out “WW1 - 100 years ago this week” with a follow up to last week’s report about June 5th - registration day for the selective service. That is the subject for our new segment - The StoryTeller and the Historian with Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten. [run segment] That was - the StoryTeller - Richard Rubin and The Historian - Jonathan Bratten talking about the 1917 Selective Service act. World War One NOW We have moved forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - News about the centennial and the commemoration. Activities and Events From the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events - here is our upcoming “event pick” of the week: “Decoding the Great War” is a panel discussion that will take place June 20th at the National Cryptologic Museum in Maryland. If our stories from last week about the Choctaw Code Talkers or the use of knitting as covert communications interested you, this panel is a great opportunity to learn even more about the role of codes and ciphers in WW1. This panel discussion includes experts in the evolution of Intelligence Collection, Radio Intelligence, Code Making and the first Code Talkers. Check out U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register for things happening in your area, and there is a big red button there so you can submit your own upcoming events to it, at ww1cc.org/events link:https://www.facebook.com/events/397486580636106/ http://ww1cc.org/events PTSD Month - The Lost Battalion and suicide As we have mentioned - June is PTSD Awareness month - and as we did last week, we bring you another story on the disorder and WW1. 100 years ago, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Whittlesey was known around the world -- as was, the battalion he lead during World War 1. The so called Lost Battalion was surrounded by enemies and cut off in the Argonne for days -- before being saved when their famous messenger pigeon “Chere Ami” - aptly named as “dear friend” was able to relay their position for help. Commission friend and author - Rob Laplander - wrote a book called “Finding the Lost Battalion”. Links to his book and additional information from his research on the Lost Battalion is available at ww1cc.org/lostbattalion - all lower case - all one word. So… the war ended a month after the incident and Whittlesey and his comrades were hailed as fabled heroes for the exploit. But the war lingered on in the Lieutenant Colonel’s mind and in 1921, just a few years after the war, Whittlesey committed suicide. Whittlesey is, by no means, alone in this fate. In a 2014 study the Veteran’s administration reported that 20 US veterans commit suicide every day. There is a detailed article about Whittlesey’s suicide in the Berkshire Eagle and we have put a number of link in the podcast notes for you. Please keep our veterans in your mind and in our heart as PTSD Awareness month continues this June. link:http://ww1cc.org/lostbattalion http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/lost-again-echoes-of-a-wwi-heros-suicide,508711 http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/finding-the-lost-battalion-home.html http://save22.vet/?gclid=CI2bhJicu9QCFcOCswod49oO_g https://activeheroes.org/22kill/?gclid=CITnppicu9QCFZCPswod5xAFGg http://www.militarytimes.com/story/veterans/2016/07/07/va-suicide-20-daily-research/86788332/ Education This week in Education we want to let you know about the WW1 Centennial Commission Education Newsletter, released every other month. Each issue includes an extensive selection of articles, lessons, teaching guidelines and primary sources that you can freely use, all vetted by professional historians and educators. The newsletter is produced with assistance from National History Day, American Battle Monuments Commission, the American Field Service, the Library of Congress, the National Archives and more. The upcoming week’s newsletter is themed “Animals at War” and includes articles and links for differing grade levels about the role of animals in the war. Some famous individuals are featured like Winnie the Pooh and Sgt Stubby as well as lesser known characters like Jackie the Baboon. Perhaps the most surprising critter featured is the glow worm, who played a useful if unexpected role in the war. Register for the newsletter or read past issues by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/education-resources.html Updates From The States Battleship Texas Leaks Now for our updates from the states. From Texas - there is a news story from Houston about flooding aboard the USS Texas. The Battleship Texas survived World War 1 - and then went on to survive world war II. Now we hope she will survive the month! Periodic leaks have plagued the aging ship since 2010 and a large new one sprung up over this past weekend. By Monday June 11th, the ship was listing 8 degrees. By Tuesday 12 degrees. She needs help. Previously, needed repairs were postponed because of the high expense. There’s no news yet as to how extensive the damage will be to the battleship, but you can be certain it will come at a similarly high price tag. We hope a solution can be found so that this 103 year old historic vessel can resume its role as a site for educating the public and school children about the World Wars. Learn more by following the links in the podcast notes. link:http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/06/12/battleship-texas-closed-tilting-as-crews-work-to-plug-leaks/ DC: Archivists work to save American Legion post in DC From the District of Columbia is a story about an American Legion Post. Last summer, as the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History prepared to open, some local archivists and educators began working to save the history of an African-American American Legion post in northeast D.C. The James Reese Europe Post 5 was first established 100 years ago during World War 1, named for the noted band leader of the 369th Infantry - the Harlem Hellfighters. What’s left of the Post House is mostly just boxes of documents and photographs; so the post has teamed up with American University educators and Prologue DC to research, archive and preserve what it left of the post. Read more about the project at the links in the podcast notes. link: http://wtop.com/dc/2016/08/archivists-work-to-save-american-legion-post-in-dc/ http://dcpost5.americanobserver.net/ Maine: Unlikely War Poet From the Maine WW1 web site --- a story about an unlikely war poet, Ralph Moan, a civil engineer from the town of Waterville, Maine. World War I is noted for the incredibly evocative war poetry it produced, notably from such soldier-poets as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. However, very few of those well-known poets were American. Ralph Moan served with the 103d Infantry Regiment, part of the 26th “Yankee” Division made up entirely of New England units. He returned home to Maine in 1919 as a corporal to find that he had been awarded both the French Croix de Guerre and the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery. Now that he was home, he gathered his memories of the war and its devastation -- into himself, channeling it into poetry. Though he never spoke of his experiences aloud, even to his family, his experience of the war lived on in his writings. Read his story on the Maine’s WW1 website at ww1cc.org/maine Link: ww1cc.org/maine http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/2515 https://armyhistory.org/an-unlikely-war-poet-a-doughboy-from-maine/ International Report Violin left unfinished played at his grave This week in our International Report comes a wonderful story about two young British men and the violin that brought them together across a century. Private Richard Howard began making his violin before the outbreak of world war 1, planning to finish it upon his return. Sadly, he died in the fighting on the first day of the battle of Messines ridge in June 1917, 100 years ago this month. The violin passed from person to person, being put together and finished over the course of decades. It wound up in Sam Sweeney hands - a british folk musician who somehow knew it was something special. Inside the violin was the date “1915” and Private Howard’s name, so - Sweeney tracked down the young soldier and his descendents. In a recent ceremony, Sweeney played the soldier’s violin at his grave as Howard’s family looked on. The family hadn’t known much of anything about Howard, his own granddaughter saying “I knew nothing at all about my grandfather... I was very interested to learn about him because I had heard nothing except 'your grandfather died in the war'. People in those days didn't talk about it for fear of upsetting someone. My mother [Rose] was 11 when he died. I have to say the news when it got to me just blew me away.” Sweeney continues to tell the instrument's unique story in his show, Made in the Great War, which he is touring across the UK. song “rose howard” named for Pvt Howard’s daughter. Link to Sam Sweeney’s album: https://www.madeinthegreatwar.com/music link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/07/violin-left-unfinished-ww1-soldier-played-grave-100-years-chance/ https://www.madeinthegreatwar.com/music Spotlight in the Media In our Spotlight on the Media - The headline reads - 'Wonder Woman' Smashes Domestic Box Office Record For Female Directors” So on one hand we have a hit movie - and on the other we have a little mystery! The Wonder Woman in DC comic book Issue 1 that came out on July 22, 1942 - was originally set during WWII… but this summer’s early blockbuster is set in WW1. We HAD to ask why? So we put another of our Commission’s intrepid summer interns - Paul Burgholzer to chasing down the mystery. Here is the story: Though the filmmakers have declined to de-mystify this - He found three theories - Theory ONE - From an IGN interview with producer Charles Roven. Roven says that the film was set in in World War I because it adds a culture shock aspect to Diana. Diana romanticizes war and trains in hand to hand combat. She believes that combat is an honorable competition between warriors. World War I, Roven explains, was the first major conflict where the combatants did not even see the people they were killing. In the film the WWI introduces the extreme suffering of modern warfare to Wonder Woman driving her to seek a solution. Theory TWO - The filmmakers wanted to set themselves apart from their rivals at Marvel Comic with characters like Captain America whose story is set in WWII Theory THREE - comes from Breitbart putting forth the theory that WW1 sets a more politically correct agenda - The writer - who wrote the article in January - predicted that the film would be strongly anti-war and that WW1 would be a better foil for that because WWII has such clear villain like Hitler. I don’t know about that that… When I saw the movie last weekend it did not feel like much of a political statement to me at all. It just seemed like a really well made summer blockbuster, a really fun entertainment, and a really strong female lead. What do you think? link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2543-why-wonder-woman-had-to-be-set-in-world-war-i.html Articles and Posts WWrite Blog In our WWRITE blog, which we host on the commission web site and which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: "More Gentile Than Grim: Letters Home from WWI," comes from author, editor, and award-winning teacher, David Chrisinger. Chrisinger is the editor of See Me For Who I Am, a collection of essays by veteran students that seeks to undermine three main media-create stereotypes that divide them from the American people they have fought to protect: as superhuman; as broken, disabled, and traumatized; or as dangerous, ticking time bombs. In this post, he discusses a WWI project he completed with new student veterans at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point using hundreds of letters written by WWI soldiers from the town where the university is located. Don't miss this post describing their surprising, insightful reactions! Read more about the project by visiting the Wwrite blog at ww1cc.org/w-w-r-i-t-e and if this WW1’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship is of particular interest - sign up for the blog at the same link. ww1cc.org/wwrite http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/articles-posts.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts 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? The Army’s Treasure Room That warehouse from the end of Indiana Jones and the Ark of the Covenant? Turns out that pretty much exists. link:https://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/inside-the-armys-spectacular-hidden-treasure-room?utm_term=.qjxyBkM3QK#.lpmGL1oXO5 https://armyhistory.org/donation-opportunities-programs/ Gen. Pershing Arrives A photo from our Instagram feed proves popular Link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.774612519380715.1073741840.185589304949709/789769801198320/?type=3&theater Thank you Katherine. All of Katherine’s stories have links in the podcast notes. Closing And That’s WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening! We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog Eileen Dumont and Paul Callens Richard Rubin, Author and Storyteller and Jonathan Bratten, Historian with their new segment the StoryTeller and the Historian Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This show is a part of that effort! 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 rely entirely on your donations. No government appropriations or taxes are being used, so please give what you can by going to ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case Or if you are listening to the show on your smart phone you can text us a donation - just text the letters: WW1 to the number 41444. 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. As of last week you can also find us on TuneIn. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share what you are learning here about “The War that Changed the World”. So long. [music]
Highlights Official Bulletin: Ships, planes, wood, film, and phones |@ 03:00 Guest: Mike Shuster on the big explosion on the Messine Ridge. |@ 10:00 The Storyteller & The Historian: George Cohan’s “Over There” turn 100 |@ 14 :00 Events: Virginia WW1 Reenactment Day |@ 20:30 Special: PTSD awareness month |@ 21:30 Guest - 100C/100M: Dr. Steve Kelly on Brownwood texas Post 196 project |@ 28:00 Guest: Roy Steinberg on the play “Billy Bishop Goes To War”|@ 33:30 And much more...----more---- Opening Welcome to World War One Centennial News. It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Today is June 7th, 2017 and I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week This week 100 years ago is marked by June 5th, 1917. It’s registration day! It’s all a part of the The Selective Service Act that went into law last month, on May 18. June 5th is the day when all young men between the ages of 21 and 30 are to register themselves with the government for possible conscription into the US military. Last week you heard about the many differences the American populace has about this issue and how protesting against registration, handing out anti-draft literature, or evading registration is considered criminal and potentially treasonous. All things considered, registration day goes much as expected. Link:http://www.sj-r.com/news/20170603/manhood-day-june-5-1917-produced-rush-to-register-for-draft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_Act_of_1917 https://www.geni.com/blog/world-war-i-the-u-s-declares-war-397143.html https://www.army.mil/article/3099 Official Bulletin We are going to continue to look at this week, from the US government perspective, So let’s go to the “Official Bulletin” the government war gazette published by George Creel, America’s propaganda chief, under the orders of President Wilson. Here are some of the stories pulled from the archive of the Official Bulletin Dateline June 4th, 1917 Headline: THERE ARE NEW NAMES FOR 14 - SEIZED GERMAN SHIPS ASSIGNED TO NAVY DEPARTMENT SERVICE As war is declared the US seizes a number of German ships in harbors from New York to Honolulu. This week they are officially assigned to the navy and re-christened, mostly with the names of American cities. Here are some of the name changes. The Breslau is changed to the USN Bridgeport. The Kiel to the USN Camden. The Leihenfels to Houston. The Saxonia to Savannah. The Nicaria to Pensacola. The Oden Wald to Newport News. Hohenfelde to Long Beach. Both the last two ships are named after US cities with major shipyards. We can only image sitting at the table where a team of naval officers worked all this out! Dateline June 4th Headline: U. S. ACQUIRES AVIATION FIELD IN FRANCE TO TRAIN FLYERS GRADUATED IN AMERICA Preparing to enter the war in the sky, the US plans an aviation training program like no other - ever. Part of the story reads: "America is responsible for the invention of both the submarine and the airplane. In the development of both, she has allowed Europe to outstrip her. It is for us to show that we can yet surpass both our enemies and our allies in the development of the two great mechanical inventions for which we ourselves are responsible. We believe that we are making progress in our air program, and we intend to increase rather than diminish speed as we go forward." Announces Howard E. Coffin, the chairman of the aircraft production board. He continues with: " France and Great Britain have made it plain again and again that they expect aircraft and aviators to be one of America's greatest contributions to success in the war." Dateline June 5th, 1917 Headline: US MAY NEED 2 billion FEET OF LUMBER FOR WAR PURPOSES An on-going theme in the Official Bulletin, and therefore clearly on the minds of the government is resource management. America is rich in natural resources, but still under-developed in the infrastructure to exploit them. This includes industries like timber - which you may remember is how George Boeing made his initial fortune in the Pacific Northwest. If you think about America, our woodsmen are a special breed and in the same June 5th issue of the Official Bulletin … Another headline reads: US FORMING FORESTRY REGIMENT FOR WAR SERVICE IN FRANCE The article goes on with: “A regiment of woodsmen and mill workers is being recruited for early service in France and is being organized at the request of the allies to: Quote: “Get Out Timber for the Armies”. This includes railroad ties, trench timbers, mine props, bridge timbers, lumber, and cordwood. The work will be performed behind the battle lines in France but may fall within the danger zone. The article goes on to state “This regiment will be made up of picked woodsmen. Service in it will give such men a chance to take a part In the war for which their life and training have peculiarly fitted them.” Dateline June 6, 1917 Headline: LIBERTY LOAN "TRAILER" TO BE SHOWN IN ALL MOVIES So now George Creel - gets into film making producing a movie trailer about people buying Liberty Bond. Here is the story: “A liberty loan " trailer " has been sent to practically every motion-picture theater In the country and will be shown at every performance until June 15th.” The article describes the film - which includes an inspiring American Flag, an on-camera message from President Wilson and an “ASK” to buy Liberty bonds. The article closes giving Kudos to the Eastman Company (later Eastman / Kodak” ) of Rochester NY for donating the ½ million feet of film stock the trailers are printed on. Dateline June 8th, 1917 Headline: 100 U. S. NAVAL AVIATORS ARRIVE SAFELY IN FRANCE “Secretary of the Navy Daniels to-day announced the safe arrival in France of a corps of 100 naval aviators sent there for duty in the antisubmarine operations, and for any other active duty that may be given them in France.” They are the first officers and men of the regular fighting forces of the United States that have landed in France. Lieut. Kenneth Whiting is in command. It is reported that “the entire force is intact and that there was no sickness or casualties on the trip across”. Headline: GEN. PERSHING IN ENGLAND The story reads: “Gen. John J. Pershing and 53 officers and members of his party are reported to have reached England in safety. And finally… Dateline, June 9th, 1917 Headline: US CAN NOW PHONE MILITARY ORDERS TO ANY PART OF COUNTRY Here is a technology story in the Saturday issue… It may not be the internet - but the US Government was pretty excited by the long distance telephone! The story reads: “At the inception of the war In Europe, [They mean in 1914] ,” there were some outlying places in the US not connected by long lines capable of commercial transmission of telephone messages. Since then The American Telephone & Telegraph Co. has extended its lines across the continent and so improved transmission that it is now possible to communicate by long-distance telephone with any section of the United States. Thus the Government officials have almost instantaneous access to every center of activity. These toll and long distance wires reach every town, hamlet, and crossroads of any importance. So if you think of it from a national security standpoint - this is a pretty big deal - and here is another interesting fact… The American Telephone and Telegraph company - AT&T - just happens to be my current Internet Service Provider and it is AT&T that allowed me to upload this very podcast to reach you. You know... Each issue of this amazing “Official Bulletin” is now being re-published every day on our website on the centennial of its original publish date. If you are a teacher - a historian - whether student or scholar, a sociologist, or just someone interested in exploring the nuances of America’s transformation in 1917, and the echoes that still ring in your life to this very day - like AT&T - We offer you this wonderful daily resource at ww1cc.org/bulletin - explore, exploit, Enjoy! Link: ww1cc.org/bulletin Great War Project Moving on to our first guest - we are joined by former NPR correspondent Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. Mike - In one of my favorite Historical science fiction series “The Safehold Saga” by author David Weber, there is a battle scene where miners tunnel under the enemy’s fortifications and plant a large cache of explosives under the enemy positions with devastating results. I Wonder if the story from post this week was the inspiration for Weber! Tell us the story Mike! “A terrible scene of slaughter” LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/06/04/a-terrible-scene-of-slaughter/ Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. The Great War Channel We are always telling you about our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube that present WW1 - 100 years ago this week as video - and from a more European perspective. Well in Europe - this is week 149 of the war - for the US it is only week 8 - and we haven’t really not started to fight. In the week 149 episode, Indie Nidel the host give you a great overview of some of the stories we have been looking at as well - like Herbert Plumbers tunnels under the Messine Ridge - and the french mutinies that Mike has been blogging about. The link is in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar Before we leave 1917, we have one more centennial anniversary story for you. The George M. Cohan song "Over There" turns 100. [run audio of song] Over there became America's favorite anthem of World World I and one of the country's great patriotic anthems. The version we were just hearing was from our April 6th event in Kansas City - and as you may discover from today’s podcast, the hook really sticks in your head. As a special treat, we are launching our new segment - The Storyteller and the Historian with Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten talking about Cohan’s song “Over There” [section] That was our new segment - the StoryTeller and the Historian - with Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten. link:http://www.npr.org/2017/06/01/531004379/over-there-at-100 World War One NOW We have moved forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - News about the centennial and the commemoration. Activities and Events Virginia War Museum: WW1 Reenactment Day From the National WW1 Centennial Commemoration Events Register at WW1CC.org/events - here is our upcoming event pick of the week: The Virginia War Museum: WW1 Reenactment Day coming up on June 17-18. As the event post reads: The Virginia War Museum, in conjunction with The Great War Association, will be hosting “America Mobilizes 1917” on Saturday and Sunday June 17-18, 2017 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American Mobilization for World War One. The event will simulate an American Mobilization Camp preparing our soldiers to go “Over There.” During the course of the day there will be demonstration drills, weapons and tactics displays, It’s living history on display with a great edutainment experience for the whole family - that is sure to be memorable! Check out National WW1 Commemoration events register for things happening in your area, and to add your own upcoming events to it, at ww1cc.org/events link:http://www.warmuseum.org/calendar-of-events/2017/6/17/america-mobilizes-1917 June is PTSD Awareness Month June is PTSD awareness month - and in honor of that we want to bring you the following report. You may not know this but in WW1 Hundreds of soldiers suffering from what was called shell shock were put on trial and even executed for cowardice. We know and are learning so much more today about shell shock - now referred to as PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We know that It’s a physiological brain trauma not a psychological failing of human spirit. In 2006, Britain formally pardoned the 306 British WW1 soldiers suffering from Shell Shock and shot for cowardice. PTSD affects 31% of Vietnam veterans, and about 11% of american veterans that have served in the ongoing conflicts in the middle east. A recent article from the National Geographic points to some new research that may be lifting the veil on this type of trauma suffered during battle. Shell Shock is actually an apt name for the condition described as occurring after a shell blast has hit the soldier in question. They are sometimes referred to as being “concussed”. Trauma after exposure to blast forces on the battlefield, specifically caused by exploding artillery shells in WW1 were are a signature injury. In one study, the pattern of damage caused by exposure to blast force observed in the eight military personnel, is distinctly different from what is seen in the brains of football players or boxers. The implications of this finding are profound, pointing to the possibility that symptoms long thought to be psychological—ascribed to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—may instead be direct results of physical damage to the brain. The blast shock finding also opens up potentially fertile new ground for research: Can the injury be healed or even mitigated? What equipment can be designed to protect service members against blast damage to their brains? Can tests be devised to identify damage in combatants on the battlefield in real time? Read more about the study by following the link in the podcast notes to the National Geographic article “'Shell Shock'—The 100-Year Mystery May Now Be Solved”. link:https://www.ptsd.va.gov/about/ptsd-awareness/promo_materials_awareness.asp http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1526437/Pardoned-the-306-soldiers-shot-at-dawn-for-cowardice.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/blast-shock-tbi-ptsd-ied-shell-shock-world-war-one/ http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(16)30057-6/abstract Education UCF and Merchantville Students This week in Education we wanted to highlight the efforts of two groups of students to learn more about this great conflict in Europe by studying their own backyards. A group of students from the University of Central Florida and another from a middle school in Merchantville, New Jersey are making the conflict more relatable by focusing on the human element. In Florida, students are writing biographies for 120 veterans in the Sumter County cemetery. The project includes developing an app for cemetery-goers and teaching local middle schoolers who visit the cemetery on field trips. When the project is finished this fall, the UCF students’ work will be displayed on the school’s website. In Merchantville, seventh- and eighth-grade volunteers decided to research local veterans as part of an elective course that their history teacher created. The students studied the 135 veterans memorialized on a plaque in town put up by the local American Legion Post 68. The students presented their findings at a Memorial Day ceremony hosted by the American Legion which included a map that will be on display along with posters students made for each of the four local servicemen who died during the war. These projects will serve as resources for future students, but most importantly we hope other schools will follow in their footsteps. As one eighth-grader from Merchantville put it "[the experience has] really been intriguing and enlightening and I want to know more about my community," Learn more about these projects by visiting the links in the podcast notes. link:http://www.orlandosentinel.com/g00/features/education/school-zone/os-ucf-history-veterans-cemetery-20170509-story.html link:http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/2017/05/26/merchantville-students-research-135-local-world-war-vets/324187001/ Updates From The State Wisconsin: Oral History Project This week on the Wisconsin State Centennial Commission website at ww1cc.org/wisconsin there is an article about the Wisconsin Veterans Museum's Oral History Program. The program honors those who served by recording and preserving their stories and experiences. Since 1994, staff members and volunteers have conducted and collected over 2,100 interviews with veterans from around the state. The collection represents all branches and all conflicts and eras since World War I to the present day. The Museum recently opened a new exhibit, WWI Beyond the Trenches: Stories from the Front. Throughout the next two years the museum will be offering programming and events that feature Wisconsin’s contribution to the Great War – in which 122,000 people from Wisconsin served. As part of these efforts, the Oral History Program will showcase the small but exciting collection of World War I oral history interviews. Read more about this remarkable Wisconsin program on the Wisconsin state website at ww1cc.org/wisonsin link: ww1cc.org/wisconsin http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/wisconsin-in-wwi-articles/2462-remembering-veterans-the-wisconsin-veterans-museum-oral-history-program.html http://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/exhibitions/temporary/ http://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/veterans/oral_history/ Michigan: Pvt Joseph W. Guyton From the Michigan WW1 web site a story about Joseph Guyton - who was born on June 10, 1889 in Evart, Michigan, a small town known for its lumber mills back in its day. Pioneers were just settling the area back in 1866 through homesteading after the Civil War. At age 20 he married his sweetheart Agnes Winona Baker from Lake City, Mi. Two years later in 1911 they had a daughter named Olive Clara Guyton. Life at this point was going very well. Then In 1914 war broke out over in Europe. Guyton was drafted into the US Military. Under military law Guyton could have appealed for an exemption - since he only had a daughter and no name sake - in case he should die but he was, like many Americans at the time, too proud not to go. He went on to become to first American casualty of the war on German soil. Read his whole story on the Michigan State website at ww1cc.org/michigan Link:ww1cc.org/michigan http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/michigan-in-ww1-articles/1650-pvt-joseph-w-guyton.html 100 Cities/100 Memorials This coming Thursday, June 15th marks the end of the grant application period for the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials - the $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue ailing WW1 memorials - and in most ways - it actually marks the beginning of the project not the end. What happens from here is that the submissions will be reviewed to make sure they are compliant with the program rules - you know - all the part and pieces of the application for the matching grant were submitted - Any applicants that missed something will be notified and they will have the opportunity to fix any issues. Then the applications will be assigned to a delegate jury - a selection committee that we will be announcing next week. We have some wonderful people who have agreed to review the project submissions. We will be announcing the results this fall. In the meantime, we will be promoting and profiling all the wonderful projects that were submitted - both on the website and here on the show - starting this week with a 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project from Brownwood Texas - Joining us now is Dr. Steve Kelly - The president of the Central Texas Veterans Memorial - Hi Steve Welcome Steve - please tell us about your project, your memorial and your coalition for restoration… [Interview with Dr. Steve Kelly] That was Dr Steve Kelly, president of the central texas veterans memorial telling us about the Brownwood texas Post 196 WW1 Memorial. Stay up to date with everything happening in the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project by signing up for the program’s blog at ww1cc.org/100memorials link:http://www.ww1cc.org/100cities http://www.brownwoodtx.com/article/20160416/NEWS/160419591 International Report The Choctaw Code Talkers This week in our International Report we have a story from England -- about Americans! The Daily Mail recently published an article about the Choctaw Code Talkers, a group of Native American soldiers, mostly from Oklahoma, whose native language was used to baffle the enemy. The story goes that two soldiers on the Western Front were overheard by a captain speaking in their native Choctaw language. The Germans had been able to decipher many of the Allies' codes over the years, and it struck the captain that using the Native American language as a code, given the Germans had no knowledge of it or familiarity with similar languages, could be just the ticket. It’s important to note that at this very same time, the US government in an attempt to “Americanize” the natives was trying to eradicate the language. The Choctaw success paved the way for the Navajo Code Talkers in World War II. It’s another amazing example of America coming to grips with its own culture. read more about it by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4552304/Native-American-soldiers-helped-Allies-win-WWI.html#ixzz4iUU22Cbp Articles and Posts In our Articles and Posts where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - “Billy Bishop Goes To War” This week in the ww1cc.org/news section there is an article about stage production called “Billy Bishop Goes To War” We have with us Roy Steinberg, the producing artistic director for the Cape May Stage in New Jersey. Welcome! [Exchange Hello} Roy - before we dive into the production, can you briefly tell us about the Cape May Stage? [ROY] That was Roy Steinberg producing artistic director for the Cape May Stage in New Jersey, about their production “Billy Bishop Goes to War” which runs until June 23rd Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm and a Sunday matinee at 3 - Follow the link in the podcast notes to learn more link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2390-cape-may-theater-production-looks-back-at-nj-in-wwi.html http://www.capemaystage.org/main_production/billy-bishop-goes-war/ ww1cc.org/news WWrite Blog In our WWRITE blog, which we host on the commission web site and which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post is: "A Journey of Commemoration: The Great War through the Lens of Art", by Susan Werbe. Appropriate to our previous guest, Susan is the executive producer of the "The Great War Theatre Project: Messengers of a Bitter Truth", performed in Boston, New York, and Letchworth (UK). In the post she also discusses the process of weaving voice, dance, theatre, writings, and song cycles to examine the collective memory of war on the individual. Werbe also talks about her latest project, "Letters You Will Not Get", a libretto, using various genres of women's WWI writing, set to commissioned contemporary music. Read the blog post to learn more about this wonderful showcase of an extraordinary, multidisciplinary project—not to be missed! Read more about the project by visiting the Wwrite blog at ww1cc.org/w-w-r-i-t-e and if this WW1’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship is of particular interest - sign up for the blog at the same link. ww1cc.org/wwrite The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts 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? Knitting as Espionage A specialized kind of covert communication was devised during the war in the domestic spaces under German occupation: knitting! link:http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/knitting-spies-wwi-wwii Donut Day You may have noticed on social media over the weekend an awful lot of images of fried rounds of sugar covered goodness...This past Friday was National Donut day, a day honoring the Salvation Army “Doughnut Girls” who served donuts to troops during WW1. link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.774612519380715.1073741840.185589304949709/784425948399372/?type=3 http://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/metro/donutdayhistory/ Thank you Katherine. I think I’m off to get myself a sugar buzz from a nice glazed donut! All of Katherine’s stories have links in the podcast notes. Closing And That’s WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening! We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog Richard Rubin, Author and Storyteller and Jonathan Bratten, Historian with their new segment the StoryTeller and the Historian Dr Steve Kelly, president of the central texas veterans memorial about their 100 Cities / 100 memorials project Roy Steinberg producing artistic director for Cape May Stage about their production - Billy Bishop Goes to War Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This show is a part of that effort! 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 rely entirely on your donations. No government appropriations or taxes are being used, so please give what you can by going to ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case Or if you are listening to the show on your smart phone you can text us a donation - just text the letters: WW1 to the number 41444. 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. As of last week you can also find us on TuneIn. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share what you are learning here about “The War that Changed the World”. So long. [music]
Highlights Official Bulletin: War bonds, fake news, prostitutes, shoes, trucks and draft dodgers |@ 01:00 Guest: Mike Shuster on the low enthusiasm, Creel, 4 minutes men and arrests for disagreeing with the government. |@ 07:15 War In The Sky: Profile Raynal Bolling |@ 11:00 Events: Memorial day retrospective |@ 14:00 States: NY “Beyond The Trenches”, Eternal Light - relit, IN - Aaron Fisher, PA - Big boom at Eddystone |@ 15:15 Guest: Dr. Cathy Gorn - executive director of National History Day |@ 19:00 Guest: Donna Crisp National Vice Chair of Commemorative Events for the 100th Anniversary of WWI for the DAR. |@ 25:15 And more... ----more---- Opening Welcome to World War One Centennial News. It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Today is May 31st, 2017 and I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week We have gone - back in time 100 years ago this week…. It is commencement week at universities around the country - and this week in May, 1917, Texas A&M - which - for those of you who don’t know - stands for Agricultural and Military - has cancelled their graduation ceremonies. The Aggies have nixed the ceremonies because most of the 120 students in the graduating class have reported to active duty in the military. This is a first - ever - for Texas A&M. link:http://today.tamu.edu/2017/05/02/texas-am-system-regents-honor-class-of-1917-cadets/ The Bulletin The war effort is getting in full swing around the country - for details let’s look at some of the headlines and stories in the “Official Bulletin” America’s government war gazette published by the order of president Wilson. There are themes that manifest in the paper: Buy War Bonds - is a clear theme- as the nation prepares to raise massive amounts of capital for war. Headlines on that theme - this week include: Appeal To Women Of Nation To Purchase Liberty Bonds Secretary Of Commerce Urges Every Employee To Purchase Liberty Loan Bond Navy Called Upon To Get Behind The Liberty Loan Liberty Loan Success Vital. Farmers And Liberty Loan. Subscribers Can Pay For Liberty Loan Bonds Now Buying A Liberty Bond Is - The Least Sacrifice Americans Must Make, Says George Norris It goes on in every issue. This is a national fund drive like no other in history. Unlike the wars of the late 20th and early 21st century that are paid for by some magical process (called debt), in 1917 the populace is expected to step up and contribute. But some things stay incredibly parallel. Here is a headline from Secretary of the Navy Daniels about fake news. Dateline Saturday May 26, 1917: "FALSE REPORTS" ABOUT SINKING OF U. S. SHIPS DEPLORED BY SECRETARY DANIELS " It is with deep regret that I note the daily stream of false reports with regard to the sinking of American ships. Brokerage wires are a particular source for these baseless rumors that cannot but be - the cause of needless distress to every true American as well as to mothers. " The reason for these false reports cannot be ascertained. The one hope is that the press will refuse to aid this campaign of vicious rumor that is being carried on so industriously by persons unknown." Following is an interesting appeal by Secretary of War Baker - sent as a letter to all governors of all states regarding the moral maintenance of young conscripts. In the training camps already established or soon to be established large bodies of men, selected primarily from the youth of the country, will be gathered together for a period of intensive discipline and training. The greater proportion of this force probably will be made up of young men who have not yet become accustomed to contact with either the saloon or the prostitute and who will be at that - plastic and generous period of life when questionable modes of indulgence - easily serve as outlets for exuberant physical vitality. The article goes on in detail about keeping these young men from corruption, gambling, drinking and partying too heartily. We are also in a war of new technology and America is, if nothing else, incredibly innovative. Dateline May 28, 1917: FULLY MOTORIZED FIELD BATTERY HAS JUST BEEN DEVELOPED BY U. S. ARMY Believed to be First Complete Unit of Horseless Artillery Created - Early Substitution of Tractors for Animals in Handling Nearly all Forms of Ordnance Predicted. The story goes on to explain the details but mechanization was a big deal with trucks, tanks, ambulances and even Harley Davidson motorcycles. Just as with innovation American industry and American entrepreneurship are both also exercised in a big way. A good and simple example is shoes! Dateline June 2cnd, 1917: Headline: ARMY AND NAVY CONTRACT FOR 3,450,000 PAIRS OF SHOES Contracts for shoes, 2,000,000 for the Army and 850,000 for the Navy, have just been awarded, it was announced to-day. These are the largest shoe contracts ever made by the Government and were made under the new system by which the requirements of the Army and Navy are considered jointly and the representatives of practically the entire industry affected are brought together to meet the needs of the Government. The war effort also upsets the social norms of American Society as the country tries to come to grips with fundamental changes. Dateline May 28, 1917: TRAINING CAMP FOR COLORED MEN ESTABLISHED IN IOWA The Chief of Staff of the Army issues a brief outlining the provisions made for training camps for colored citizens : " You are advised that training camps for colored citizens will be established at Fort Des Moines; Iowa, under section 54, National Defense Act, and the regulations prescribed for present training camps, except as modified herein and hereafter. The camp is under the control of the Department Commander, Central Department, who will prepare and conduct the same. “ The story of WW1, the conscription of African Americans, their treatment before, during and after the war - and how this led to the civil rights movement is fundamental - to what made WW1 the War that Changed the World! Another ongoing theme that continues weekly is the draft, the process of it, the resistance to it and the conflict about it. Examples this week include the following headlines: Dateline May 29-June 1, 1917 Headline: 11 ARRESTS FOR ATTEMPTS TO HINDER REGISTRATION Eleven arrests have been made and nine Indictments have been returned by Federal grand juries as the result of attempts to hinder registration in accordance with the provisions of the new Army bill. Headline: PROVOST MARSHAL DENIES ALL MARRIED MEN WILL BE EXEMPT FROM DRAFT LAW The article explains that there will be no exemption for married men with families - as rumor had been insinuated. Headline: WAR DEPARTMENT - POINTS OUT WHAT YOUNG AMERICANS SHOULD DO ON REGISTRATION DAY What does a young man do on registration day? He does his duty to his country, and he will find that the ways and means of doing it are not laborious, involved, or complex. Headline: MEN LEAVING U. S. TO ESCAPE REGISTRATION TO BE HALTED Department of Justice officials are determined that no man subject to registration under the new Army law shall escape his obligation by leaving the United States before June 5. Each issue of the official bulletin is now being published daily on the centennial of its original publish date. You can read the current and past issues on our web site. For historians, social anthropologists, and anyone interested in exploring the nuances of America’s transformation in 1917, go to ww1cc.org/bulletin Link: ww1cc.org/bulletin Great War Project Joining us now is former NPR correspondent Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. Mike - Your story this week also looks at the conflicts in US society over the war. What is the story? “In the us little enthusiasm for war” LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2017/05/28/in-u-s-little-enthusiasm-for-war/ Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. War in the Sky This week in the great war in the sky, we are going to profile US Army Colonel Raynal Bolling. Bolling, an arkansan who graduates from Harvard Law School and moves to the east coast - is in sympathy with the objectives of the “Preparedness Movement”, a group of influential Americans advocating military preparedness for involvement in World War I and drawn primarily from wealthy lawyers, bankers, academics, and politicians of the Northeast. He is also members of the American Aero Club, and began taking flying lessons on property owned by the Wright Company near Garden City, New York. By that time the United States was at war with Germany. Bolling was called to active duty as a major in the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps on April 27, 1917, Quote: "for duty in connection with the organization of the 1st Reserve Aero Squadron," pursuant to authorization of the National Defense Act of 1916. So on May 26, 1917, 100 years ago this week, he organizes a new 154-man squadron, the first air reserve unit in the United States. Before Bolling could actually take command of his unit, he is detached in June 1917 for staff duty. Turns out that French premier Alexandre Ribot has sent U.S. President Woodrow Wilson a telegram at the end of May urging the United States to contribute 4,500 aircraft; 5,000 pilots; and 50,000 mechanics to the war effort. Because of his legal experience Bolling is assigned to assist in the drafting of legislation to fund the development of military aviation in response to Ribot's proposal. The subsequent Aviation Act, passes on July 24, 1917 and is the largest single appropriation for a single purpose in US History, $640 million. That is over 13 billion in 2017 dollars!! In conjunction with that duty, he is also appointed to the advisory Aircraft Production Board of the Council of National Defense to head an aeronautical commission to Europe known as "the Bolling Mission," to represent Secretary of War Newton D. Baker and the Board. We will hear more about Raynald Bolling in the coming months - he was smart, effective and an influential character in the formation of US military aviation. Especially 100 years ago this week in the great war in the sky! The Great War Channel If you’d like to watch interesting and informative videos about WW1, 100 years ago this week - check out the new posts from our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube. This week their new episodes include a special about Croatia. Indie Nydell - the show’s host - points out that most nations involved in WW1 were parts of empires - This special, focuses on one nation inside the Austro-Hungarian Empire - Croatia. The 10 minute retrospective will provide new insight into a country that we hear about in the news occasionally, but don’t really know. So to learn more about WW1 from a more European perspective we recommend watching the wonderful videos from the Great War Channel on Youtube. The link is in the podcast notes or search for the great war on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW Activities and Events WW1 well represented during Memorial Day We are going to open our story about memorial day with a quote about General Pershing from Sandra Pershing his granddaughter-in-law… who quotes the general: [sandra quote audio from video] General Pershing would have been proud - our American World War I veterans were well-remembered and well-honored this Memorial Day! …And that - thanks to the work of hundreds of volunteers across the entire country! The U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at ww1cc.org/events showed over 50 Memorial Day weekend events, exhibits, activities, and parades with a WW1 theme. They were shared by groups and individuals in Arkansas, California, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio, Florida and so many more places. You can read more about the many diverse events that took place on Memorial day at ww1cc.org/news and we encourage you to check out our events register, and to add your upcoming events to it, at ww1cc.org/events - Click on the big red button to put your WW1 related event into the national Register - which will become part of the permanent national archive of the centennial. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2475-wwi-well-represented-on-memorial-day-2017.html ww1cc.org/news ww1cc.org/events Updates From The States Next, it’s time for some updates from the states and this week we begin with TWO stories about New York! WW1 beyond the trenches in NY Historical Society Last week, and exhibit called: World War 1 Beyond the Trenches opened at the New York Historical Society in Manhattan. The exhibit had previously been at the Pennsylvania Academy of the FINE Arts running with great acclaim for several months under the name: World War 1 and American Art. Dr. Robin Jaffee Frank, has curated the show for its presentation at the NY Historical Society. There is another chance to hear Dr. Frank speak about the collection as she'll be giving a special gallery tour on June 26th to explore how artists across generations, aesthetic sensibilities, and the political spectrum used their art to depict, memorialize, promote, or oppose the Great War. It is truly an amazing collection - and a MUST SEE if you are going to be in NY between now and September 3rd. link: https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/%E2%80%8Bw%E2%80%8Borld-war-i-beyond-trenches%E2%80%8B Flagstaff Aglow Now a story about Flagstaff - Not Arizona but still in New York… Near Madison Square Garden… Three years ago the star atop the - Eternal Light Flagstaff - A WW1 memorial in Madison Square Park in Manhattan extinguished. This past week, at the cost of $50,000 - and in time for Memorial Day… the eternal-lit-star shone brightly once again! The flagpole is a monument to the Veterans of WW1 and to New York’s role in the war, a port city that a vast number of doughboys passed through - on their way to and from Europe. Interestingly - It’s also the location of the wreath-laying ceremony which commences New York’s nationally famous annual Veterans Day Parade – the largest in the country. WW1 Centennial Commissioner Libby O’Connell was a speaker at the relighting ceremony along with representatives from the United War Veterans Council, the Madison Square Park Conservancy, the Manhattan Borough President and the New York City Park’s Manhattan Borough Commissioner. Thank you NYC for honoring our Doughboy veterans! link:https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/nyregion/madison-square-park-memorial-day.html?_r=1 Indiana: Aaron R. Fisher On the Indiana State Centennial Commission website at ww1cc.org/indiana, there is an article about Aaron R. Fisher, the mostly highly decorated African American soldier from Indiana to serve in WW1. Fisher was the son of a Civil War veteran and was raised in Lyles Station, Indiana. He joined the army in 1911 way prior to the outbreak of the war -- was promoted to Corporal in 1914 and served under Pershing during the Mexican Punitive Expedition that we talked about last week. He was promoted to Lieutenant during his service in WW1 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross from the U.S. government and the Croix de Guerre from the French government for the bravery and determination he displayed in battle, leading his troops to successfully repel a German raid despite his troops being outnumbered and himself being wounded. Read more about his life - and service at ww1cc.org/indiana or by following the link in the podcast notes. link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/indiana-in-wwi-stories/2391-aaron-r-fisher.html ww1cc.org/indiana Pennsylvania Pennsylvania's nickname is "The Keystone State" because it was the middle colony of the original thirteen colonies, and because Pennsylvania has held a key position in the economic, social, and political development of the United States. In 1917 it was also home to the Eddystone Munitions plant which produced shrapnel shells and other armaments for the war effort. But on April 10th, 1917, just days after America joined the war, it blew up! 139 people were killed when 18 tons of black powder ignited, setting off an explosion that could be felt for ten miles. You can learn all about the Eddystone Munitions plant by visiting ww1cc.org/pennsylvania - all lower case. They have many resources, links and articles there about Pennsylvania during the War including Eddystone, local stories from the era, and much more. Link:ww1cc.org/pennsylvania http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/images/Pennsylvania/EDDYSTONE_MUNITIONS_CO_illustrated2.pdf http://www.delcotimes.com/article/DC/20170325/NEWS/170329777 Education National History Day In our education section we have a follow up to last week’s introduction to National History day. This year’s theme “Taking a Stand in History” With us today is the executive director of National History Day, Dr. Cathy Gorn. [Hi Cathy ] [Cathy - Tell us a little about National History Day and how it evolved from a series of contests to a full-fledged, highly acclaimed national academic program.] [And quite a successful organization to boot! You mentioned that National History Day has a WW1 themed essay section… How was WW1 represented? How did it go? ] Thank you - and your organization for making history bright, new and exciting for our kids - That was Dr. Cathy Gorn the executive director of National History Day, who joined the organization in 1982 - and helped shape it into what it is today - thank you for joining us. link:https://www.nhd.org/ International Report The First World War of Plates This week in our International Report we return to France… This time not for Jazz but for plates. Throughout WW1 both sides of the conflict used an unexpected commonplace object to shore up morale for the home front: decorative plates. A recent article from French website Centenaire.org outlines the history of printed decorative plates and their use as bastions of patriotism during a grueling conflict. The images are compelling and the stories they tell are as well - a sort of patter in the platter. Follow the links in the podcast notes to read more about these propagandistic domestic objects - link:http://centenaire.org/fr/espace-scientifique/arts/la-grande-guerre-des-assiettes Upcoming WW1 film Now from New Zealand - A story about filmic recreation. The Victorian section of Oamaru, a city in New Zealand, was recently turned into war-torn France as a set for filming. The film will become part of an installation dedicated to the Anzac forces that will open in the new - Sir John Monash Media Centre, in France, due to be opened on Anzac Day in 2018. You can see footage from the recent shooting in Oamaru and learn more about the project by following the link in the podcast notes. link:https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/north-otago/town-perfect-ww1-scenes Spotlight in the Media Gwinnett Braves Baseball recognizes doughboys A quick update about WW1 Baseball - As you may know - the singing of the national anthem at baseball games started as a tradition during WW1. In a collaboration with Minor League baseball - a growing number of teams are holding WW1 Veteran events in their stadiums - this story shows how this is bringing awareness of “The War That Changed The world” - to local communities. This past weekend a great article was published in the Gwinnett Daily Post - And for those who may not know - Gwinnett County is a lovely community in Georgia - The article highlights the Gwinnett Braves game on Memorial Day that honored those who served in World War One. Take a read - to see how more communities are engaging in the national conversation on WW1. We’re looking forward to seeing more articles about these exciting Baseball games as they continue throughout the month of June. Follow the link the the podcast notes. link:http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/gwinnett-braves-recognizing-world-war-i-dough-boys-at-memorial/article_6dc8bef1-79b8-52a2-a9c7-0f003ba781a0.html Interview with Donna Crisp Next, we would like to welcome another guest who will introduce us to the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution the NSDAR or more often simply referred to as the DAR. Donna Crisp is the National Vice Chair of Commemorative Events for the 100th Anniversary of WWI and Treaty of Versailles for the DAR. [Hi Donna - welcome] [Donna - That sounds like a really fantastic program - and it also sounds like you and Cathy Gorn should get together and have a chat! [chuckle] Fantastic :) Well thank you very much Donna - That was Donna Crisp - the National Vice Chair of Commemorative Events for the 100th Anniversary of WWI and Treaty of Versailles for the DAR. You can learn more by simply going to D-A-R.org - link: DAR.org Articles and Posts In our Articles and Posts where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org - Howard Sabin Let’s start with a story connected to America’s WW1 Memorial in Pershing park and an article by Sabin Howard - the sculpture for the giant bas-relief wall that is a central part of the design. This week at ww1cc.org/news we have an interview with the sculptor, where he discusses how he created the design using live actors to model elements for him. Read the story at ww1cc.org/news or follow the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2476-four-questions-for-sabin-howard.html ww1cc.org/news Stories of Service On ww1cc.org’s Stories of Service - a section of the web site dedicated to capturing and preserving the stories of the people who served - this week we feature Ladli Prasada Varman. It again shows the immense diversity of those who served one hundred years ago - many of whom were recent immigrants. Varman was such a man - who immigrated to the US in 1913 from east India, settling in Los Angeles. When America entered the war, Varman was drafted into the army. In looking at the Stories of service posting, we noticed that his draft card listed him as caucasian. This is notable because of ongoing events at the time involving the East Indian American Community; a wave of arrests of Indian Nationalists and Germans took place in 1917. They were accused of violating the United States neutrality laws by conspiring on American soil with Germany to overthrow the British Raj. The conspiracy charges led to the Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial—at the time the longest and most expensive trial ever held in the United States. The story of this this Trial, as well as the lives of Indian Americans who served in WW1, is told on our site at ww1cc.org/vande A few days after being drafted, Varman declared his allegiance to the United States of America in California. He went on to serve in the Army from June 1918 to January 1919 and was part of Battery D of the 144th Field Artillery in the 40th Division. Read more about his life and legacy at our Stories of Service page by following the link in the podcast notes. To preserve your own family’s ww1 story in the national archive - we invite you to go to “submit a story of service” at ww1cc.org/stories - all lower case. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/2336-ladli-prasada-l-p-varman.html ww1cc.org/stories ww1cc.org/vande WWrite Blog This Week on the WWrite blog: University of Kansas Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures Associate Professor, Lorie A. Vanchena, discusses - WWI American Immigrant Poetry: A Digital Humanities Project, an impressive and original project about WWI American poetry. The poems discussed are those written in response to World War I by immigrants in the United States and constitute a broad range of commentary on the war—for, against, and much more. Read more about the project by visiting the Wwrite blog at ww1cc.org/w-w-r-i-t-e link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/2472-world-war-i-american-immigrant-poetry-a-digital-humanities-project.html ww1cc.org/wwrite The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts 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? Memorial Day events from around the country We’ve been very busy over the weekend sharing posts on our Facebook page to highlight the many, many different commemorative events that took place this Memorial Day Weekend. If you go to our page and scroll through the timeline you’ll see videos, photos and articles from all across the country. link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/ https://www.facebook.com/TheCherokeeNation/videos/1277989135660195/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE https://www.facebook.com/theworldwar/photos/a.10150262914016241.369716.149455476240/10155306190851241/?type=3&hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/posts/782417271933573 https://www.facebook.com/RichardRubinAuthor/photos/a.264012127354201.1073741828.249364528818961/309000606188686/?type=3&hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE WW1’s Harlem Hellfighters “Half Moan, Half Hallelujah” More people across the country are are talking about WW1 and those who served. This week, the Daily Beast published an informative and moving piece about the Harlem Hellfighters and the black regiments of the war. link:http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/05/29/the-harlem-hellfighters-who-cut-down-germans-and-gave-france-jazz?via=newsletter&source=DDAfternoon The memorial that refuses to glorify war (by richard rubin!) Penned by author Richard Rubin, “The WWI Memorial That Refuses to Glorify War” discusses a WW1 memorial sculpture Les Fantomes, or the Phantoms. It is, according to Rubin, the eeriest war memorial you will ever behold. link:http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/landowski-wwi-memorial-marne-statues Thank you Katherine. A fascinating collection of what’s posted about WW1 in social media - All of Katherine’s stories have links in the podcast notes. Closing And That’s WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening! We want to thank our guests: Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog Dr. Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day Donna Crisp, National Vice Chair of Commemorative Events for the 100th Anniversary of WWI for the DAR Katherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show. 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; This show is a part of that effort! 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 rely entirely on your donations. No government appropriations or taxes are being used, so please give what you can by going to ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case Or if you are listening to the show on your smart phone you can text us a donation - just text the letters: WW1 to the number 41444. 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. As of last week you can also find us on TuneIn. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share what you are learning here about “The War that Changed the World”. So long. [music]
Highlights: New Feature: Now publishing the 1917 Official Bulletin daily at ww1cc.org/bulletin | @ 00:45 History: “You want to send American troops to FRANCE!?!” | @ 05:00 Big News: National WW1 Memorial gets nod and OK from CFA | @ 11:30 Helping out: Peer-to-peer fundraising video for Memorial day | @ 12:30 Sports: Randy Mobley - President of the International League | @ 15:00 Education: St. Mary’s University, Texas students making WW1 Mini Docs | @ 22:15 Theater: New WW1 play in Los Angeles | @ 24:15 Television: Nat Geo TV WW1 Special to air Memorial Day weekend | @ 25:00 Music: 369th experience | @ 25:45 Much more... ----more---- WW1 Centennial News - Weekly Podcast World War One Centennial News: May 10, 2017 Welcome to World War One Centennial News. It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Today is May 17th, 2017 and I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week We have gone back in time 100 years - and the united states government launches the “The Official Bulletin” the country’s war information newspaper. It is published daily under order of the - President of the United States - published - by the Committee on Public Information, George Creel - ChairmanWe have introduced you to George Creel previously. Creel is a journalist, friend and staunch supporter of Woodrow Wilson - especially during the election of 1916. So it’s not surprising that President Wilson appoints Creel to head the newly minted Committee on Public Information - the CPI - as a part of the new war effort. The CPI’s mission is to swing public sentiment and backing in favor of the U.S. war effort. Effectively George Creel is the head of America's propaganda and war information bureau.This includes all aspects of the U.S. media, including print, film, posters, music, paintings, cartoons… everything.One of the key products of the CPI is the Official Bulletin, largely forgotten and gone unnoticed - in the century since.Starting this week, We are re-publishing each issue of this daily historically newspaper on the centennial date of its release. This archive is a wonderful cultural resource that illuminates this dynamic period in our country’s history.Fortunately, the entire archive has been digitized by Google Books and we are very excited to bring it to you as a daily serial on our web site - at ww1cc.org/bulletin - all lower case.The editorial team at WW1 Centennial News is going over the 120 or so weekly articles, bringing you some of the interesting headlines and digging into a story or two.This week, some of the headlines read:“Urgent need of ships for coastal defense is outlined”This article includes the interesting note: A number of the finest yachts in the country have been tendered to the Government by the owners for use during the war, either free or on a nominal lease basis”In the article - the Assistant Secretary of the Navy writes - “We need coastal defenses. The present war is showing that the submarine is a weapon that has an important bearing on the final result.”That astute assistant secretary of the navy in 1917 will become the 32nd President of the United States in 1933 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Another headline reads - MISSION TO RUSSIA.The Department of State authorizes the members of the special diplomatic mission of the United States of America to Russia - our close allies during this war.REGISTRATION DISTINCT FROM THE DRAFT,STATEMENT BY WAR DEPARTMENT EXPLAINSThis article that explains that all young men between 21 and 30 must REGISTER for the draft - but that being drafted is a separate and different issue.This is the first selective service moment in our nation’s history and there is a lot of interest and confusion about how it works.In fact - in the May 12, 1917 issue of the Official Bulletin - there is a great article looking at the number of men in the US who will be subject to QUOTE “selective conscription”.They estimate that around 10 million men between ages 21 and 30 need to register. That is around 10% of the US’ estimated population of 103-104 million people in 1917.Based on state populations, they are looking at around 1 million young men from New York, 875,000 from Pennsylvania, half a million from Illinois, Texas and Ohio, Remember a few weeks ago we talked about the fact that the US had virtually no national military - that in fact the state militias totally outnumbered the federal army. The building of that army is a story we will be following over the coming weeks.Link: ww1cc.org/bulletin Great War Project Joining us now is former NPR correspondent Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. This week Mike also focuses on the domestic struggle to get a handle on what it means - now that we have declared war. Mike - It sure doesn’t sound like the nation is of one mind on this!?[Mike Shuster]LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/05/14/a-volunteer-army-or-the-draft/That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. War in the Sky Let’s take a look at the Great War in the sky one hundred years ago this week. Our story is about the first allied flying boat that managed to down a german Zeppelin.What IS a flying boat. Well It’s different from a pontoon sea-plane that has floats replacing or in addition to landing gear. Instead - flying boats are like ship hulls with wings - they do have pontoons out on the wings for stability when they land and take off - but they are a very desirable concept because they can be big and use a really long distance to take off and land - this works because they don’t need a runway to operate them just a reasonably calm body of water.The Curtiss H series is America’s leading flying boat design in WW1 - In fact, you might remember a few weeks ago when Michael Lombardi boeing’s senior historian, told us about an early Boeing contract to build some Curtiss H series flying boats under licence.Well one hundred years ago this week, a canadian flyer Robert Leike is tooling on patrol around in the north sea near amsterdam with his flight commander John Galpin. It’s nasty and rainy weather and the clouds are low. Around 4:45 am, the weather breaks and they spot a big german Zeppelin - The L-22 about 10-15 miles away.So they give chase to sneak up on her - the flight commander, Lt. Galpin gives Leike the controls and goes to man the twin Lewis Guns. They get to within half a mile before the zep spots them - but by then it’s too late. Leike dives down on her like a hawk as Galpin unloads an entire drum of incendiary bullets into the zeppelin - which catches on fire and crashes into the sea. The tiny wasp has stung the giant beast and prevailed. It’s a win for the allies and the loss of a precious zeppelin for the Germans. Leike is given the distinguished service cross and Galpin the distinguished service order for their action one hundred year ago this week in the great war in the sky.LINK:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Leckie_(RCAF_officer)#World_War_Ihttps://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/air-vice-marshal-robert-leckie/ The Great War Channel Let’s move on to our friends from the Great War Channel on Youtube. They have produced a library of over 400 videos - about WW1 - over the past few years. The videos provide detailed insights - as well as summaries and overviews - If you want to explore WW1 on video we recommend the Great War channel on Youtube - This week the new episodes include: One hundred years ago this week - The Macedonian Standoff - The Five Nation Army Is Repelled And another episode which is a special - shot on location in France with the dutch development team from the Battle of Verdun video game. They explore the validity (or not) of teaching about WW1 with video game technology. This is a really interesting discussion. Follow the link in the podcast notes.Link:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW We have moved forward into the present with WW1 Centennial News NOW - News about the centennial and the commemoration.We will begin with some breaking news from the World War One Centennial Commission.As you know, surprisingly, there is no National WW1 memorial in our nation’s capital.We are very happy to report that on May 18, our concept and design for the National WWI Memorial at Pershing Park, in Washington DC received concept approval from Washington’s Commission of Fine Arts, the CFA - a body that needs to approve everything being built in the Nation’s Capital.You can check out the latest design and learn more about the project at link: ww1cc.org/memorialWe offer our congratulations to WW1 Centennial Commission Vice Chair Edwin Fountain, the designers of the concept Joe Weishaar and Sabin Howard and the WW1 memorial project team that have worked tirelessly to adapt the project vision to the input and requests of the CFA.Just in time for memorial day, we are now clear to proceed with our missions to honor the WW1 Doughboys with their own national memorial in Washington DC. So now - We are asking you - our audience to help us spread the word with a little peer-to-peer fundraising for this project. It is really easy for you to help - Some great people have recorded - special memorial day, 20 second donation appeals video for us - You can post on your web sites and social media pages asking to support this important centennial project.We have 20 second videos specifically for memorial day from former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Former US senator and ambassador Carol Moseley BraunThe step-grand-daughter of General of the Armies Black Jack Pershing - Ms. Sandra Sinclair PershingRetired Army General, news commentator and business consultant General Barry McCaffreyAnd Tech guru, internet pioneer and google senior fellow Vinton CerfAll YOU need to do it to post these videos on your facebook page, your website, or your other social media channels and tell your friends about our project. You can find the videos and lots of other great resources including an amazing public domain WW1 image library at ww1cc.org/promotion. Please do it today - Memorial day is coming up on May 29. Help us build a national ww1 memorial in Washington DCThank you!link:http://ww1cc.org/promotion Activities and Events ABMC LivestreamOn to activities and event - Starting with a livestream from the ABMC. The American Battle Monuments Commission.On Tuesday, May 16th, two American Battle Monuments historians talked about photos from their collection in the ABMCs first Facebook Live chat. They discussed Memorial Day in 1919 and the role of photography in remembrance and commemoration of the First World War. You can watch the video of the event on their facebook page. We put the link in the podcast notes - Congratulations to the AMBC on your first facebook livestream - we are looking forward to many more.link:https://www.facebook.com/abmcpage/videos/1525585880793451/Wilton CT: ArchivingIn Wilton Connecticut, the Wilton library will be holding a World War I Memorabilia Digitization Day on Saturday, May 20. Community Members can stop by to have their stories recorded and keepsakes scanned, photographed, and digitized. The results will be added to the State Library’s “Remembering World War One” digital project. They will be focusing on wart front related, home front related, or other war efforts. The library has teamed with the Connecticut State Library, American Legion Post 86 and the Wilton Historical Society to produce the event.link:http://www.wiltonbulletin.com/100054/residents-asked-to-contribute-to-online-wwi-archive/International Baseball LeagueAnd as we have been leading up to for the past few weeks - it’s time for peanuts, crackerjack, baseball and WW1 veterans remembrance days.With us today is the president of the East coast’s International League, Mr. Randy Mobley. Randy, you’ve been such an great supporting partner in this program for the WW1 commemoration - Thank you and welcome to the show![Randy Mobley]Your league is supporting a dozen games with WW1 remembrances between now and memorial day - how did that happen?[Randy Mobley]What are some of the events that are happening? [Randy Mobley]Tell us about the International League - How did it get it’s name[Randy Mobley]link:http://ww1cc.org/baseballhttp://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=l117Thank you Randy Mobley - President of International League [closing] Updates from the States Kentucky and slugger stadiumThis coming Sunday on May 21st, in Louisville Kentucky at Slugger Field, the Kentucky state and the national WW1 Centennial Commissions are teaming up with the Louisville Bats for a WW1 commemoration day at the park.Heather French-Henry was on KHAS Channel 11 - the local ABC affiliate - earlier this week where they spoke about the upcoming event at Slugger Field.[clip from show]Michigan: 16th Engineers (railroad) an all-volunteer regimentOn the Michigan State Commission website at ww1cc.org/michigan, there is an article this week about a unique regiment: the 16th Engineers (railroad). The regiment was organized, mobilized and trained entirely in Detroit, In WW1 Michigan, uniquely, was made up entirely of volunteers. So while the federal government was focusing on conscription and the draft - Many, many people willingly and enthusiastically volunteered, whether they were men in Detroit or mothers and wives across the county. Read more about the 16th and their accomplishments abroad, including the construction of the largest AEF construction project of the war, by visiting the Michigan State Centennial Commission website at ww1cc.org/michigan - all lower case.link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/michigan-in-ww1-articles/1524-16th-engineers-regiment-railway.htmlhttp://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/michigan-in-ww1-home-page.htmlNorth Carolina Department of Transportation In North Carolina, Red poppies are blooming along the highways in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of our nation’s entry into World War I.To help honor those who served, North Carolina’s Department of Transportation Roadside Environmental unit planted an additional 70 acres of red poppies, an internationally recognized remembrance of sacrifice - for our military veterans. The poppies are part of the U.S. World War I Commission’s nationwide efforts to raise awareness and give meaning to the events that took place 100 years ago.The department spoke with their native son and national WW1 Centennial Commissioner - Jerry Hester.[Jerry Hester interview]link:https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=13830 Education St. Mary’s University and Commissioner General Alfredo ValenzuelaIn our education update section we have a story from Texas:Professor Teresa Van Hoy’s class - at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, has been given an incredible opportunity to connect with the legacy of WW1. With the support of WW1 Centennial Commissioner General Alfredo Valenzuela, Van Hoy guides her students to research, write and produce a series of mini-documentaries about the war. Students get to choose a topic that interests them, allowing for their voice and perspective to enter the work. The last batch of documentaries will be ceremoniously published online on the centennial of armistice day, November 11, 2018 at 11:11am. BUT you don’t have to wait till then to check out these great mini docs You can watch them now on youtube.Just follow the link in the podcast notes. I watched a 4 minute student peace that was published yesterday called Shell Shock with actual footage of WW1 soldiers in the post traumatic states. It’s pretty powerful! Thank you professor Van Hoy for putting this program together.link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2269-four-questions-for-teresa-van-hoy.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzMXnsatQMMtOUdzDOQ4eEg International Report India: Embroidery and rehabilitating wounded soldiersFrom India - A story about post war recovery and the healing power of embroidery. In this story about WW1 soldiers who, reluctantly at first, embraced embroidery as a therapy.Also known as “fancy work” - embroidery was widely used as a form of therapy for British and ANZAC soldiers wounded in the War – challenging the gendered construct of it - as “women’s work” . Themes of the soldiers’ embroidery ranged from military heraldry to scenes from the French countryside to pieces for their sweethearts. You can read more about some individuals who benefitted from embroidery, and see some of their embroidered pieces by following the link in the podcast notes.link:https://thewire.in/133810/first-world-war-embroidery/ Spotlight in the Media Rajiv Joseph’s play ArchdukeIn Los Angeles, Playwright Rajiv Joseph has staged and opened a new play about WW1 called “Archduke”. Commissioned by the Center Theater Group on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Joseph’s slyly relevant new period dramedy ends where most accounts of World War I begin: with the death of the Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Ferdinand. The play runs from April 25th to June 4th. You can purchase tickets as well as read a review of the play by following the link in the podcast notes.link:https://variety.com/2017/legit/reviews/archduke-review-rajiv-joseph-1202421536/https://www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/mark-taper-forum/2017-18/archduke/National Geographic Television will air their special “America’s Great War 1917-1918” on Sunday May 28th at 9pm and Monday May 29th at 10:50pm. Their press release states: “Through unreleased archives and contemporary footage shot in the archeological digs of World War I's battlefields, the show will tell the heroic and tragic tale of the American soldiers in who participated in the conflict.”Thank you Nat Geo TV for producing the wonderful work! We look forward to in time for memorial day!link:http://www.natgeotv.com/za/shows/natgeo/america-s-great-war-1917-1918 Articles and Posts The 369th ExperienceOne of the sites you’ll find is for the 369th Experience. Go to ww1cc.org/369 - this is a project endorsed by the World War I Centennial Commission and sponsored in part by The Coca Cola Foundation. The project re-creates the Harlem Hellfighter’s 369th Regimental Band. The band originally consisted of 65 African American and Puerto Rican doughboys who charmed the hearts and minds of Americans and Europeans alike. It is said that they brought Jazz to Europe.Beginning last November, the program solicited freshmen and sophomore music students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other colleges and universities across America to enter a competition to be selected to join a re-creation of the 369th band.The band members have now been selected.And this past week it was announced that Dr. Isrea Butler, will lead the band as they retrace the steps of the original 369th, with performances at centennial celebrations in New York City; Brest and Paris in France; and a host of other historic locales. Dr. Buttler is currently the Director of Bands at The University of Maryland Eastern Shore. To learn more about the program you can go to ww1cc.org/369 or follow the link in the podcast notes.link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2370-dr-isrea-butler-to-lead-369th-experience-band-s-historic-re-creation.htmlWwrite BlogThis week in our WWrite blog - which explores WWI’s Influence on Contemporary Writing and Scholarship, the post is titled “Censored WWI Works Part 2: Mary Borden's Forbidden Zone and Backwash of War by Ellen LaMotte”In the post, WWrite Blog curator Jennifer Orth-Veillon discusses two censored yet extraordinary works by Army nurses: Ellen Lamotte's “The Backwash of War” and Mary Borden's “The Forbidden Zone”. Both Mary Borden and Ellen Lamotte were field hospital nurses who witnessed some of WWI's worst casualties and went on to write about the experience. The post - discusses how many artistic works were censored after WWI because they seemingly portrayed the conflict, or the countries involved, in a negative light. Today, many of these previously censored works are considered among the best artistic representations of the war - in part - because of to the realistic way they painted a horrible, gory, corrupt, and anti-triumphant picture of combat and trench warfare. Read more about these women and their literary contributions at the ww1cc.org/w-w-r-i-t-e. All lowe case.link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/2337-censored-wwi-books-2-mary-borden-s-forbidden-zone-and-backwash-of-war-by-ellen-lamotte.html100 Cities / 100 MemorialsFor the 100 cities / 100 memorials project - the $200,000 matching grant challenge to restore ailing WW1 memorials around the country - there is a new blog post this week profiling some of the recent grant applications to the program - One from Santa Monica California - and another from Tennessee’s Madison Country…MOST important - a reminder for anyone involved in a WW1 memorial restoration project - large or small - it is just ONE MONTH until the submission deadline on June 15, 2017.You can follow the program and sign up for the blog at ww1cc.org/100 memorials ! The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts 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?Mother’s Day Dispatch from the FrontAn illustrated dispatch from the War Work Council on Mother's Day, 1918 Link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.774612519380715.1073741840.185589304949709/774612526047381/?type=3PershingA summary biography of Gen. Pershing, tapped 100 years ago this week to lead the AEF. link:https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatWar191418/photos/pcb.1045309348934649/1045306408934943/?type=3&theater Closing That’s WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening!We want to thank our guests Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blogRandy Mobley, president of the International LeagueKatherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show.And I am Theo Mayer - your host this week.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 as you heard earlier, we received approval on our design for a National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.We are not federally funded. We depend entirely on donations for doing this work… You can help by donating any amount at ww1cc.org/donate, you can help us with peer-to-peer fundraising by posting the donation appeal videos from ww1cc.org/promotion and if you are listening to this podcast on your smart phone - you can just text ww1 to 41444 to make a donation large or small.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 joining us. And don’t forget to talk to someone about the centennial of WW1 this week. So long.[music] SUBSCRIPTIONS WW1 Centennial News Video Podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ww1-centennial-news/id1209764611?mt=2 Weekly Dispatch Newsletterhttp://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.htm
Highlights: Feature: Mothers in WW1 | @ 00:45 Guest: Mike Shuster on poetry in the trenches | @ 06:30 War In The Sky: Colonel Rene Fonck | @ 10:15 Recipe: The Monkey Gland | @ 13:05 Guest: Nathan King on new National Park Service WW1 web site | @ 14:00 International: Albert Ball new journal released | @ 20:00 Media: Gordon Thomas Ward new single - “The Boys of 17” | @ 21:30 Web: New WW1 Promotion Tool Kit at ww1cc.org/promotion | @ 25:00----more---- World War One Centennial News: May 10, 2017 Welcome to World War One Centennial News. It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Today is May 3rd, 2017 and I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host today. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week We have gone back in time 100 years. It is 1917 and we are coming up on Mother’s day.Mothers always play a special and difficult role in war and WW1 is certainly no exception - let’s take take a look.The motherhood image plays a key role in America’s recruitment campaigns - The war propaganda artists use mother figures to remind young men of their duty to their country and family, and to assure them of how proud their mothers and wives will be when they become soldiers.One notable poster shows a mother and a wife embracing a newly minted recruit with the slogan: ‘They are proud of you. Be of proud of yourself!”Another shows a mother inviting a reluctant young man forward with the slogan: GO. It’s your duty lad! Join today.Mothers are the homefront resource managers - They are fundraisers for the war effort promoting war bonds, and raising money with bake sales and raffles, all the while - they conserve - they keep the family home and life going - under sharp rationing of essential goods - and they are filling in all sorts of places - as American men take up soldiering.Mothers are the healers as they nurse the wounded. A world war 1 red cross propaganda poster shows a caring nurse with the slogan - “The Greatest Mother in the world”.They are also healers in another way. The devastating loss of life in World War I leaves many mothers with the heartbreaking task of mourning and memorializing their dead. One of the memorial symbols is the Gold Star. Families are hanging popular “Man-in-Service” flags in their windows - red, white and a blue star - mourning mothers cover that blue star with gold fabric, symbolizing their loss. Women are encouraged to forgo traditional mourning garb in favor of a simpler black armband with a gold star. Woodrow Wilson refers to these women as the gold star mothers. Moving forward 10 years to 1928, the organization American Gold Star Mothers is founded. To this day, mothers - who have lost a child in military service - wear - a gold star pin to honor the deceased.Moving forward to the present, we addressed the difficult conflict of motherhood in war during the commission’s April 6 commemoration event “in Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace” with a medley sung in counterpoint . Here is Chrissy Poland with “America, Here’s My Boy” and Ramona Dunlap with “I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier”.[music]To mothers of soldiers everywhere - we salute you and thank you for bearing your gold star burden. Great War Project Joining us now is former NPR correspondent Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. This week Mike is going to cover a very thoughtful post from the great war project blog about poetry in the trenches.Mike it seems like the very nature of this nearly unimaginable trench warfare is becoming as much a battle of the spirit as it is a combat of arms. Tell us about it.[Mike Shuster]LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/05/09/bitterness-among-the-troops-is-growing/Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. War in the Sky One hundred years ago this week in the great war in the sky, a french pilot - Colonel Rene Fonck downs 6 German aircraft in a single day. Let's meet this interesting man, whose skills ultimately earn him the title of Allied Ace of Aces, but who has a personality that does not match the cool bravado and hero-of-the-sky that many of his compatriots garner.Fonck is apparently a meticulous man who with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, receives conscription papers - and becomes an engineer building trenches and re-enforcements - but his interest in planes lead him to take flight training.Like France's leading ace, Captain Georges Guynemer, a dashing hero-of-the-sky, he begins flying the limited production SPAD S.XII. This aircraft features a hand-loaded 37mm cannon that fires through the propeller. This is a really unwieldy weapon, but Fonck manages to down 11 German planes with the cannon. He then transitions to the more powerful SPAD S.XIII. Later in 1917 the Germans applaud when beloved French Ace - Guynemer - is shot down by their Lieutenant Kurt Wisseman. Just a short time later Fonck shoots down Wisseman and names himself "the tool of retribution." Though in the end it turns out the aircraft downed by Fonck was most likely flown by a different Wisseman.He IS an amazing flier.By the end of the war he has 75 confirmed kills making him the Allied Ace of Aces. though - he submits claims for 142 - only 75 are confirmed. Despite his stunning success in the air, Fonck is never embraced by the public. He has a withdrawn personality, he seldom socializes with other pilots and instead prefers to focus on improving his aircraft and planning tactics. When Fonck does socialize, he is thought of as awkward, arrogant and egotistical. To quote a fellow flier - Fonck is a "slashing rapier" in the sky, but on the ground he is a "a tiresome braggart"On the other hand - he DID survive the war! We salute you Colonel Rene Fonck from the Great War in the sky 100 years ago this week.LINK:https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-i-colonel-rene-fonck-2360477http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/fonck.htmhttp://ww1cc.org/warinthesky The Great War Channel Let’s move on to our friends from the Great War Channel on Youtube. They offer great videos about WW1 - This week their new episodes include: Reinventing Cavalry in WW1 - Bulgarian General Ivan Kolev The Battle of Arleux - Robert Nivelle gets fired Out of the trenches! Link:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW Activities and Events Taste of trenches: Follow upThe Michigan World War 1 Centennial Commission recently held a wonderful local event - “A Taste of the Trenches”, an event featuring cocktails, food and music from the era. As a fundraiser, their guests were treated to WW1 exhibits including “Combat uniforms on the Western Front”, a musical group “The Dugouts” provided WW1 era musical entertainment, and a bar that featured WW1 era cocktails like the B&B (Brandy & Benedictine), Vin Rouge, Side Cars, French 75s and the wonderfully named Monkey Gland. What IS a monkey gland!? Well, if you’d like to know, The Michigan State Commission has generously shared their cocktail recipe book with us, and you’ll find the link in the podcast notes!link:ww1cc.org/images/podcasts/WW1Cocktails.pdfNational Park Service: An interview with Nathan KingThe National Park Service has recently launched a WW1 web site. With us today is Nathan King - the National Capital Region’s Digital Communications Specialist for the National Park Service - Welcome.Your process for collecting the stories for the web site is quite unique - tells us how you did that.[Nathan King]That was Nathan King - the National Capital Region’s Digital Communications Specialist for the National Park Servicelink:https://www.nps.gov/subjects/worldwari/index.htmhttp://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2265-national-park-service-shares-forgotten-wwi-stories-from-parks.htmlNational Museum of the Marine Corps The National Museum of the Marine Corps, is located in Quantico, Virginia. They have started to hold biweekly WW1 Wednesdays -- there’s one today the May 10th and the next one will be May 24th. WW1 Wednesdays include activities for children as well as informational displays.Then on JUNE 10th: they are holding a WW1 themed Family day- and event that will commemorate the battle of belleau wood - a story we will be talking about more in the coming weeks.There are links in the podcast notes.link:http://www.usmcmuseum.com/calendar-of-events.htmlhttp://www.usmcmuseum.com/uploads/6/0/3/6/60364049/wwi_family_day_2__1.pdf Updates From The States Baseball with the International LeagueLast week we announced the first of many collaborations with the commission and professional sports. We have been working with the president of the International League, so this May and into June, various league teams are going to hold - WW1 night - honoring the doughboys. If you are a baseball fan, we just launched a new web page that gives you the schedule at ww1cc.org/baseball - all lower case ww1cc.org/baseballHawaii: Baseball’s greatest sacrificeSpeaking of baseball - from Hawaii’s WW1 web site at ww1cc.org/hawaii - we have a new post in the articles section about a Hawaiian WW1 soldier who was a renowned local baseball player. Apau “Sam” Kau, was a Chinese American pitcher. He deployed to France in July 1918 at 28 years old and served with the 315th infantry. Sam lost his life on November 5th, just six days shy of armistice. Learn more about this man as an athlete and a soldier at ww1cc.org/hawaii link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/hawaii-wwi-centennial-articles/2028-baseballs-greatest-sacrifice.htmlhttp://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/hawaii-wwi-centennial-home.htmlArkansas WW1 Centennial Commission MinutesFrom the Arkansas the State WW1 Commission comes an interesting program - and idea that other state commissions may want to explore - they have created a weekly 1 minute radio series in collaboration with local public radio station KUAR 89.1 FM; these segments highlight stories of Arkansan life during the war and you can listen to them online at their website the link in the podcast notes.Link:http://www.wwiarkansas.com/arkansas-wwi-minuteswww.wwiarkansas.com/Delaware: A behind the scenes tour of the public archivesIn Delaware - On Saturday, May 6, visitors were treated to a “behind the scenes” tour of the Delaware Public Archives. This tour of the building was done in conjunction with a local holiday, which is celebrated in Delaware’s capital every year, known as ‘Old Dover Days’.As a special feature, this tour showcased a display of 36 World War I propaganda posters from 1917-1918 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into the war. The posters encouraged participation from the American public with rationing food and raw materials, as well as buying government bonds to help fund the war effort.link:http://archives.delaware.gov/outreach/publicprograms.shtml International Report Albert Ball’s final journal entryOn to our international reportThe title reads Albert Ball’s final journal entryFrom the UK - Last week we mentioned the death of Albert Ball, famous British flying ace, during our War in the Sky segment. Ball’s surviving relatives just released his last journal entry to the public for the first time over the weekend, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of his death. Ball’s great-niece, who takes care of his journals now, wants the public to know that Ball, was not the loner everyone supposes he was and that his optimism, enthusiasm and love of life shines through in the entries of his journal. Read more about his journal through the link in the podcast notes, It’s a great reminder that even though we know a lot about the events of the conflict, there is always more to discover and learn about the people who sacrificed in the war.link:http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/800709/Captain-Albert-Ball-VC-war-diary-final-entry-Royal-Flying-Corps-fighter-pilotCambrai tank veteran “Deborah” prepares for moveFrom France a tank was discovered after lying buried for decades, It’s named Deborah the Mark IV female tank and is about to move further than she has in a hundred years. She’s been sitting in a barn in Flesquieres for the last few years and now, with the help of two heavy duty cranes and a special transporter, she’ll be moved to her forever home at the new World War museum dedicated to the Battle of Cambrai - Read more about her upcoming move as well as about how she was discovered by a local french man - by Following the link in the podcast notes.link:http://www.centenarynews.com/article/cambrai-tank-veteran-deborah-prepares-for-centenary-movehttps://www.thegoodlifefrance.com/deborah-tank-at-flesquieres-france/ Spotlight in the Media With us today is singer-songwriter, Gordon Thomas Ward who wrote and produced a single - The boys of 17. Welcome Gordon.Tell us about the project and the song.[Gordon Ward][music]That was musician author and radio host Gordon Thomas Ward.link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2247-composing-the-boys-of-17.html Articles and Posts Promotion ToolkitWe have a new resource section on the site called the Promotion Toolkit The toolkit offers resources for promotion of commemoration events, reportage, activities, and fundraising. There is general information, the War that Changed The World logo, stock video footage, a great high-resolution library of ww1 public domain photos, educational videos about the war and if you want to do a little peer-to-peer fundraising for us and our programs, we have donation appeal videos that you can post on your facebook, website or other social media asking for help in raising the money to build a national WW1 memorial in Washington DC to honor our doughboy veterans.Stories of ServiceSpeaking of doughboys - you know that there are no longer any living ww1 veterans - but you can keep your family ww1 veteran’s memory alive at our Family ties - stories Stories of Service site! Where you can submit your ancestor’s story along with pictures at ww1cc.org/stories From the Stories of Service archive - this week we feature Thad Manning Mangum. His story was submitted by his grandson, Michael. Thad served in Company K in the 323rd Infantry Regiment - 81st Army Division - the fighting Wildcats. He was mustered into the Army in front of the Courthouse in Greenville, NC on May 25, 1918 and by 3 am the next morning was on a train and on his way to South Carolina for basic. By August 16th, 1918 her arrived in France where he served in the Vosge Mountain area until armistice. Meet Thad and learn more about his life and service at our Stories of Service page. You can also submit photos and stories of the WW1 veterans in your family and they will be preserved in perpetuity in the national archive at ww1cc.org/stories Link:http://ww1cc.org/stories http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/2225-thad-manning-mangum.htmlWwrite BlogHow I turned a family archive into an epic saga of the Great WarIn our WWrite blog - which explores WWI’s Influence on Contemporary Writing and Scholarship, This week's post is titled “How I turned a family archive into an epic saga of the Great War”It features journalist, writer, and teacher, Richard Bachus. For the post, Bachus discusses the complex process of writing his novel, “Into No Man's Land” , which was inspired by a family archival collection of letters and other artifacts dating from his grandfather's experience in WWI as a Trench Commander in France to the present. If you are interested in WWI’s Influence on Contemporary Writing and Scholarship - sign up to follow the Wwrite blog at ww1cc.org/W-W-R-I-T-ERichard Bachus also curates his own blog on the commission web site called trench commander providing details and insights that go well beyond his book. You can follow that at ww1cc.org/trench-commander all lower case.link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/2264-rich-bachus-on-the-making-of-a-new-world-war-i-novel-part-1.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts Moving on to the WW1 and social media with The Buzz and also with Katherine Akey - Katherine - what is happening with the WW1 commemoration and social media this week?The French let the Germans know the US has entered the warhttps://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/771407626367871/?type=3&theaterDiary of a War Nurse: PBShttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/diary-war-nurse/The Radium Girlshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/authorkatemoore/the-light-that-does-not-lie Closing That’s WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening!We want to thank our guests Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blogNathan King, Digital Communications Specialist for the National Park Service, National Capital RegionGordon Thomas Ward, Musician, Author, Radio Host, & PresenterKatherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show.And I am Theo Mayer - your host this week.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 we are building a National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.We rely entirely on your donations. No government appropriations or taxes are being used, so please give what you can by going to ww1cc.org/donate - all lower caseOr if you are on your smart phone text the word: WW1Now to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 and the letters now to 41444WW1 Centennial News is brought to you as a part of that effort. 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 joining us. And don’t forget to talk to someone about the centennial of WW1 this week. So long.[music] SUBSCRIPTIONS WW1 Centennial News Video Podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ww1-centennial-news/id1209764611?mt=2 Weekly Dispatch Newsletterhttp://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.htm
Highlights: 1917 - US makes $200,000,000 loan to UK | @ 01:20 Guest - Michael Lombardi: Profile of William Boeing as an entrepreneur and visionary | @ 07:15 Events - WW1 gets into the swing of baseball games | @ 12:30 Guest - Jordan Beck: Sgt. Stubby the animated film profile and update | @ 15:30 International - ABMC sponsors WW1 education program with American School in Paris | @ 21:00 Web - Vande Mataram site launches on ww1cc.org | @ 21:45 Social Media - moss is mostly good | @ 26:00----more---- WW1 Centennial News - Weekly PodcastApril 26, 2017 Welcome to World War One Centennial News. It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. Today is May 3rd, 2017 and I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host today. World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week Although America can’t immediately field a giant fighting force and ship it to the Western Front - the US government is going “all in” in other ways.No longer limited under a declaration of war, the US Navy gets busy and sends destroyers across the Atlantic to engage German U-boats, which are ravaging allied shipping. Remember, the US Navy has been a force to be reckoned with for a hundred years - ever since it distinguished itself during the War of 1812 - a war, incidentally, AGAINST the British not for them. Meanwhile, we not only have an effective Navy but we also have money. Unlike our European allies and foes, we haven’t depleted our economy through years of war - so, President Wilson’s Treasury Secretary, William McAdoo puts together a ginormous loan for the Bank of England. He hands them a check for $200 million dollars - the equivalent of 4 billion today.. That is the largest single check the US Treasury had ever written. But we Americans are a pragmatic lot. This is - of course - not a gift. It’s a loan. And - as has become typical with a lot of US international governmental dealings - to this very day - the money is only to be used to pay American companies for products and services on behalf of the UK’s war efforts. So it’s a loan to our allie - to be paid back - and to be used to purchase American goods from US suppliers. War has always been good for business.One more interesting note… and yet another amazing parallel in history. Mr. McAdoo - our secretary of the treasury - also happens to be President Wilson’s son-in-law. Family in the cabinet is a long standing tradition! Meanwhile, on the western front in Europe things are near disastrous. The mutinies among the French troops are expanding. For example, the 2nd battalion of the 18th french regimen suffered two thirds casualties in the Nivelle offensive around April 16th.Just 10 days later, the general command sends in a new crop of officers, the original ones having been killed 10 days earlier. The men are ordered back to the front. This does not go down well - and Instead of heading for the front, the troops ransack the local stores of wine and get soused - shouting - “Down With The War”. They clearly have had enough.This was unfortunately not an isolated incident. On the same day in the Champagne region, two hundred men fled into the woods rather than report back to the front.Link: http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/160002079918/first-us-war-loan-to-britainhttp://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/160108119108/us-congress-approves-selective-service-acthttp://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/160140287178/french-mutinies-spread Great War Project Joining us to tell us more about how the germans are using the demoralization of the allied troops - not only in France but also in Russia - is former NPR correspondent Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. Russia is effectively in revolution - costing the allies a crucial partner - and delighting the Germans who happily FUEL the fires of dissent.Mike what’s happening with Russia?LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/04/30/will-russia-stay-in-the-war/Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. War in the Sky In the great war in the sky 100 years ago this week, we are wrapping up Bloody April - a disastrous period for the allied flyers where a new pilot had a life expectancy of just 11 days. Two allied aces that are lost in late April and early March are American pilot John J. Malone and British ace Captain Albert Ball who is killed in a crash following a dog fight with Lothar Von Richthoven, the brother of Manfred Von Richthoven, the red baron - both brothers are German pilots.On the US domestic front, last week we told you the story about the launch of the Boeing Aircraft company. We received a lot of feedback and interest on the story. So with us today is Michael Lombardi, the senior corporate historian for the Boeing company. Michael thank you for joining us.Michael, re-branding his company, The Pacific Aero Products Company - a component supplier - to the Boeing Airplane Company - a airplane supplier - within days of a US declaration of war carries all the “business acumen”, “entrepreneurial spirit ”, ‘Innovation” and “technology” attributes that define much of the American Character that emerged as a result of WW1. We want to know more about mr. William Boeing. Could you give us some insight?[Michael reply]What did the company do during the 18 months of the war? And what did it do the years following?[Michael reply]WW1 is the war that changed the world - William Boeing and the company he founded are certainly a part of this. Thank you Michael Lombardi, Senior corporate historian for the Boeing company.LINK:http://ww1cc.org/warinthesky The Great War Channel For video about WW1 history - our friends at the Great War Channel on Youtube have some new posts for you this week: OUT OF THE TRENCHES is another episode of where Indy Nidell answers viewer questions Turmoil In The French Army expands on the challenges we have been speaking about. And Fight For Air Supremacy - Bloody April 1917 is a great summary of the war in the sky in 2017 The videos are really informative and another great way to follow the history of WW1 from a more european perspective.Link:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW Activities and Events Baseball It’s spring - and the “boys of summer” are getting ready for another season!We’re happy to announce the first of many collaborations with the WW1 centennial and professional sports. The Commission has been working with the president of the International League, an east coast minor baseball league. This May and into June, they are going to highlight centennial commemoration during games. Each park will have a slightly different way of showcasing the history of WW1; In Louisville one of the Commissioners is throwing out the first pitch and in Virginia the state WW1 Commission plans to have a living history truck. The will invite people to bring in pictures of their ancestors who fought in WW1 to be scanned and archived right then and there. They will also receive help researching the images so the family leaves knowing more about their family’s veteran and service. Upcoming games with schedule WW1 centennial events include: May 20 - Scranton [Wilkes Barre Rail Riders]May 21 - Louisville [Bats]May 23 - Charlotte [Knights]May 27 - Pawtucket [Red Sox]May 29 - Gwinnett [Braves]June 1-4 Norfolk [Tides]For a complete list of the league’s games follow the link in the podcast notes. Updates From The States Arkansas: On the Fields and In the Trenches: Relics of the First World WarIn “The Land of Opportunity” state - Arkansas - at the State Archives in Little Rock, there is an exhibit honoring and exploring the US and state’s involvement in WW1 through artifacts, documents and photographs. Many of these historic items were picked up off the battlefields by Louis C. Gulley, a local working as a postmaster for the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during the war. This month, they are expanding that exhibit - adding a traveling exhibit: The Great War: Arkansas in World War I, that showcases images from the Arkansas State Archives and highlights the achievements and sacrifices of Arkansans in the war. Stop by before May 6th to catch both of these exhibits!Link: http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=l117http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/michigan-in-ww1-events/eventdetail/27125/a-taste-of-the-trenches.htmlhttp://archives.arkansas.gov/outreach/exhibits/traveling.aspxhttp://archives.arkansas.gov/outreach/exhibits/current.aspxMassachusetts: 104th Infantry Regiment of the 26th Division of the Massachusetts National Guard MemorialIn Massachusetts - where 6,500 Springfield residents fought in WWI, one regiment in particular is being remembered this week. Brian Willette, of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and the city’s Veterans Services Department organized a ceremony, to honor the 104th infantry regiment of the 26th Massachusetts National Guard. The 104th were the first American military unit to be given a foreign decoration for valor during battle, the Croix de Guerre. Mayor Domenic Sarno, and Eric Segundo, Massachusetts State Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars placed a wreath at the monument to the 104th. They later raised our World War I Centennial commemoration flag.Link: http://wamc.org/post/memorial-honors-heroes-world-war-i Spotlight in the Media For our listeners who do not know him, let me introduce Sergeant Stubby. He was a DOG --- who served for 18 months and participated in seventeen battles on the Western Front. Stubby saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, found and comforted the wounded, and once caught a German soldier by the seat of his pants, holding him until human American soldiers arrived. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and decorated with medals. Back home, his exploits were front page news in major newspapers. Well Sergeant Stubby’s exploits are being turned into an animated film - and with us today for an update on the movie is Jordan Beck, Head of Communications for Fun Academy Motion Pictures. Welcome Jordan.Give us an overview and update on the project[Jordan Beck]That was Jordan Beck, Head of Communications for Fun Academy Motion Pictures. Education The Monuments ProjectCombining our international and education reports - here is a story about the students at the American School in Paris. They recently started a new class assignment—the Monuments Project. With more than 35,000 Americans buried or memorialized overseas from World War I, there are thousands of untold stories, and the students are uncovering some of these unknown, personal histories.The project is a collaboration between the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) in the Paris area, the American School of Paris and with Lopez Island Middle High School of Washington State. 100 students in France and Washington State began working together to research the lives of soldiers who entered the service.Learn more about it by following the link in the podcast notes.Link: https://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/telling-untold-stories-world-war-i-soldiers-sailors-and-marines-suresnes-american?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=#.WP-LAWeKGMEhttp://www.monumentsproject.org/ Posts and Articles Vande Mataram in the USAThere is a new sub-site that went live this week.Vande Mataram in the USA is a site about Asian Indians in World War I AmericaWhen the United States entered World War I, only a few tens of thousands of immigrants from colonial India lived in the nation, most on the West Coast. Yet this tiny community received enormous press coverage immediately after the declaration of war. The spotlight came from a wave of arrests of Indian Nationalists and Germans accused of conspiring to overthrow the British Raj. But while the press was focused on covering the plot and trial, many Asian Indian immigrants were serving in the United States armed forces. Their record of service and their struggle for civil rights after WWI led eventually to full citizenship rights for themselves and their descendants.Check out their story at ww1cc.org/vande V-A-N-D-E all lower case.link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/vande-mataram-home.html100 Cities/100 MemorialsFor 100 Cities / 100 Memorial - the $200,000 matching grant program for rescuing ailing WW1 memorials - we want to put out a reminder that there are less than 45 days before the grant application submissions close.We know this is not enough time to crank up a whole project - but don’t miss the deadline if you are doing one of these project. Also, if you have a WW1 memorial project and you do not know about the program - you still have time to apply at ww1cc.org/100memorials - any restoration project completed after January 1, 2014 and November 11, 2018 qualifies. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/100-cities-100-memorials-home.htmlMilitary Times and WW1The Military Times is running a series of articles about each military branch’s experiences during WW1. This week, there is a great article about the Marine Corps and their bravery at Belleau Wood authored by Retired Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, who served 36 years in the Marine Corps. Read the story by following the link in the podcast notes.Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2231-world-war-i-and-the-marine-corps-bravery-at-belleau-wood-set-the-tone-for-today-s-force.htmlWwrite BlogFrench WW1 era censorship of Film and LiteratureIn our WWrite blog - which explores WWI’s Influence on Contemporary Writing and Scholarship.This weeks featured post comes from blog curator, Jennifer Orth-Veillon, who discusses post-WWI French censorship of Films and literature that portrayed overly-negative images of the war.In her post, The film, Paths of Glory, by Stanley Kubrick as well as Gabriel Chevallier 's book, Fear, were considered threats to France's vision of patriotism and triumph after the Armistice of 1918.Read the post at ww1cc.org/W-W-R-I-T-Elink: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/1697-censorship-on-wwi-literature-and-cinema.html The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts Cabinet ExercisesImages of Wilson’s cabinet getting in fighting shape for the war, including future president FDRLink: http://mashable.com/2017/02/18/cabinet-exercises/?linkId=36902528#DvoKqmLzc5qDFirst Naval Officer Death in WW1Link: http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/naval_academy/ph-ac-cn-wwi-naval-academy-anniversary-0429-20170428-story.html Moss: a humble plant that saved thousands of lives in WW1link:http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-humble-moss-helped-heal-wounds-thousands-WWI-180963081/ That’s WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening!We want to thank our guests Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blogMichael Lombardi, the Senior Corporate Historian for the Boeing CompanyJordan Beck, Head of Communications for Fun Academy Motion PicturesKatherine Akey the Commission’s social media director and also the line producer for the show.And I am Theo Mayer - your host this week.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 we are building a National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.We rely entirely on your donations. No government appropriations or taxes are being used, so please give what you can.It's easy by texting the word: WW1Now to 41444. that's ww 1 now to 41444Or you give online at ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case WW1 Centennial News is brought to you as a part of that effort. 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 joining us. And don’t forget to talk to someone about the centennial of WW1 this week. So long. SUBSCRIPTIONS WW1 Centennial News Video Podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ww1-centennial-news/id1209764611?mt=2 Weekly Dispatch Newsletterhttp://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/2015-12-28-18-26-00/subscribe.htm