Lifesavers, or surfmen, from U.S. Coast Guard Station Number 40 on Cape Cod, Massachusetts bring rescued sailors ashore after the attack by U-156 on coastal shipping in 1918.

Attack on Orleans: the only time the continental US took enemy fire in WWI 

By Jake Klim
Special to the United States World War One Centennial Commission web site

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the Attack on Orleans; when shells from a German submarine crashed ashore on Cape Cod, Massachusetts during the summer of 1918. That strange raid on the normally peaceful arm of New England was the only time the continental United States received enemy fire during World War I.

Jake KlimOn that fateful day, the German submarine U-156 surfaced from the depths approximately two to three miles off the coast of Nauset Beach. For reasons that largely remain speculative, the raider began firing on a tugboat and her string of four barges. The 32 sailors aboard the five vessels—including a handful of seamen injured by exploding shrapnel—abandoned ship and hastily launched lifeboats for shore.

Lifesavers, or surfmen, from U.S. Coast Guard Station Number 40 witnessed the one-sided battle from the beach and rowed out in the direction of the fire to rescue those they could. Before launching their surfboat, the keeper of the station dialed nearby Chatham Naval Air Station and implored the aviators to send pilots and machines to meet the threat. The resulting sorties were the only naval-air action that occurred in the western Atlantic during the war.

Although upwards of one thousand citizens watched the spectacle from shore, the Attack on Orleans is a story very few Americans, outside the proud town of Orleans, have ever heard.

I was born on Cape Cod, just 20 miles from the town of Orleans. I’d always loved history, especially military history, and had a certain affinity for World War I, partly because as a child I didn’t know much about it. We spent weeks learning about World War II in history class each year, but I always endeavored to know more about that first war, which preceded the second. My interest only increased in college after I took a class called “The First World War”—an entire course dedicated to the history of the conflict.

Read more: Attack on Orleans: the only time the continental US took enemy fire in WWI

Educational Poster Series Tells Story of DHS Agencies in WWI 

By Alison Finkelstein
U.S.Department of Homeland Security

As part of the ongoing commemoration of the World War I (WWI) Centennial, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services History Office and Library has initiated a collaborative Department of Homeland Security project to create an educational poster series, illustrating the roles of DHS’s legacy agencies during WWI.

The five free posters in the series aim to raise awareness about the significant history and heritage of DHS while honoring the nation’s participation in WWI:

• USCIS (legacy Bureau of Immigration and Bureau of Naturalization)
• Customs and Border Protection (legacy U.S. Customs Service)
• U.S. Coast Guard
• U.S. Secret Service
• DHS (summarizing the roles of several legacy agencies)

These free posters are remarkable resources for educators to help tell the story of our government's role during World War I.

See all the posters on the DHS web site.

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 Five Questions for Mike Grobbel

Honoring “Detroit’s Own”: Polar Bear Memorial Association’s World War I Centennial Commemoration

By Will Kaiser
Staff Writer

Polar bears are known for their ability to survive and thrive in the most adverse conditions, all while being regarded as the tundra's most fierce predator. In a similar fashion, the American North Russia Expeditionary Forces (ANREF) in Russia were revered for being as resilient as polar bears. The men of the ANREF fought the newly formed Red Army while simultaneously battling the Russian winter’s sub-zero temperatures. These men and their stories have nearly been forgotten, but because of the incredible work of the Polar Bear Memorial Association, Americans are beginning to learn more about The United States’ intervention into the Russian Civil War. We spoke to Mike Grobbel, President of the Polar Bear Memorial Association, about the WWI Polar Bear Expedition, about his commemoration organization, and about their activities.

What prompted you and the organization to become involved with these commemorative efforts and what were some of the motivations behind researching, discovering, and showcasing the American Expeditionary Forces in Russia during World War I? How can we best honor these ANREF veterans?

Mike GrobbelWhen the veterans of the American North Russia Expeditionary Force (ANREF) returned home in 1919, they were concerned that only about half of their war dead had been repatriated, with the remainder still buried in Russian soil. That concern prompted them to form the Polar Bear Association (PBA) in 1922. Holding their reunions on even-numbered years, the PBA continued to meet over the next half century. During the 1920s the PBA lobbied the US government and the State of Michigan to organize a recovery mission to locate and repatriate the remainder of their dead. Because the United States and the Soviet Union did not have official diplomatic relations, a recovery mission was not able to be funded until 1929. This mission, funded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the state of Michigan, was able to successfully acquire the remains of 86 American soldiers for proper burial in the United States. Forty-five of those individuals were able to be reburied at the Polar Bear Monument in White Chapel Memorial Cemetery, located in Troy Michigan. The burials took place during the dedication of the monument on Memorial Day in 1930 [names and diagram] and all who were fallen received their full military honors. Following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1934, a US Army unit went to Russia and recovered another 14 bodies. Approximately two dozen bodies could not be found and remain in unmarked Russian graves to this day.

Because of the timing and circumstances surrounding the ANREF’s deployment to North Russia (a similar force of “Regular Army” infantry regiments was deployed to Siberia at the same time for similar reasons), the soldiers and their families back home felt that they had been forgotten by their country. Family members held petition drives in Feb. 1919 and lobbied Congress to have the ANREF brought home as soon as possible. The Secretary of War announced later that month that the ANREF would be leaving Russia at the earliest possible time, which turned out to be June 1919.

Due to their feelings of past abandonment, which stemmed from their military campaign that was quickly forgotten by both historians and the public, the Polar Bear Association veterans decided to ensure that their casualties were not forgotten. In order to do this the PBA erected the Polar Bear monument and decided to host an annual Memorial Day service in perpetuity for those who had fallen. Over a four-year period in the 1950s, the PBA collected more than $5,000 which was placed in a trust fund that would be used continue the Memorial Day service after the eventual disbanding of the PBA. During the fundraising effort, PBA President John Boran stated, “This is the least that those living who survived the campaign could do for those buddies who made the supreme sacrifice for a cause they never did understand. A cause which has been called ‘America’s greatest diplomatic blunder.’”

Read more: Honoring “Detroit’s Own”: Polar Bear Memorial Association’s World War I Centennial Commemoration

Re-Airing of the PBS/American Experience documentary series THE GREAT WAR

By Carrie Phillips
PBS American Experience

Great news for the World War I community. The ground-breaking documentary series, THE GREAT WAR, will re-air on PBS stations across the country.

• Episode 1 will air on June 19 at 9/8c
• Episode 2 on June 26 at 9/8c, and
• Episode 3 on July 3 at 9/8c.

All three episodes will be available for free streaming starting June 19 at 9 pm EST through July 30.

Here’s the link for more information and to stream the film: http://pbs.org/thegreatwar

Drawing on unpublished diaries, memoirs and letters, The Great War tells the rich and complex story of World War I through the voices of nurses, journalists, aviators and the American troops who came to be known as “Doughboys.”

The series explores the experiences of African-American and Latino soldiers, suffragists, Native American “code talkers” and others whose participation in the war to “make the world safe for democracy” has been largely forgotten.

Read more: Re-Airing of the PBS/American Experience documentary series THE GREAT WAR

WWI and WWII Tourism Marketing Grants are open again -- Up to $10,000 available 

By Randy Nix
Virginia WWI and WWII Commemoration Commission

Virginia World War I and World War II Tourism Marketing Program Applications are now open! Deadline is Tuesday, August 7, 2018 by 5:00 PM.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) and the World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission (the Commission) announce that applications are now available for the Virginia World War I and World War II Tourism Marketing Program grants.

These grants, administered by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, will assist Virginia communities and related WWI and WWI sites to market commemorative events, locations, and destinations. VTC will partner with the Commission to execute the program.

The Commission was created by the General Assembly to plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of WWI and the 75th anniversary of WWII.

The program's goal is to market Virginia as a year-round travel destination with historical and cultural attractions for regional and international travelers.

"We are fortunate in Virginia to have so many museums, historic sites, organizations, and communities across the state that are developing programs to mark the anniversaries of World War I and World War II," said Delegate Kirk Cox, Chairman of the Commission. "This is truly a statewide commemoration, and the grants will enable partners to join together to honor those who served and ensure that their inspiring stories live on for generations to come."

"These grants will help facilitate programs and events that will honor WWI and WWII veterans not only from Virginia, but across the country, as well," said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. "Additionally, by connecting travelers to a very significant time in our country's history, we hope to inspire a desire to learn more, while also fostering a new generation of stewards who will help to preserve and protect significant sites in Virginia related to WWI and WWII."

Read more: WWI and WWII Tourism Marketing Grants are open again -- Up to $10,000 available

The Father of Father’s Day: American Celebration of Fatherhood During WWI 

By Joseph Vesper
Staff Writer

General John J. Pershing and his family before WWI. Have you ever wondered about the history of Father’s Day? Unfortunately, there was no federally recognized Father’s Day in America during the time of World War I. It was not until 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation that the third Sunday in June was to be designated as the official holiday.

However, various communities in 1917-1918 did celebrate a day dedicated to fathers, nonetheless.

The exact day varied by community. Some celebrated the holiday in May others in June, still others as late as October. Newspapers in these communities heavily encouraged Father’s Day participation and gave suggestions for honoring fathers including; letting dad sleep in until 10 am, letting him read the entire sports section of the newspaper without interruption, showering him with gifts of scotch and cigars, and taking him to a baseball game.

Even President Woodrow Wilson and Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the American Expeditionary Force, helped to promote a day where fathers could be celebrated across the vast Atlantic Ocean, that separated families during the war.

President Woodrow Wilson verbally designated Nov. 24, 1918 as Father’s Day and in conjunction with Stars and Stripes a national letter-writing campaign was orchestrated where fathers and their children could reach out to each other. Though the war ended earlier that month, the letters were safely delivered. Some of these letters were even published in local newspapers.

Private Murville Boylan, of Plainfield Missouri, part of Company H, 311th Infantry wrote to his father:

...“Well as today had been set aside as “Father’s Day,” I for one feel very proud to think I have a dad to write to. There are a good many other boys writing to their fathers, also. Of course, there are some who came over here to do their bit for the U.S.A., who have been unfortunate and will never write to any one, so that is why I thank the Lord for sparing my life through this great battle of victory.”
…...
“Some day we can spend many pleasant evenings together at home and I can tell you many funny experiences of my trip and time spent in this country and I can just see how interested you will be.”

Read more: The Father of Father’s Day: American Celebration of Fatherhood During WWI

"Etienne Dufau, My great-great grandfather" 

By Margeurite De Joux
translated by Yael Rosen, United States World War One Centennial Commission

Isolation. Despair. Fear. These are each soldier’s true enemy. Vision, hope and connection. These keep each soldier moving forward, even in the face of relentless pain.

Meet Etienne Dufau (1896 -1950), a Sergeant in the French 303rd infantry regiment.

During the war, he corresponded with “an American godmother of war” who lived in Philadelphia, her name was Ms. Eva MacAdoo.

In his unpublished memoirs, he describes the exchange of letters as a connection to the other side of the world that transcends oceans, borders and nations; and the humility and gratitude that filled him knowing that even in this far away place of America, they cared about the soldiers here in France.

This connection gave him hope, a sense of purpose, and a sense of being part of something greater.

Ms. MacAdoo would share about her life and experiences, her joy and her heartaches and how despite it all she was still madly in love with life; which provided him with an escape, and a vision of another, better world.

In August 1917, during a recognition operation in Verdun (cote 304) Etienne Dufau was injured and lost an arm and his eyesight.

He was a talented violin player and after the incident he thought he would never be able to play again. However -- Years later, he created a device that enabled him to play the violin, after all.

This was a powerful testament to his dedication, and incredibly positive outlook on life which became his legacy.

Etienne Dufau, much like his American godmother, was in love with life and held on to hope. A creative at heart, he wrote a memoir, and several poems, that were filled with raw, palpable emotions, and serve as a great reminder that even after all the atrocities, somehow humanity prevailed.

Two of his poems “A mon violon”, a tribute to his violin, and “A ceux qui viennent combattre en France”, a tribute to the American soldiers who came to France to fight the war, were published in the famed literary magazine “The Forge” in Philadelphia in 1918.

Read more: "Etienne Dufau, My great-great grandfather"

Writing "Dad and Dunk in the Great War"

"I knew I wanted to dig deeper into this decades-long relationship."

By Jenifer Burckett-Picker
Special to the United States World War One Centennial Commission web site

There was a small trunk in our house that my husband kept telling me to clean out as it was “cluttering the basement area” that he wanted to use for his hobbies. My dad had died at age 97 in 1993 and when, after almost a decade, I finally got around to opening this trunk, I found it was a treasure trove of my dad’s WWI memorabilia. In it was the revolver (with no bullets in the barrel), WWI victory medals attesting to my dad’s participation in both the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives, old maps of the Western Front in the area of Verdun, the khaki army hat and shirt, dad’s Army discharge papers, and a small, partially disintegrated, brittle envelope with something inside.

Jenifer Burckett PickerI had a feeling that the envelope contained something important. And it did! Inside was a packet of 2.5 inch by 4.5 inch white lined pages with three holes punched at the top. Written mostly in ink but occasionally in pencil was Dad’s diary from November 25, 1917, when he was sworn into service at Ft. Slocum, New York to June 14, 1922 when he left Boston on route to W. Montana. In these miniature pages, in a tiny but very readable script, was my dad’s record of his WWI service.

As I began to read these pages, I was filled with emotion. They told story of my dad’s time in WWI, and what captivated me was friendship he had formed with one of the soldiers he’d met in training camp. George Duncan ‘Dunk’ was from rural Montana and Dad, who had interrupted his studies at MIT to join the war, was from New Jersey. They became fast friends as they spent months in training camps in Maryland and then went overseas together. As I read through the diary I knew I wanted to dig deeper into this decades-long relationship.

How could I get in contact with Dunk’s family to find out more about this WWI friendship? By the early 2000s there was no chance that Dunk and his wife were alive. I knew, however, from my father’s Christmas card list that Dunk and his wife Eileen had had one child, a daughter Margaret, born in 1924. Unfortunately, women change their names when they marry so I was getting nowhere in my search for Margaret, even if she were still alive in her eighties.

Read more: Dad and Dunk in the Great War

Interview with author Andrew Capets 

"I wanted the reader to feel like they too were following their ancestor through the war."

By Will Kasier
Staff Writer

Even though the Great War ended one hundred years ago, families across the country continue to uncover complex military pasts of their families. The World War One Centennial Commission is proud to sponsor author Andrew Capets’ book, Good War, Great Men, which was inspired by his grandfather’s exploits in the 313th Machine Gun Battalion in France. Using the harrowing accounts from letters and diary entries of the 313th Battalion, Mr. Capets’ book immerses readers in the trenches with the men of the 313th. In a recent interview with the author, I had the chance to ask Mr. Capets for more details about his newly released book.

Could you tell us more about the history of the 313th Machine Gun Battalion and the men who served in the battalion? How did you come across this particular battalion?

Andrew CapetsSeveral years ago, I was standing next to my father, staring into a display case at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh admiring their exhibition of WWI items, specifically, a 1917 Browning machine gun. My father said, “That’s the kind of machine gun my father shot when he was in France.” This story was completely foreign to me. While I knew my grandfather was a veteran, I never truly contemplated the thoughts of my grandfather fighting on a battlefield. I thought this would be an interesting topic to explore. I had no idea it would lead me to writing a book about the men of his unit, specifically those who served in the 313th Machine Gun Battalion.

While the book briefly mentions my grandfather’s background, it’s not a family history. The subject material is predominantly the writings of men in his command, and other men attached to his battalion. The 313th Machine Gun Battalion was part of the 80th Division. The enlisted men were primarily from Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. This unit had a large contingency of draftees from the Erie County, Pennsylvania region.

Read more: Interview with author Andrew Capets

LA History Museum features exhibition on local families during WWI 

via the Los Altos (CA) Town Crier newspaper web site

The Los Altos History Museum highlights material seldom on display in its latest exhibition, “Right Here: Our Local Stories,” which runs through July 1.

The display focuses on World War I artifacts and stories of local families affected by the war. The exhibition features personal letters, original newspaper stories and posters promoting patriotic messages that mobilized the nation to war.

“In this exhibition, we want to show the global impact of World War I felt locally not only by families whose fathers and sons served, but also by immigrants and others ostracized by wartime fervor,” said Elisabeth Ward, museum executive director, noting that “Right Here” features a display on the Hindu-German Conspiracy Trial in San Francisco.

The artifacts include Frank Duveneck’s love letters to his wife, Josephine, and his wartime diary, which tell the story of his service with the 322nd Field Signal Battalion, his longing to be home and his joy over his daughter’s birth.

The Duvenecks went on to purchase Hidden Villa in 1924, the Los Altos Hills property that evolved into the nonprofit farm and wilderness preserve promoting environmental education and social justice.

Read more: LA History Museum features exhibition on local families during WWI