Admiral Christopher W. Grady, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command (left) joins the Memorial team from The United States World War I Centennial Commission at the scale model maquette for the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. (From second left) Commissioners Dr. Libby O'Connell and Vice Chair Edwin Fountain are leading the Memorial project for the Commission; Memorial Architect Joseph Weishaar and Memorial Sculptor Sabin Howard; and Commission Special Advisor Sandra Pershing, granddaughter-in-law of General John Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.

Fleet Week 2019 Photo Gallery

Official reception marks beginning of Fleet Week New York 2019

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission

The United States World War I Centennial Commission joined Admiral Christopher W. Grady, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and other Sea Service leaders, and city officials, for a special reception to mark the start of Fleet Week New York.

Among the attendees was Mayor Bill De Blasio, who had a chance to see the scale model maquette for the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC, which the Commission is building.

Entertainment was provided by the cast of "The Hello Girls", an Off-Broadway musical which tells the story of the heroic U.S. Army Female Telephone Operators of World War I. 

Read more: Fleet Week 2019 Photo Gallery: Official reception marks beginning of Fleet Week New York 2019

Fleet Week Photo Gallery

Commission salutes Fleet Week vessels from dazzle ship John J. Harvey

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission

With the help of the historic fireboat John J. Harvey, painted in World War I "dazzle" camouflage pattern, the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission welcomed the U.S.S. New York as she led the parade of ships into New York Harbor to kick off Fleet Week New York, which this year is commemorating WWI, on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, in New York. (Jason DeCrow/AP Images for U.S. WWI Centennial Commission)

Read more: Fleet Week Photo Gallery: Commission salutes Fleet Week vessels from dazzle ship John J. Harvey

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast

Commission News: Living History Crew from the USS Olympia at Fleet Week 

In May 17th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 123, host Theo Mayer interviewed Kevin Smith and Laura Adie of the Cruiser Olympia Living History Crew. Kevin and Laura both attended Fleet Week in NYC to share World War I Naval History with visitors. Read on to learn more about the work of the Living History Crew, the story of the Olympia, and more. The following is a transcript of the conversation, lightly edited for clarity: 

Theo Mayer: One of the very exciting World War I elements that we're sponsoring at Fleet Week is a group of living historians who are going to be located at various key events. These are men and women who have studied and embraced the era and personas of people from that era, literally bringing the past into the present. A notable group of living historians focused on World War I, and the sea services specifically, are from the Philadelphia Independence Seaport Museum, home of the Cruiser Olympia, the ship that carried home many of our doughboys who sadly died over there including the first unknown. With us today are two of these living historians of the more than 20 that'll be joining us in New York. Laura Adie, the head of the female crew, and Kevin Smith, one of the founders of the crew and one of the curators for the Cruiser Olympia. Laura, Kevin welcome to the podcast.

Laura Adie: Thanks for having us.

Kevin Smith: Yeah, thanks for having us.

The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, PA Theo Mayer: Kevin, let me begin with you. Can you give our listeners a quick overview of the museum, the Cruiser Olympia, and what visitors experience when they go for a visit?

Kevin Smith: Yeah, of course. The Cruiser Olympia is part of the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. It's a maritime museum that focuses on the history of maritime trade, industry, and actually the ecosystem of the Delaware River and other waterways throughout the United States. A good part of our mission is actually the history of the US Navy. We have a program called the Sail, Steam, and Stealth Program. That focuses on our three ships, we have two historic ships and one replica. The Diligence, a replica cutter from the Quasi War (editors note: undeclared war between the U.S. and France from 1798 to1800) and the submarine Becuna from World War II, and of course the Cruiser Olympia, which served in the Spanish-American War and World War I. Olympia is actually the flagship of our collection, very literally as it is a flagship and sort of embassy for the United States. She served in the US Navy for 27 years and visitors coming aboard can actually see the ship, walk around through it, and experience the ship as it would have been actually mostly in World War I.

Read more: Podcast Article - Olympia Living History Crew

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast

Education: Teacher Suzan Turner and her Award-Winning Students 

In May 3rd's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 121, host Theo Mayer interviewed Suzan Turner and a few of her students from Nashau, Iowa. Suzan's students produced an award-winning documentary for Who They Were, a National History Day program that encourages students to engage with World War I. The following is a transcript of the conversation, lightly edited for clarity: 

Theo Mayer: Under Education, last year we put together an education consortium consisting of the US World War I Centennial Commission, the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, which is America's leading institution dedicated to the Great War and its enduring impact, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, a nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of history education and our friends at National History Day, another nonprofit educational organization that offers year long academic programs that engage over a half a million middle and high school students annually. One of the initiatives that came out of the consortium is National History Day's Legacy of World War I. This is a teacher participation course that includes Memorializing the Fallen, where you research a fallen soldier from your community. That idea was brought down to the student population through another initiative called Who They Were. Our next guests include a teacher, Suzan Turner, a talented and gifted student teacher as well as National History Day coach at Nashua Plainfield High School in Nashua, Iowa. With her are a group of her very talented and gifted students, who created an award-winning mini documentary video for Who They Were. Let me greet each of you. Suzan, thank you for being the inspiration here.

Suzan Turner: Thank you very much. We're very happy to be a guest on your program.

Theo Mayer: On the student side, we have Drew, Abby, Tyler, Jayne and Lucas. Hey, guys.

Students: Hello. Hi.

Theo Mayer: Before we get going, I had a chance to watch the video this morning and I just wanted to open by telling you that I've been producing media for a very long time and your mini documentary is genuinely really good. Congratulations to all of you. That's really impressive.

Read more: Podcast Article - Suzan Turner and Students interview

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast

100 Years Ago This Week: The Curtiss NC-4 and the First Transatlantic Flight  

In May 10th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 122, host Theo Mayer recounted the story of the first transatlantic flight. American Navy pilots flying a Curtiss NC-4 made several stops on a trip that ultimately took several weeks before landing in Lisbon, Portugal. It was harrowing journey that marked a major achievement for the Navy, the nascent aerospace industry, and the United States as a whole. The following is a transcribed segment from the podcast, edited for clarity: 

 Theo Mayer: A big theme for this month is the role of the Navy in WWI, and in our editorial planning meetings, a '100 years ago' story jumped out that is so compelling and exciting that we thought we'd dedicate the whole segment to it. It's a story we've touched on in the past. The first successful Transatlantic plane crossing, and it happened in a US Navy flying boat known as the NC-4. So with that as a setup, let's jump into our centennial time machine and go back 100 years, as the postwar US Navy takes on the challenge of flying from the North American to the European continent.

Glen Curtiss, designer of the NC-4, was a pioneer of the American aerospace industryWe've gone back a hundred years to early May, 1919. The newspapers all over the nation, small towns and large cities alike are all tuned into a play-by-play, day-by-day drama happening along the North Eastern seaboard, a Mid-Atlantic island chain, and over to Lisbon in Portugal. The papers are telling the story of three Navy planes that are bound and determined to be the first airplanes to fly across the Atlantic. Unlike the pilots who are competing for the grand prize for the first nonstop transatlantic flight, The Navy is trying to demonstrate that their WWI-developed technology can bridge the Pacific Ocean's chasm. The plane is designed by Glen Curtiss and his team, and manufactured by the Curtis Airplane and Motor Company and is meant to serve as a US Navy submarine hunter.

Now, a crucial strategic capability for the plane's deployment in WWI, is that it needs to be able to fly itself across the Atlantic to the European theater. You see, as America deploys an unprecedented number of troops to Europe, there is simply no cargo space available on ships to transport large planes. To be viable in the conflict, those planes need to be able to get where they need to go on their own. To get across the ocean, the NC-4 sported four of the American engineered and designed 12 cylinder liberty engines. As it happens, the war ends before the plane can be put into service, but their design and capability is considered by the Navy and by Curtis to be groundbreaking. Well, maybe 'groundbreaking' is the wrong phrase because after all, it is a flying boat.

Now, the Navy wants to shed some light on what's been accomplished, and so it decides to show off it's new technology and capability by making the Navy Curtis flying boat the first plane ever to fly across the Atlantic. It's meant to be a huge public relations coup for the US Navy, Curtiss, and the fledgling American aerospace industry. To do this, three planes are designated to make the voyage: the NC-1, the NC-3 and the NC-4. Now, NC stands for Navy Curtiss, but everyone knew them as Nancy's. Okay. So, the Navy's gone all in on commitment and planning, and the multi-leg journey and adventure starts at the Naval air station at Rockaway Beach, New York, on May 8th, 1919. We're going to follow the events day by day, and it's a truly epic story.

Read more: Podcast Article - NC-4 Transatlantic flight

University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod speaks on Monday, May 20, 2019, during a rededication ceremony of "The Victory Eagle" sculpture, a World War I memorial honoring Douglas County residents who died during the war.  

KU rededicates WWI memorial ‘Victory Eagle’ in new location on campus 

By Dylan Lysen
via the Lawrence Journal-World (KS) newspaper web site

For the third — and likely final — time, the University of Kansas on Monday dedicated “The Victory Eagle” statue in honor of the Douglas County residents who lost their lives fighting in World War I.

“Monuments like this ‘Victory Eagle,’ commissioned to honor those from Douglas County who answered their country’s call, makes this world history our local history,” said Lorie Vanchena, who is a KU associate professor of German Studies. “Eighteen of the 68 individuals whose names appear on the plaque were KU students and alumni. So this monument makes this world history our university history.”

The university rededicated the World War I commemorative statue because it was moved to a new location on the east side of Memorial Drive in April. The statue was previously displayed on Jayhawk Boulevard near the front of Dyche Hall but was moved closer to other war memorials on campus.

The bronze eagle statue, which had been sitting in front of Dyche Hall since 1982, depicts a female bald eagle defending her nest. The sculpture was originally placed on the Douglas and Leavenworth county line in 1929 but was removed in 1980 because of vandalism. The sculpture was rededicated on KU’s campus two years later.

The KU sculpture is one of six eagle statues produced in the 1920s to be placed along “Victory Highway,” a planned roadway from New York to San Francisco that was meant to honor those who died in WWI, but the plan was never fully realized.

Read more: KU rededicates WWI memorial ‘Victory Eagle’ in new location on campus

Harlem Welcomes The 369th Experience for Memorial Day Weekend Concert 

By BWW News Desk
via the Broadway World.com web site (NYC)

Harlem One Stop today announced a free special Memorial Day Weekend concert by The 369th Experience in celebration of the Harlem Renaissance Centennial and the Harlem Hell Fighters. The ensemble will perform a program of music by ragtime and early jazz bandleader James Reese Europe. The free outdoor performance will be presented from 7:00-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 25 at Marcus Garvey Park (Mt. Morris Park West between East 120th-124th Streets) in Harlem.

Created to honor and preserve the memory of World War I-era African American and Puerto Rican service members, The 369th Experience program recreates performances by its namesake regimental band. The original musicians were drawn from the 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as the Harlem Hell Fighters, led by Lieutenant James Reese Europe.

"Prior to his enlistment, Europe made history with his Clef Club Orchestra, which in 1910 became the first act to perform jazz at Carnegie Hall," says Harlem One Stop founder Yuien Chin, who organized the Memorial Day Weekend concert. "During his military service, his 369th Infantry Regiment band played for British, French, and American troops and civilian audiences in France, where these 'Harlem Hell Fighters' also made their first recordings."

Today's band represents students from Benedict College, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, North Carolina Central University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University A&M College, Texas Southern University, and Texas Tech University. The 369th Experience is a project of The United States World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library with support from The Coca-Cola Foundation. The band is in New York to participate in a series of events and performances to celebrate Fleet Week. 

"The students performing James Reese Europe's works today are carrying a grand legacy of Harlem creativity and patriotism and giving a new generation an opportunity to appreciate the original band's star power and sacrifice," Chin says. "Particularly in connection with Memorial Day, we are honored to have the opportunity to raise awareness of this amazing piece of Harlem's musical and civic history."

Harlem One Stop, a leading uptown destination marketing organization and tour operator, is the originator of the Harlem Renaissance 100 celebration, which is co-presented with Harlem Cultural Collaborative Partners. The Centennial launched in late 2018 and runs through 2020. For a full list of events and the most up-to-date information, visit http://harlemrenaissance.org/.

Read more: Harlem Welcomes The 369th Experience for Memorial Day Weekend Concert

This year's Navy fleet week New York has WWI theme 

By Blake Stilwell
via the We Are the Mighty web site

U.S. troops from New York State march down the streets of New York City during World War I.This year, just like every year, America's port cities will receive a series of special guests, American sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. But instead of just flooding the city streets with 2,600 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen complete with dress blues and white cracker jacks, this year's Fleet Week in New York is bringing a theme: "Remembering World War I."

The official centennial of the Armistice that ended the Great War may have come and gone, but the pageantry and tradition that surrounds the 100-year anniversary celebration of the end of World War I lives on. The U.S. Navy is partnering with the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, in a number of activities to tell the story of the 4 million American men and women who wore the uniform a century ago.

For the Navy's annual visit to New York City, the story will also include the City's role in the War to End All Wars. Notable events include

• The horrible Black Tom explosion which damaged the Statue of Liberty.
• The Ill-fated Lusitania's departure for her last voyage from Pier 54 on Manhattan's West Side.
• The local men and women who fought the war, including the Harlem Hell Fighters and the Rainbow Division

But the history of New York in the Great War is more than just a series of milestones. New York City is also an important place in U.S. Navy history, especially as it pertains to World War I. Half of the U.S. Navy's World War I ships were built in Brooklyn. Half of all U.S. troops departed from and returned to the piers of Hoboken. The biggest Victory Parade of the war took place down 5th Avenue.

To help tell these incredible stories, the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission is offering subject matter experts, who can help local audiences understand this rich local history, and to possibly connect with their own World War I veteran family members.

Read more: This year's Navy fleet week New York has a WWI theme

Commission activities honor America's World War I Veterans during Fleet Week 2019 

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission

NEW YORK, NY — The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, in partnership with the U.S. Navy, will host a number of cultural activities, and commemorative events, during the U.S. Navy's upcoming Fleet Week New York, from 22-27 May 2019.

A full list of the WWI-related activities can be found at ww1cc.org/fleetweek. These events will help tell the story of the 4 million American men and women -- many from the greater New York area -- who stepped forward to serve during World War I, 100 years ago.

The activities include:

• Performances by the '369th Experience', a jazz tribute ban that honors the original 369th Infantry "Harlem Hellfighters" Regimental Band of World War I.
• Free copies of the "WWI Genealogy Research Guide", with special appearances by the author, for questions and advice, to help people connect to their WWI heritage.
• Appearances by Sawyer the Sea Dog, mascot of the U.S. Navy Museum, in Washington, DC.
• A special Time Square tribute to the Navy cruiser USS San Diego, which was sunk by an enemy sub, just off of Fire Island
• World War I exhibits by the U.S. Navy History & Heritage Command
• Displays by World War I-period Navy and Marine Corps reenactors, including the Living History Crew of the USS Olympia museum ship, in Philadelphia.
• Many other activities!

All these are free, open to the press, and open to the public.

Specific times and places are as follows:

May 21

Miller Field Youth Day, Staten Island
Time: 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Location: 722-734 New Dorp Ln, New York, New York 10306
Description:
World War One living history will be part of pre-Fleet Week activities with a two-hour exhibition at Miller Field in Staten Island. The U.S. WWI Centennial Commission will have exhibition space with WWI living historians presenting period displays, equipment, uniforms, and more. Learn more about New York’s role in WWI, from recruiting to training.

Fleet Week New York will have active duty U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel on hand, with aviation units, to include include military displays of aviation and personnel equipment, static displays, demonstrations. New this year will include a combined team of members from U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) will present a fast rope demonstration showing how an EOD team can be inserted into an area too dangerous for ships to navigate. The U.S. Fleet Forces "Brass Band" will perform.
All events are free and open to the public.

Read more: Commission activities honor America's World War I Veterans during Fleet Week 2019

100 Years Ago “Hello Girl” Grace Banker receives Distinguished Service Medal 

By Carolyn Timbie, granddaughter of Grace Banker
Special to the United States World War One Centennial Commission web site

Grace BankerIn 1917, General Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in WW1, made a request for women telephone operators in France. It was apparent that Doughboys, inexperienced in telephony, could not efficiently complete this vital task. In 1918, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 women telephone operators to France. These women became popularly known as the “Hello Girls”

Grace Banker was the Chief Operator of the first unit of 33 bi-lingual women who embarked for France to support the telephone systems of the American Expeditionary Forces. After spending the first 5 months at General Army Headquarters in Chaumont, Grace banker and a small group of women were chosen to operate the switchboards in the advanced section at First Army Headquarters during the AEF battles of St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne.

The women worked tirelessly during the drives. Grace states in her diary on Sept 25th:

“Busy again. Don’t believe anyone not here can realize what busy means. 11:15 pm, the new drive is on......The cannons are roaring. 12 midnight. Capt. Scott, Miss Russell and myself went outside for a minute to look at the sky. There are great flashes of light all along the horizon like Northern Lights. 2:50am, the night railroad guns are beginning to roar.....such a noise. Worse than a heavy surf in a storm and here there is a beautiful moonlight. The old flimsy barracks shake and the beds rock as though in a miniature earthquake.....”

Grace took great pride in “her girls“. “Resting up after the drive. Never spent more time at the office and never enjoyed anything more. My girls work like beavers” she states in her diary.

Read more: 100 Years Ago “Hello Girl” Grace Banker receives Distinguished Service Medal