The American Army dog tags were a gift to James Shetler in appreciation for his research on American World War I veterans for a Dutchman. Previously purchased on eBay, Alfred Marcy Swenson's WWI dog tags had passed through several sets of hands before ending up with Shetler. As he researched Captain Swenson, Shetler found that there were actually many things he had in common with the WWI soldier who was a fellow Minnesotan. Read more about the tale the dog tags helped to tell, and the journey they led their researcher on from France to Minnesota..

The commander of the American forces, General John J. Pershing, needed a way to quickly transmit urgent military information. The telegraph messages were too slow getting to the front lines and radios were large, bulky, and difficult to haul about. Pershing decided he wanted civilian trained telephone operators, such as those from the Bell Telephone company, who could speak both English and French. Their job would be to transmit communications via telephone, while serving in the Army Signal Corps near the front lines of battle. These women, referred to as the “Hello Girls,” put through over 100,000 calls a day while operating their switchboards under difficult conditions. They often performed translations of English and French during inter-communications. Many were exposed to the dangers of war by being within a few miles of the combat. Read more about the "Hello Girls" and why their services should be remembered here.

WW1CC intern Yasmin Chaudhary writes this week about  nurse Jane Arminda Delano, who played a played an vital part in the war effort through organizing the mobilization of American nurses. In 1909 she became Superintendent of the US Army Nurse Corps, then President of the American Nurses Association and Chair of the National Committee of the Red Cross Nursing Service. By uniting the work of these three services, Jane created American Red Cross Nursing. When the US entered the Great War, she had eight thousand nurses ready for duty.  Throughout the war, over twenty thousand of her nurses had served. Read more about the remarkable service of nurse Jane Arminda Delano here.

Montana author and veteran Ed Saunders is detailing in a forthcoming book the stories of Montana women who went overseas serving in uniform as nurses in World War I. While the historical narrative is not yet ready for publication, Saunders has found details of heroism in many of the women’s stories, including those of Harriet O’Day Nielsen of Laurel, and Elizabeth “Sandy” Sandelius (left) from Cokedale, just two among the 206 Montana women who entered military service in WWI. Read more about the outstanding service that brought official citations for heroism in France to O'Day and Sandelius here.

One hundred years ago, a powerful strain of the flu swept the globe, infecting one third of the world’s population. The aftermath of this disaster led to unexpected social changes, opening up new opportunities for women and in the process irreversibly transforming life in the United States. The virus disproportionately affected young men, which in combination with World War I, created a shortage of labor. This gap enabled women to play a new and indispensable role in the workforce during the crucial period just before the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women suffrage in the United States two years later. Read more about how the worker shortage caused by the flu and World War I opened access to the labor market for women, and how in unprecedented numbers they took jobs that were previously held exclusively by men.

A simple fried pastry delivered to American troops in the trenches of World War I provided not only a sweet treat for soldiers, but helped change a nation's attitude to war.  By looking through the lens of history it is possible to understand the true impact of this minute and often overlooked point of change. Read more about how doughnuts were first delivered to the trenches in 1917, during World War I, through the inspiration of American Salvation Army Officers Helen Purviance and Margaret Sheldon, who were assigned to the front line in France.

“Idaho Remembers” was the 2018 theme for Idaho Day — March 5 this year — honoring members of the armed forces from Idaho who served during World War I. Writing on the Idaho Statesman web site, former member of the Idaho House of Representatives Linden Bateman remembers Thomas Neibaur, the first person born in Idaho to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; Leland Hansen (right), who each year would visit history classes at Bonneville High, dressed in his World War I uniform, and tell stories of sacrifice and heroism he witnessed while serving in France; and Frank Buckles, the last surviving Doughboy, who died in 2011 at age 110. Read Bateman's thoughtful and evocative remembrance of those who served their nation in WWI here.

Paul Larue, a teacher in Washington Court House, a small town in rural southern Ohio, always likes to connect classroom content locally, when possible. Serving as a member of Ohio's WWI Centennial Committee, he helped create educational resources to assist educators in teaching the story of African American WWI Soldiers. In the process, Larue discovered that whether at  the local American Legion Post #653, named after Homer Lawson (above), or exploring in the local cemetery, the rich history of African American service in the Great War is everywhere waiting to be discovered. Read more about the Ohio study guides here.

Hertha Marks Ayrton (left), a British mathematician, engineer, physicist, and inventor, worked in WWI to research vortices that could push poison gas back and expel it from a trench. She developed a fan made of cane and canvas; over 100,000 of Ayrton's gas-repelling fans were eventually issued to soldiers on the Western Front.  Ayrton is one of a number of engineers and scientists whose work changed the world then and now.  Read more about World War I technological advancements and the invention of weapons still widely known today here.

The WW1 Centennial News Podcast is about WW1 THEN: 100 years ago this week, and it's about WW1 NOW: News and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.  

Available on our web site, iTunes, Google Play, and TuneIn.

Episode #62
The Signal Corps in WW1

The founding of the US Army Signal Corps @ |01:30

The Signal Corps in WW1 @ |04:25

War In The Sky - Signal Corps Connections @ |09:00

Alvin York’s crisis of conscience w/ Dr. Edward Lengel @ |13:30

Germany’s starts big push w/ Mike Shuster @ |20:25

Women in the AEF w/ Dr. Susan Zeiger @ |25:15

The Hello Girls w/ Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs @ |32:05

100C/100M in Worcester MA w/ Brian McCarthy @ |40:35

Speaking WW1 - Shody @ |46:15

Social Media Pick w/ Katherine Akey @ |48:15

This week's post features writing by Josephine Lehman Thomas, a “government girl” in Washington DC during World War I: a determinedly modern young woman who relished the wartime excitement of the nation's capital – with its soldiers, movie stars, and international celebrities. 

She kept a detailed diary from 1917 until the late twenties, when she was a researcher and ghostwriter for Lowell Thomas. Don't miss this post– a lively record of city life during WWI in the US provided by Thomas' daughter, Margaret Thomas Buchholz!

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's MIA this week is Private Curtis Dye, Company B, 313th Machine Gun Battalion, 79th Division.

Private Dye was killed in battle on October 6th, 1918. He was buried on the battlefield with another soldier of his unit in a shellhole grave. When GRS later went to recover his remains, they encountered some difficulty in locating the exact position. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the graves may have already been excavated and that Private Dye could be among the Unknowns buried in France, although there is much room to speculate that his remains were not, in fact, recovered and he still lies on the battlefield. Doughboy MIA has launched an investigation into this case to attempt a determination and believes his remains were NOT recovered. (Thanks to volunteer team member Ben Woodard for the picture of Private Dye!)

Do you wish you could help in Private Dye's case? You can!  Give 'Ten For Them' to Doughboy MIA and help us make a full accounting of the 4,423 American service personnel still listed as missing in action from WW1. Make your tax deductible donation now, with our thanks.

"They’ve Earned Their Own Memorial" – Bumper Sticker - $3.95

On December 19, 2014, Congress passed legislation designating Pershing Park in the District of Columbia as a national World War One Memorial. The Act authorizes the World War One Centennial Commission to further honor the service of members of the United States Armed Forces in World War One by developing the Pershing Park Site. The World War One Centennial Commission will coordinate events and activities commemorating the U.S. Centennial of The Great War. It is the Commission’s goal to build the memorial.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item are designated for this endeavor. You can show your support, and help promote the efforts, by proudly displaying your custom bumper sticker. 

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

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